“Art” is a very general term. Within its generality lies a vast expanse, speckled with lights and voids. Most of this term, “art”, is void. There are so many possible fields within “art”, so many possible configurations and interpretations of the world around us that most have not yet been created or conceived, and so we have vast voids of unexplored territory. Yet, the essence of art is very much within each human being. It simply comes down to expressing this innate “essence”. What is this essence? It is simply the experiences you have collected over your lifetime, the feelings you have felt, the impact of the environment on your body and mind. It is also the influence of your body and mind on the environment, natural impulses driven by genetic instructions passed on since the birth of civilization. We are a complex integration of genetic impulses and personal decision making. Our conscious and unconscious behavior both shape who we are, and who we are as perceived by others around us.
Art is simply our attempt, as entities in a convoluted integration of instinct and personal decision, to express our feelings using some medium. It could be any medium: sand, rock, air, paint, etc. The voice (or spoken language) uses air as a medium of communication. Yet, if this is the case, one could argue that animals that communicate also express some form of art. This is a difficult issue. It comes down to intent. Do animals consciously intend to say what they say, or are they geared genetically/instinctively to make a call in response to some external stimuli? This is important, because I believe that art has to be a conscious act. Even if animals are considered to act consciously, it is still a very basic form of art and does not take advantage of the more complex elements of art such as symbolism and metaphors. Regarding language as art, some may argue that while pieces of art (such as paintings or plays) resonate within all people, languages must be learned. This is true, but it may simply be that language is a unique form of art that is not inherently universal. Also, language can be refined and explored like all other arts. Orators can be considered fine artists.
As was mentioned before, art is an immensely general term that hasn’t nearly been completely explored. In fact, it will never be fully explored because art continues to evolve. New artists are born every day and live unique lives. They may notice something interesting and captivating that no one has seen before. They may use their personal intuition to mold a common object into something original. We constantly discover new ways of interpreting the world around us. In many ways, there is an element of discovery in art that is similar to the discovery within science.
