Do We Need Another Reminder That the World Is Broken? The Case for Beauty and Joy in Art

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Walking in the woods always makes the case for beauty without trying. Light through leaves, moss underfoot, everything smells like earth and renewal. Wandering through it, I often find myself thinking about art, and about how far we've drifted from the idea that joy in beauty is a worthy pursuit, even an important one. We are strengthened by joy, beauty, and awe. But somewhere along the way, to feel uplifted and energized by something lovely became sentimental, unsophisticated, maybe even suspect.

Beauty, wonder, and exuberance are not naivety. I want to be clear about that, because I think artists who talk about these things often get dismissed as not serious, not engaged. Their work is often seen as decorative and shallow. When I talk about joy in beauty, I don't mean liking pretty things. Pretty is surface. What I'm after is something more like composition that intrigues, a color relationship that hums, tension that holds balance. It does not have to be bright and cheery. It can be raw. It ought to be honest, but not defeatist. Beauty says yes to possibility, we can make this work. It gives more than it takes. 

I think about what we surround ourselves with, and how it affects us psychologically over time. There is no shortage of shocking, anxiety-provoking things surrounding us these days. It can swiftly become debilitating and paralyzing.

Provocative and controversial, "edgy" is a favorite convention in the art world and a principle measure for value. It's basically art designed to shock, provoke, or disturb that sometimes defies convention or pushes boundaries. We can be drawn to edgy art because it makes us feel a mix of fear, fascination, and identity. But it's not a valid measure of artistic seriousness, depth, or discernment.

I'm suggesting that in a world already rife with fear, daily shocks to the system, and anxiety, "edgy" no longer pushes boundaries in the same way. It's just how we live every day. Provocation from all directions is our constant. It's the norm. So in that way of understanding, is edgy art actually edgy?

Wonder, beauty, or joy earned through real, lived attention doesn't let you off easy. It opens something that's harder to open, is more lasting, and dare I say, healthier. Precisely because in fearful times, wonder and beauty seem inaccessible, buried amidst chaos and anxiety. Feeling joyful can even make us feel guilty. 

Research consistently shows that anxiety keeps us in avoidance/paralysis mode, while hope activates agency. I want my artwork to help guide the eye and the spirit toward wonder, hope, and balance. Toward feeling that we can hold things together. That vulnerability and pain are only part of our being. That equilibrium isn't something we've lost, but something we can find our way back to. 

In her late 80s and 90s, my mother-in-law was always chirping, "What the mind believes, the body achieves!" I think that applies to the greater world too. That's what I'm trying to do these days. Not distract from the hard, painful stuff, but simply not letting the hard, ugly stuff be the main, constant story. It feels like making work that is energetic and confident, that makes you wonder in a good way, that sends you back into your life with a little more in the tank is one small thing I can do right now.

The weight of the moment is real. I'm not looking away from any of it. When times are full of angst, maybe the most wild and powerful thing art can do is hand us back our spirit. 

See my available work here.