Many people would argue that art has existed since the very beginning of humanity, whilst others believe it only emerged in the last few thousand years. Some even claim that art is unnecessary, whereas others argue that humanity couldn’t have survived without it. This might seem like a bold claim, but it becomes more convincing when considering how broad the concept of “art” really is.
Art is commonly defined as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.” And by this definition, art extends far beyond paintings or sculptures. It includes any creative expression shaped by human thought and intention. Because art is so often reduced to visual works alone, its wider importance is often misunderstood and underappreciated.
When I was asked to do this reflection, we laughed at how unlucky I got with the topic because of how hard it would be to write a good speech on the importance of art since it is not something which is always appreciated. When Chat GPT found it hard to write one, I thought that I would find it hard too. But whilst writing this I’ve learnt that art is more important than it initially seems and it became a lot more natural than I expected.
Although Michealangelo’s David or Andy Warhol’s Marylin Monroe might not have shaped all of humanities culture, art has. Human creative skill and imagination have. It is what engineering can be considered as; it is what literature can be considered to be; it is what’s behind all of music, from Tchaikovsky to Kanye; and it is what represents the evolution of our technology, everything we’ve designed and created up to today. The food we eat, the laptops we use every day, our homes, this school, the films we watch and almost everything around us came from the application of human creativity.
What I’d want to come from this reflection is to encourage you all to use creativity where you can: whether it be creating a schedule for revision or going to the gym, or maybe its creating purely visual art through painting. But whatever you create, shapes who you are and what you’ve done, your achievements, your past as well as your present. And that’s why I think that art is more important than it might seem, it makes you yourself, and it also tends to make you a better, more rounded person than before. It’s your future whenever you want to make it.
Finn Heath
Senior Prefect