Why art is important

I was talking with a dear friend of mine the other day and we briefly discussed how life does not turn out the way we imagine it. We develop these dreams for ourselves but it is very rare for someone to come up with a dream that plays out exactly as they wanted. A key in life is to accept what does happen instead and move on, continuing to dream and continuing to see the beauty in what is instead of pining over what is not.
Art is one of the things that helps us learn this concept and to see the good that comes from it. Everyone who has ever put pen to paper or paint to canvas knows that what you think you will have in the beginning is never what you get in the end. But you also know that the process and the enjoyment of the creation is part of the joy. Your picture may not hold what your brain imagines. Our imaginations are far more powerful than our bodies. Art helps us to realize the weakness of our bodies in comparison with our imaginations. It allows us the safety of dreaming and creating and being disappointed, but then also the enjoyment that we can receive from our endeavors and how others can receive enjoyment, too.
Our lives may very well not turn out the way that we want, but our lives could bring great joy to ourselves and others that we could never have foreseen. And because of that we should encourage our children and ourselves in the arts. We should grant access to dance, drawing, painting, singing, writing, performance, photography, instruments for the purpose of preparing them for life. To allow our children and ourselves to learn that life does not always turn out the way that we expect it too, but it will be wonderful and beautiful and can touch the lives of others that we may never meet.

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Tina The Storyteller

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