Inspire Your Heart With Art Day, January 31

The origins of Inspire Your Heart With Art Day are not known, though it is annually celebrated on January 31.  The meaning of Inspire Your Heart With Art Day, is fairly clear, take a moment to step away for the craziness of life and enjoy the type or art that inspires you.

The word “inspire” means to “animate the mind or emotions.”  So to be inspired by art is to have your emotions stirred and bring your mind into a place of action.  You can be inspired to both good and to evil, but the point of this day is to inspire your emotions and mind to good.

Art comes in all forms, music, painting, drawing, sculpture, the written word, comic books and comic strips, (I don’t think anyone reading this would argue that Charles Schulz was not an artist.  We would say he was!),  dance, theater, movies, TV shows, and others that I know I am failing to mention.

I believe in many ways we are surrounded by art.  There are usually some types of pictures hung in our work places, music is played over head almost where ever we go, advertisement utilizes all forms of art and they are definitely working to inspire you.  They want to inspire you to buy their products.

So how can you celebrate Inspire Your Heart With Art Day.  I would suggest doing something that you would normally not do.  If you watch TV and go to the movies all the time, go see a live stage play today.  If you always listen to rock music or rap, take a break and explore classical music or jazz.  When was the last time you went to a museum?  When was the last time you went to a live concert? 

Pay attention to what art does to you emotionally.  If you read or watch The Lord of the Rings, what is the book or movie saying to you?  What is the story about to you?  I bring The Lord of the Rings up because it wasn’t until I was 30 that I realized what the book spoke to my heart about.  For me the book is about friendship.  Someone else will probably think quite differently, which is what makes art important.  It stretches our minds and really good art points us towards others.

I brought up Charles Schulz earlier.  How many people can honestly say his art hasn’t touched them.  His art is in comic strips, tv shows, paintings, drama, music, sculpture, theater and film.  He has crossed almost every genre of art.  Snoopy inspires us to be cheerful and courageous; Charlie Brown helps us to identify with the underdog and Linus makes us think just a little bit more about what we are reading.  Peanuts, in many ways has become all forms of art in one package.

Several years ago I watched a movie about the homeless called Stone Pillow.  It was a drama about a street person in a large city.  Throughout the film the needs of and how to help the homeless were presented.  Not preached.  It was a piece of art, and inspired both my emotions and my mind.  I grew less fearful of people who live on the streets and I learned what to do to help, I have done what I could since then.  Art changed me.

So, go out and experience art.  Look at paintings, listen to music, see a play, read a book, but let what you do inspire you to do more.  Let the art into your art and mind.

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