Helen Soney

What is the most important or powerful thing the arts have given you?

The most important and powerful thing that art has given me is the power to really look and see things. It is very easy to take the world around us for granted, and to get lost in daily routine and obligations. Art has taught me to slow down in my day-to-day life and really look around and pay attention to what is naturally occurring outside of myself. Whether it’s the play of different colors mingling or the combination of shapes caused by accident. The greatest thing about this skill is that it doesn’t only have to apply to art. Taking time and paying attention to the things around me helps me to better fully appreciate what I am doing, however mundane, and the people that I am with.  

When does art become art? Does it have to be verified? Does it have to change something? I believe that art becomes art the minute we pay attention to something. Whether a natural occurrence of nature or something created by someone, as soon as it has the power to capture the attention, creativity, or imagination of someone, it has become art. With this I do not believe it needs to be verified in anyway. It is a personal occurrence between an experience and a person. The only thing that changes is how someone is looking at or thinking about something, not necessarily the object itself.