Art and Emotion

"Our insistence on cognitive knowing may have already robbed us of some of our capacity for being human."

At this point in time, the diversity of the human race is overwhelming, as is the insistence that diversity amongst us means differences between us. There are over seven billion people on the planet, divided into groups by nationality, race, religion, socioeconomic class, and culture. However, we, as humans, have commonalities that unite us across all of these socially-imposed boundaries. I believe that emotion is the most important shared trait that we possess; it transcends objective knowledge and social expectation, and it compels us to create art and connect with other people.

American society is obsessed with the restriction of expressed emotion. This may be caused by the emphasis that we put on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, or it may be the cause of that emphasis. Either way, it suppresses the natural urge for humans to express emotion. This is true for all members of society, but it is especially perpetuated by gender roles. Women are expected to be irrationally emotional, yet men are expected to be stoic and sensible. For all genders, the public revelation of an emotion is highly discouraged, stifling the aspect of our humanity that best allows us to connect to other people.

The quotation above captures this, stating that the need we have to find correct answers through scientific observation has made it uncomfortable for us to use our senses to attain knowledge. Sensory knowledge is what allows us to make connections and find beauty, and, ultimately, it is what gives us our sense of true reality. The activation of the senses directly cause us to feel things, affecting us in a way that no one else can. Since the senses are almost always universal, they help us to connect to others through shared experiences and experiences given from one person to another.

One of the greatest ways of expressing emotion and connecting with others is creating and observing art. Art, in itself, is an expression of a feeling or a concept, and the way that it is presented -- always appealing to the senses -- can affect both the artist and the audience. Creating art allows the artist to dig deeper into their own emotions, not only expressing feeling but seeking it out and encouraging it to present itself. Being the audience to art allows us to connect to the artist and our fellow audience members and to look within ourselves to where the art touches us.

This society stifles our natural imperative to feel freely; art is the solution to liberating our senses and regaining the aspect of ourselves that makes us most human. Emotion allows us to empathize, to inspire ourselves and others, to form deep relationships, and to fully recognize our own identities. I believe that emotion is what gives life meaning, and it is what makes us most human.