Art Is Not Optional

Art is essential to human happiness and flourishing. It gives form to the ideas that guide us, and it brings what we value into focus. As conceptual beings, we live by ideas. We form convictions, pursue ambitions, and imagine the kind of lives we want to lead. Art concretizes these abstractions into something we can experience. Through form, gesture, and design, an artist makes a vision of life tangible.

In Bernini's David, we encounter courage, strength, and the determination and competence to act. In Michelangelo’s Pieta, we witness tenderness, mercy, and compassion. Art allows us to experience these qualities directly. When a work speaks to something we deeply value, it offers the pleasure of seeing that value embodied. Art can affirm a conviction, renew an ambition, or give physical shape to an aspiration we have never quite been able to put into words.

The art we choose to live with becomes part of our daily experience. A sculpture can invite a moment of reflection each time we encounter it. A collection can both express what we admire and help us more consciously keep those ideals present in our lives. Choosing these works is an opportunity to give our surroundings personal meaning.

Seek out art deliberately, and do it more often. Whether it’s a film, a concert, a novel, a TV series - or a plaster cast - choose art that moves you, reflects your values back to you, and continues to reward your attention.

Grant what you admire a prominent place in your life.