What is Art?

One of my...friends (for lack of a better word) recently sent me something he wrote and asked how I felt about it. Touched and confused by his wanting me to read it--writing is always difficult for me to share with people I know personally--it made me think about the purpose of writing. He talked about how there are so many people offering empty advice and preaching to their readers, saying that, despite his many incredible experiences, he has no advice, no important life lessons, advice or caution to share with people. He wrote about not knowing the answers, and, more importantly, not trying to pretend like he does. The honesty was refreshing, and it made me reconsider why people write at all.

Whether it is technology, social media or whatever else, self-expression has changed drastically in the past few years. Once upon a time, art was about sharing a piece of yourself with the world. It was about saying something. Something real. Nowadays, I cannot help but feel unsatisfied with pop culture. In a way, it seems to me that this is a cultural reflection more than anything else. In the United States especially, life and success are centered on what other people think. People strive to get into the best schools, get the best jobs, make the most money...why? Personally, this appears to be for social approval and status more than anything else. Over half of the students at my university study economics or business, and you'll have a nearly impossible time trying to convince me it is because they have a passion for the subjects. Most of them even admit from the beginning that they just want to make money.

But what is money?

A little piece of paper with a number on it?

What is the approval of others?

Pop songs, rather than telling stories or expressing feelings or observations about life are, more than anything, just catchy rhythms and repetitive lyrics.

People post every photograph they take on Facebook. In fact, half the time when I travel, I am utterly convinced that people are taking pictures for Facebook. Why? For the reactions of their friends. To display to others how exciting and fun their lives are. To show off what they have seen and done.

Writing has changed also. The most popular articles seem to float around on Buzzfeed, but are nothing of actual substance. They are instead cheap, easy and short articles, tailor made to be posted and shared as much as possible.

In reality, it is impossible to be too critical of these things. In today's society, with everything literally at our fingertips as soon as we open the internet, this is one of the only ways to make money with writing or music. I am equally guilty as anyone else of whoring out my photographs on Facebook. I would be lying if I said that I did not enjoy the idea that my pictures show how exciting my life has been, or that I did not compare my online image to that of others.

Yet somewhere along the way, I stopped taking pictures for other people, and started taking them for myself, or not at all. In the end it means more to experience something, and to have a picture to take you back to the moment, than to constantly be trying to prove yourself to others. Finally, I've found the same beauty in writing. For a long time, I had forgotten the love I once had for breathing life into a blank page, for creating a world. I got lost trying to prove myself and compare myself to others. My friend's article, while thought provoking and well written, with just the right combination of thought, anecdotes and humour. He made me consider why people write, especially about travel. I wholeheartedly agree that the numbers of people preaching about travel are nauseating. I'm finally realising it is because they are rarely about what travel has truly meant to the authors, but instead are constantly twisting themselves into articles about other people--what they should and should not do, how they should do them. In a way, I felt like he fell into the trap he was trying to avoid. His article, as good as it was, was still written for other people.

     What happened to actually saying things? Why does it seem so impossible to escape this culture, which constantly craves the attention and approval of others?

     My new goal is the rediscover my love of writing. More importantly, it is to write for myself--honestly, freely, and away from the approval of others.

     My life is for me, no one else.