WHAT IS ART? art is a form of human expression. no more, no less. in a sense, to be human is to be an artist. an art is any actvity preformed by a human; anything that animals can't do. even bullsh!tters are considered 'con-artists'. that's art. VISUAL ART music and visual art are called fine arts. it's a stuffy label to suit art conisseurs. drawing or painting is no more grand than singing a song or dancing. never ever take any art seriously. only professional collectors and critics do, both have no respect from artists. GOOD ART the common man/womans' claim that "I don't know much about Art, but I know what I like!" maybe scoffed at by art-snobs, but it is a valid statement. yet good musicans and artists create not only what appeals to them, but also express the way thay see the world around them, including what they fear and loathe. there are only two important people in art; the artist and the observer. the artist creates art regardless of the observer's tastes, and the observer feels what he/she wants, regardless of the artist's intentions. without artists, there would be no art. without observers, there would be no art. art lovers see art hanging on a wall or in a scuplture, and artists see art in a city street or a squashed bug. ART AND MONEY to put a price on art is ridiculous. yes, galleries are full of art in exchange for money, but this is about collecting, not art. art is personal. 'art for sale' exists, but 'love for sale' does also. both are scams. a home-made birthday card made by your child will be priceless to you compared to a work by Ed Keinholz, no matter what the cost. this is why many see graffiti as a criminal nuisance, but many artists see it as the holy grail of art. by the people, for the people. a personal expression of our world, expressed upon our world. to be seen by all, yet not to be posessed by anyone.		CREATIVITY "I have no creativity", some say. hogwash. everyone is creative. creativity is a human force shared by all. it is the tool behind problem-solving. you are being creative when you get dressed or pack your kids' lunches or conjure up a lie to your wife. anything you do without following exact directions requires some sort of creativity. children are explosions of creativity, they have not yet been brainwashed by "it can't be done" or "it's not possble". give an adult a pencil, and there will be writing, give a child a pencil and you will have a tool, a magic wand, a weapon to poke an eye out. thankfully , we live in a time when every textbook of art academics has been thrown out the window. the 20th century has made artists of us all. creating art was once a minor trade, now it is recreation and therapy for the world. art has nothing to do with realism nor beauty anymore. the development of photography changed the whole concept of art. as soon as the first crude photographs were released, artists immediatly felt threatened, and scrambled to search for new ways of expressing the themselves. no longer were artists needed to convey landscapes and portraits, now technology could reproduce these with absolute realism. take a gander at this painting. the artist shows great technique with realism and pleasing colors, and has taken great pains to hide any evidence of his labor. the same result could have been achieved with photogaphic manipulation. this painting was created to appeal the masses, with an ultimate goal of being sold. what does the painting 'say' ? indian spirits. the end. this is art. now look at this painting. here the artist obviously is not trying to achieve any preconceived idea of beauty, but is satisfying only the need to express and be creative. the artist doesn't care if you don't want an armless figure hanging over your sofa. brush strokes and scratches are not hidden, making the viewer aware of the techniques used. what does it 'say'? it whispers, it screams, it speaks differently to each viewer. this is great art. the difference between this and this, is the difference between Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and the theme song of Gilligan's Island. it's still art, but at a different level. one uses extreme creativity and conjures deep emotions, the other is pure entertainment.