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Ranges in Store5 TIPS WHEN ADDING ART TO YOUR LIFE & WHY IT’S IMPORTANT?
Art is often an afterthought when styling your home or creating a new interior design but hopefully by the end of this blog post we can start to change that for you by making it an exciting new project.
Some of you might even ask what’s the point? It just creates clutter and is yet another thing to dust and to look after. While that may be true, we’d like to ask you this. Why do you like a particular song, a film, a flower, a place or even a colour? Whatever reason you give to that question can also be applied to the logic to have art in your life.
Why do people collect magnets of the places they’ve been to stick on their fridge? Why are people back collect LPs when everything is digital now? It’s because it means something to the individual or it reminds them of a particular time in their life and it makes them happy.
Art can do all of the above as well, as making for an interesting conversation when people come to visit. They’ll see that item and say something like, “That’s a pretty picture,” and then you can talk about either where you bought it, why you bought it or what it means to you. It’s a fast way to connect and it’s a little bit of you in an image.
WHY IS ART IMPORTANT?
It has the ability to educate people in a quiet and understated way about anything. Art can be absorbed easily making it effortless to be informed about any topic. It has the power to go unnoticed while creating an awareness surrounding an issue. In a world where there are those who don't even have access to good education or democracy; art can bridge the gap and become an equaliser throughout society.
There are a lot of studies showing how people can feel better either by creating art or by consuming it or by simply being in the presence of something art-related. From beautifying their surroundings to helping to alleviate stress and discomforts, art is essential for physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.
WHERE DID ART COME FROM?
Some of the earliest human artifacts found are from the Middle Stone Age in Africa. Containers were found there that may have been used to hold paints dating as far back as 100,000 years ago.
The best-known Prehistoric artworks are the large Paleolithic cave paintings that depict animals in continental Europe, particularly the ones at Lascaux in the Dordogne region of France.
There are more examples out there in other parts of the world such as works in Ukraine, Italy and UK but most of them are in France and Spain. Many theories have been suggested about the art's purpose, the most accepted being that it was part of religious rituals, possibly to call in hunting success.
HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR OWN TASTE AS A NEW ART COLLECTOR?
You’ve seen a few art pieces you like but you might think who am I to start collecting art when I know nothing about art?
One of the best things about art is that it’s completely subjective and a personal choice. That means you can’t get it wrong. Think about why you love a particularly song, film or place? Not everyone would share your view and that’s completely fine and it makes life more interesting.
The first step to building a personal collection is figuring out what kind of art you would like to collect? This requires you to focus on what your own taste is which can be hard when you're starting out. Here are five key areas to follow.
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STAY AWAY FROM TRENDS
A mistake some people can make when they first start out in the art world is following trends. It’s similar to the mistakes you might make when looking at influencers online. Did you really need or want that shampoo? No you didn’t but you were sold a story and influenced and parted with your cash to later ask yourself “Why did I buy this?”
It can be the same for art. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the moment. Think about your own personal voice and what’s important to you. It’s also ok to just like something for aesthetical reasons as long as it’s because you like it and not because there’s a trend. Trends don’t last but your taste does.
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WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
What subjects are important to you and why? Are you an animal lover? Then you might like prints by famous photographers like Paul Nicklen or Ami Vitale.
Ask yourself are there any artists currently addressing subjects that are important to you? If so, follow their work and see what really stands out and speaks to you. Maybe you like a particular style of art like abstract or landscapes do they reach you in a meaningful way?
Do you love gardening or are there flowers that remind you of a person or a time in your life? A particular flower can have different meanings behind them like the Shamrock for Ireland, the Sunflower for Ukraine or the Cherry Blossom for Japan, they are the national flowers that represent each country. When you think a little deeper about the meaning behind the art it can open a new creative world to you. It is also an understated way of saying something personal or it can represent a secret meaning to you. This is one of things I love the most about art. It’s a little bit of mystery in your own home.
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ARCHIVE DISCOVERIES
At this point you might be thinking ok, I’m in and I want to start to pay a little more attention to this without becoming overwhelmed by the process so what should I do first?
A great place to start is by creating an online portfolio where you can save your artistic discoveries. Pinterest is ideal for this and it can quickly become your own personal art curator. Keep a folder on your phone too. This is great because not everything you see will be linked to Pinterest and it may even be something small in the background of a YouTube video or blog post you see. You need to able to come back to these ideas easily later when you want to be inspired. This will help you more thoughtfully understand your collecting tastes.
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PATIENCE
Research and background knowledge are the essential first steps when putting together an art collection. Of course the art you like doesn’t have to be from a well known artist but it’s important to get a sense of who the artist is?
As humans when we see something pretty regardless as if it’s an item of clothing, a car, jewellery or art we tend to want it right away. When it comes to art it’s best to wait it out and see if that item is still speaking to you a month or two from when you first saw it. If that answer is yes then go ahead and get it. If you forgot why you saved it to your online board in the first place then it's a hard pass.
5. BUDGET
You don’t have to be rich to buy great art and just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t acquire something unique and special. With the growth of social media you can now collect art from emerging artists, their pieces will generally be more affordable and it’s lovely to watch them develop and grow. This makes it easy to acquire limited-edition prints, drawings, photography, and watercolours from new and upcoming artists. Who knows, they may even develop into a hot new talent over time and you collected from them at a more reasonable price before they were even discovered.
You can also find some reasonably priced art pieces from our Beechmount Furniture shop.
As always, have fun and enjoy the process.
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Beechmount Furniture Team
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Posted by Patrick Sherlock
1st March 2023
