A Morning Without Art

Yesterday I started thinking again about what the world would be like without art. It is truly an overwhelming idea. After jotting down my thoughts I quickly realized that if I created a blog post on the subject…well, it wouldn’t be a blog post – it would be more like a short story. So I decided to put it into a more bite-size chunk. I decided to look at how art infiltrates my morning routine.

My morning starts with breakfast and a cup of coffee (it actually begins earlier, but I’ll spare you the details of my slow rise and the loud alarm that sets that process in motion). When I look at my coffee cup and breakfast plate, I think about the artist that dreamed up their structure and design. Glancing around the room, my kitchen is filled with little pieces of art. From the most basic art pieces displayed on my walls to the modern design of my appliances, I am reminded of the variety of different artists that helped make this rectangular room a piece of my home.

Without art, I would be looking at bare, white walls. The appliances, coffee cup – everything in my kitchen – would be constructed according to necessity, not design. It would be void of color, character and – most of all – it would void of any appeal.

So, when I ask the question, “what would the world be like without art,” and am met with simple answers like, “less colorful” and “slightly boring,” I recoil. I think about the little things like my morning routine that would be completely changed. I think about how these little things combine with other little things, all adding up to a great big change – a great big negative change – that would slowly drain the life from…well, life.

What would my morning be like without art? I now shiver at the thought of something so awful.

Here’s to my morning routine and the artists who make it enjoyable. Here’s to art.