I have the brain of a scientist and the soul of an artist, weird combo.
When I think about my involvement with art and music, I feel very strongly that sensuality is key to good art. I mean, someone who has no eye or love for the medium can throw paint on a canvas and call it art and maybe some people would like it enough to hang it on their wall. However, it’s the eye toward color and composition, the flooding of the senses and how that makes you feel, that makes a true work of art.
I think a true artist, when they turn out a piece of work, knows full well how it feels to experience that particular work. They may have had that in mind or they may have explored their medium on that particular work until they were able to express a particular thought or feeling.
I am not a very good drawer or painter, though I enjoy doing it, but I am a pretty good photographer. The difference between a casual user snapping photos and a photographer is this eye for something being a great shot. I assume this can be learned.. I’m not sure if my abilities are an innate talent or training, probably a product of both. But it’s interesting because I notice HUGE quality differences in photographs, depending on who is taking them. Several people I know take generally crappy photos, god love ‘em (they usually ask me to take the camera) and then I know a few people who could point the camera at a garbage can and it’d have feeling and purpose behind the end result.