Falling in love with art everyday

Professor Semir Zeki, a neurobiologist at the University College of London, discovered that when we stare at art, our brain is stimulated as when we fall in love. 

By examining MRI images of his subjects’ brains, he found that when people look at something they find beautiful, an area in the front part of the medial orbitofrontal cortex lights up. This is the portion of the brain associated with love, pleasure, and reward. So yep. This is why it is so important to bring art into our lives, in whatever form: it stimulates our feel-good centers, just like a hot crush would.❤️‍🔥

And it doesn't matter if you're creating or merely observing. The surge of dopamine works both ways - and rather immediately! Moreover, scientific evidence also suggests that art can elevate our mood, clarify our thoughts, increase our open-mindedness, and generate a vaster sense of connection with ourselves and the world.

It makes so much sense, fellow creators. Great art - the art that speaks directly to us on a deep level - takes us far beyond our daily lives into a place of beauty, learning, connection, mystery, and wonder. It is one of the most amazing expressions of what it means to be human.

Just think about it: we are the only creatures (that we know of!👽) that can draw images and interpret meaning and emotion from them. Art is how we express feelings and abstract concepts that only we, as a species, can understand and connect with. 

And you know the best part? It is literally everywhere! Contrary to what is often thought, art isn’t something apart, something of a special occasion usually requiring a visit to a museum. It can be hidden in the wings of a butterfly, in a nostalgic shadow on the wall, in the first brushstrokes of a child.

Being open to the possibility of finding art at all times and in all places increases your chances of finding your art - the art that is meaningful to you and has the power to change your life.

(Bear in mind: art is made for many purposes, and experiencing it is very - VERY - individual!)

So go ahead. Open your eyes, open your mind. Step outside your front door, go to the ocean, go to the mountains, visit a gallery or your city’s graffiti hot spot. Allow people or objects or nature to enter through your eyeballs and make an impression on your brain.  Let go of the idea that art = Mona Lisa and that it has to feel complex and intimidating to be the real deal. 

Art, in the end, is far more than an aesthetic creation. It is passion, vulnerability, connection… a delightful experience that can deeply amaze us, even unexpectedly, just like connecting with a beautiful human being. 

So now my question now is…

… How are you going to start integrating art into your life?

… What can you do to fall in love with art today?