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Who doesn’t like art? From poker-playing dogs to a single brush stroke on a blank canvas or wall, we define who we are by the images adorning our surroundings. Family photos, maps, posters, or anything decorative becomes an expression of our current state of mind—and when our personalities change, so do the images that surround us. This is why art is so necessary to our world and why it supports our outlook on life on a daily basis.

I started out my life creating art to outwardly express who I was on the inside. For many years later, I used my self-expression and creativity to help individuals and companies define who they were to the outside world. I then took a wide turn in my career and became a Feng Shui practitioner, helping clients create a visual and intentional world, showing them how their surroundings affected who they were and how the outside world saw them. And, this is what eventually brought me full circle, back to creating art.

Now, exposed to more forms of art than I can observe in a lifetime, it all comes down to what the viewer has a feeling for. Whether or not we understand the artist’s background or purpose in creating a piece of art, it all comes down to what the buyer feels when they see the art. Some buyers may see art as an investment, but most buyers have a personal connection to what they are buying, whether it harmonizes with the colors in their living room or with their personality. Bottom line, there is an artist out there who is going to produce what the buyer is looking for, for whatever reason. All the more reason for artists to create what their heart wants to express.

Incorporating the principles of Feng Shui, taking in the aspects of all the senses, I want to produce work that impacts a person’s life. When I paint a portrait like “As Amy”, I am hoping the feeling of the sitter engages the viewer to feel compassion, contemplation, and sensitivity, in addition to being a memorial to the deceased singer, Amy Winehouse. Placing this painting in a section of the home representing any variety of symbolic representations (career, knowledge, relationships, wealth), would be a good choice. When I create a figurative piece, I want the mood or emotion of the piece to come across. As in “Keiki Hula at the Palace”, the young girls wait in anticipation of their presentation, reminding us of similar feelings we may have felt at one time or another—anxiety, excitement, even apathy—each girl feels a separate emotion. The colors of the piece could represent wealth or fame, and the symbolic representation could be helpful for family or relationships.

Whether we choose art that is beautiful and uplifting, or dark and disturbing, it has an internal, subconscious effect on our health and psyche. And this all stems from where we are as the artists producing it. Political art raises my blood pressure and I rarely derive any emotion at all in “factory” or forced art projects. Other viewers may receive a surge of positive energy from these types of works. In either case, as artists, we have a responsibility to how we define who we are and what we say to the world. How can art not be important?