What is Cute and why it is Art!

One of my many memories of taking art classes and making art in college was the critique. I dreaded critiques of my work and hated critique others work more than I can even describe. Nervous doesn’t really explain more like terrified. My hands would sweat I would get giggly (which is not viewed well by Prof’s or other students who are equally tense). Well, to get to the point the most common view of my work was “cute!”

So, what is cute and why is it art?

We will be describing cute or cuteness as those works that evoke a sense of “That is so cute!” from its viewers. You know exactly what I mean it is the feeling you get when you see a baby or a kitten. The warm and fussy feeling we get when we view something that make us happy.

Why is this Art?

Well, we will refer back to my original definition of Art as having a creator with the intent to make art. No, I am not saying that kittens and babies are art the very well might be cute but even though they have a creator; i.e. there moms the intent was to have a baby and kitten not to make art.

I would like to introduce a new aspect of the discussion where does cuteness fit in the world of art and why is it just as important as other types of work.

Art in its greatest forms takes us somewhere or emotes something in us allowing us for a moment to forget ourselves and be somewhere else seeing the world in the eyes of someone else. This is both beautiful and important. Cuteness like beauty in many respects can evoke a sense of joy in the viewer. Making us smile or laugh cute things, cute art is just as important as beautiful art or sublime art in its place making us for at least one moment Happy!

What is Art?

Ah, yes this brings me back to my undergrad days and Intro. to Aesthetics…where discussions of what is art took place on a daily basis. Fond memories of whether or not an elephant “painting” is art discussions that really got us nowhere and fast. This being my blog and I am not being graded I get to decide what Art will be and who an Artist isJ

So, I will give my rudimentary rough definition of what I think art is and then what is an artist. Art to me can be just about anything that has a creator and that creator intended to have made this to be art.

Ok, just to be clear here this does not mean that it is good art it is just art. What this means is that you must first have and Artist to have art. Now here we get rid of the elephant in our conversation, an Artist must intend to be making art and therefore must have intention. In my world elephants cannot intend to make art, they may like to “paint” and many other things but I do not believe they have intentionality. If they do I am sorry I underestimated them….but until they tell me so I am operating on the assumptions they don’t!

Who has intentionality; well people and even young people have intentionality. My daughter Gabbie sitting in her high chair with a crayon in hand drawing can have intentionality. When she says mommy flower after she draws a bunch of circles she is displaying intentionality by my definition. She drew something and intended it to be a flower and Art.

By no mean does art have to be visual it can be music, dance, painting, crafts, storytelling, cooking, and all of the other things done with the intention of making something.

I plan to feature works of Art done by people all over (ETSY as it is a great spot to find amazing artwork) that I like at least once a week and I will say why I think there work is art and maybe give some commentary if time allows!

Who Am I ?

Who am I? I am a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a grand daughter, a friend, a person and many more things…

But not in the too distant past if you had asked me who I was I would say “Me? I am a student, a philosopher, I take art classes to keep me sane, a sister, a daughter and so on would follow. The day my son was born all that changed; I was no longer an “I“; I became a we. That person, that student could no longer think about school or art—she became a mother and that was the only thing that was important. Class—how could I go? Theo needed to nurse and pumping wouldn’t work since he refused to take a bottle.

Don’t think that I blamed him. Not for one instant. It was me; I couldn’t figure out how the ”I” fit into this “we” where the little he was more important than anything else. It might have taken me longer than most, maybe quicker than some that the “I” needed to find some time for me! It did take me quite a long time and a new little she to push the me into finding her own place.

Who am I? I am an artist, a philosopher, a student but no longer in a class room. I study my children, my husband, my family , my friends, and most of all me and what I have learned is that “I” can’t be a we without some time for me. And you know what? That is ok; I am still a great mom. Just ask my two little we’s.