"For art to appear, we have to disappear.  This may sound strange, but in fact it is a common experience.  The elementary case, for most people, is when our eye or ear is "caught" by something: a tree, a rock, a cloud, a beautiful person, a baby's gurgling, spatters of sunlight reflected off some wet mud in the forest, the sound of a guitar wafting unexpectedly out of an open window.  Mind and sense are arrested for a moment, fully in the experience.  Nothing else exists.  When we "disappear" in this way, everything around us becomes a surprise, new and fresh.  Self and environment unite. Attention and intention fuse.  We see things just as we and they are, yet we are able to guide and direct them to become just the way we want them.  This lively and vigorous state of mind is the most favorable to the germination of original work of any kind." -Stephen Nachmanovitch      What is art?  Ask that question in a forum and for each reply there will surely be presented a distinctive definition.      Art, for me, as I wrote to a friend this weekend, is a production formed from the unique experience of an individual expressed to other individuals.  What makes a work art, to me, is the ability to connect with viewers and stir the emotional centers by communicating aspects of existence perceived through the artist's personality.      If we seek to connect to viewers, and not merely display our techniques, then we must somehow engage their emotions and intrigue their minds.  My suggestion for how to accomplish this is to go after what you love when you work.  If you love the natural world work in landscapes or flowers.  If you love the human form craft nudes or fashion.  If you love fantasy stories or science fiction than tell such stories with word and imagery.  I think you get what I'm sayin'.  Follow what you love with your craft ... pour your heart into it in a manner that feels natural to you.  Most importantly, don't worry about whether "they" will like it.  Those who share your heart's affections will find their way to your work and let you know how they feel.      Go pour your passions into your craft!      Have I mentioned, by the way, how much I love shadows? Terry     Take a look!.. Don't be afraid of the shadows.     No, really!  The image below will take you to: Don't Be Afraid of the Shadows.