By Janet Sellers
“Art in schools shouldn’t be sidelined… it should be right there right up in the front because I think art teaches you to deal with the world around you. It is the oxygen that makes all the other subjects breathe.”
—Alan Parker, filmmaker
Much of art learning includes sketching, the ability to draw out ideas visually. Sketching is integral to design, painting, sculpture, architecture—almost all creative visual efforts—and even includes movies and town planning. As an artist, I support being a sketchy person in that creative vein. And being an artist is integral to the trillion-dollar economy of the art and cultural sector. That sector grew more than twice the rate of the total economy between 2022 and 2023, according to new data from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), a product of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
Studying and seeing art helps us generate new ideas and connect disparate concepts, unlocking ideas and innovations that can be brought to fruition in the material world. With art study and going out to appreciate art in the real world, we activate our “novelty brain” for creative potential and problem solving. Using fine motor skills in art creation, we activate many areas of our brain—our internal antenna—to make connections, find and solve creative problems, and apply the solutions to real-world problems. This has also been found to improve human performance all around, including academic performance and much more.
The stamped-in learning model of STEM is seeing an exploding industry interest (think: Google and Alphabet Inc.) for very creative science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEaM) creatives for user experience (UX). Google and Alphabet focus their creative labs on pushing creative boundaries and exploring new ideas.
This team includes roles like Creative Technologist, Visual Designer, and Social Creative/Copywriter. They use Creative Technology and Development to combine creativity with technical skills to prototype interactive experiences and explore new technologies. Building Google’s brand involves creating engaging content that reflects its core values and mission.
Our area is home to myriad artists and art opportunities that include arts events such as art fairs, classes, and art groups. Our monthly Friday Art Hops (the next one is June 27) are one source of art exposure, and coming up this summer there will be more with our local Chautauqua, the Hummingbird Festival of Arts, and other events with the Palmer Lake Arts Council. Stay tuned with the Our Community News calendar section for events, updates, and calls for artists.
Janet Sellers is an artist, writer, and speaker, offering talks, workshops, and art in public places for Colorado museums and communities. Contact Janet at JanetSellers@OCN.me.
Other Art Matters articles
- Art Matters – Art, physics, Argyle socks, and math (3/4/2026)
- Art Matters – Is our education keeping up with visual literacy? (2/4/2026)
- Art Matters – How Gen Z influences our cultural and financial future (12/31/2025)
- Art Matters – Art curation: We all do it, even with holiday trees and gift wrapping (12/4/2025)
- Art Matters – Art shapes our world—and shifts our gaze (10/30/2025)
- Art Matters – October is Arts Month: Artober with Monumental Impact (10/1/2025)
- Art Matters – What is art good for? (9/3/2025)
- Art Matters – We Can’t Unchop a Tree (7/31/2025)
- Art Matters – The many benefits of outdoor art and arts events (7/3/2025)
- Art Matters – May Art Hop and art on the street (5/3/2025)
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