Whether you're just a casual consumer or someone more tightly integrated into the art community, most of us are looking for ways that we can appreciate art better. Improved art appreciation can help you better understand and better relate to masterpieces in museums. It can help you select better pieces for your own environment. It can help you better connect to local artists. It can even help you enjoy your daily life in new and creatively stimulating ways.

The question is, how can you improve your own art appreciation? One answer is to create art of your own.

Anyone Can Be an Artist

You could be interested in video production, sculpting clay, painting with oils, or even composing music. The medium doesn't really matter. What matters is that you dedicate time and attention to creating something in an artistic context.

Because of this, anyone can be an artist. It doesn't matter if you've never taken a formal art class. It doesn't matter if you don't have any real practice. It also doesn't matter if you don't know the first thing about how to create good artwork. All you need to do is try to create something creative.

The Value of Creating Art

The act of creating art is relatively simple, especially if you don't have any sophisticated techniques to try or any intellectual background that helps you better connect with the artwork you're creating. Still, as long as you're involved in the creation process, creating art can help you appreciate other art in several different ways:

· Better understanding the medium. For starters, you'll have a much more personal and direct connection to artwork made in the same medium that you chose. If you paint with watercolors, you'll gain a much better understanding of how watercolors look on canvas and how various techniques affect the appearance of those watercolors. From then on, every time you see a watercolor painting, you'll see it in a new light; you'll see it as an emergent property of the actions of its creator, rather than existing in a cold vacuum. You'll also have renewed appreciation for impressive adaptations of the medium – presentations that you would never be able to do on your own as an amateur.

· Acknowledging the struggle. Creating art is hard work. But many of us are guilty of assuming that it's easier or more straightforward than it is. Seeing a photo realistic painting, for example, may not seem especially impressive when anyone can take a photograph and print it. But once you delve into the art creation world yourself, and you have personal experience with all the physical and mental obstacles standing in the way of creating great artwork, you'll have a much better appreciation for the struggle. Behind each masterpiece, you'll have an intuitive sense for the thousands of hours and countless roadblocks that preceded it.

· Noticing technical perfection. As you gain more experience, you may develop a sense a better appreciation for technical perfection. You'll notice the techniques that master artists use that are practically inaccessible to newcomers. You'll be able to identify true masters of the craft based on their capabilities, rather than just relying on designations from outside authorities; instead of just trusting someone else’s judgment that a piece is “good,” you can make this assessment yourself.

· Improving empathy and emotional resonance. Additionally, creating your own artwork could improve your sense of empathy and the emotional responses you have to different pieces of artwork. You'll have a much keener sense of connection to all types of art made by all types of people, once you have experience creating your own.

On top of all those benefits, creating artwork has some independent advantages as well:

· Catharsis. Most artists are passionate about their work because they see it as a form of catharsis. If you're experiencing a difficult or intense emotion, art can be your outlet for that emotion. If you're frustrated about our current cultural or political landscape, you can create a piece of artwork that criticizes it – and feel better when you’re done.

· Expression. Art therapy is growing in popularity because of its ability to allow people to express themselves openly. In the course of creating a piece of art, you'll be forced to explore your own thoughts and feelings in a way that simply isn't possible without this type of creative outlet. In time, you may learn a great deal about yourself.

· Stress relief. Art is fun. It can also be engaging, and borderline hypnotizing, making it ideal for stress relief and relaxation.

· Personal satisfaction. Even if you’re not creating masterpieces, the very act of completing an art project will still bring you personal satisfaction.

The bottom line here is that if you consider yourself an art lover, or if you just want more refined taste in artwork, it's a good idea to create art of your own. You don't have to be a technical expert, nor do you need any background in art to do this. All you need is a bit of time and a commitment to creating new artistic works from scratch.