When’s the Last Time You Exposed Yourself to Art?

If you’re a business owner of a certain age (ahem), do you remember that poster that showed the back of a man flashing a piece of art and the caption was “Expose yourself to art”? OK, maybe I’m 12 at heart, but I always snicker thinking about it.

Some of you may know that I, Productivity Queen and Chief Brain Hacker for Productivity Injection, lived in San Diego for a time (about a year and a half.) The art museum has an annual event called “Art Alive” where local artists create flower arrangements to go with the art in the museum. 

I attended the opening gala that year. After enjoying some food from the local chefs I decided to go to the museum itself and expose myself to the floral arrangements. (You can snicker, it’s OK.) I started on the first floor and then went to the second.

But then I asked, “Where’s the rest of the museum?” It was so small, and for some reason, I was not expecting that. I do have an excuse, though. I grew up in the DC area going to the Smithsonian, and then I lived in Manhattan for about six years with the Met and MOMA. 

Turns out that local art museums tend to exist on a somewhat smaller scale. Who knew? But when I arrived in the Coachella Valley and determined that I was going to hit up the local museum, I knew it wouldn’t be a huge one. 

However, I have to say, I LOVE the Palm Springs Art Museum. It’s got a sculpture garden – and I love me a sculpture garden. The permanent collection has a lot of modern and postmodern work, which happens to be the kind I most enjoy. They change their exhibits around pretty regularly and often feature really interesting work. The photo above was taken at PSAM.

When was the last time you went to an art museum?

I know a lot of people probably haven’t been to an art museum since they were kids and their parents forced them to go to “get some culture”. (That you?) Or maybe it was a school trip, and you horsed around with your friends.

Me? I would never do that. I would never, for example, go to the East Building of the National Art Museum in DC and stand in front of one of those modern works that looks like a white canvas with a blue splotch and say something like, “This canvas so clearly shows the struggle of man’s inhumanity to man”. Or anything else with made up art-speak claptrap. Bonus points if a nearby adult started nodding along.

At any rate, November 9 is Go To An Art Museum Day. So why not take advantage of your local art museum and see what’s new?

Go to an art museum and be more productive

OK, you’re not actually going to be productive while you’re AT the art museum when you’re absorbed in the art. But staring at art that interests you and studying it takes your mind out of linear thinking mode. 

You might find yourself getting inspired by the works you look at. Even in a little bitty museum, there’s usually a lot to absorb. You don’t have to look at everything. You can admire stuff without really knowing much about it. 

Feasting your eyes on new things is good for the brain. And (let’s all say it all together now, on a count of 1,2,3…) if it’s good for your brain, it’s good for productivity.

Recap

Art’s good for you and going to the art museum can even make you more productive. Play hooky from work for an hour or two while you bask in some art.