How to Create Art That Gets Inside Their Heads

This guest post is by Josh Espasandin of WeCreate:

Josh Espasandin

Some of you might see art as a way to express your emotion and feeling and all that comes from the depths of your heart. If so, you’re right, but I propose that it should not be only that. I propose that we should all challenge ourselves to create art with a brain.
“‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your MIND, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
– Mark 12:30

Heart and soul seems to be only one part of the equation. I believe we can all show our love for God through our art, and using our minds should be part of it.
What do I mean by creating art with a brain? I simply mean: Create art that not only let’s the audience feel but also think. Paint a picture of beautiful flowing water, but then add in a child suffering from dehydration to make people aware of the world’s small amount of clean drinking water. Write a poem on the biblical unicorn (I’ll let you research that one yourself). Give a piece of art details that makes the audience wonder, discover, and learn something new.

"Well of Moses" by Claus Sluter

Let’s look at Claus Sluter’s Well of Moses from 1395, one of my favorite historical art pieces.

At the base of the well, we have Moses and other Old Testament prophets and then angels hovering above them. At the top, there would have been a cross from which the water would have emerged from. The water would then flow from the cross and down to Moses and the others. At first glance, it’s just a fountain. At second thought, we find that the Old Testament is literally supporting the New Testament, and then Jesus became living water which even covered the sins of those of the past. It’s a symbol of God’s love over ALL generations. It’s deep. It’s genius. It made me think. What about you?

Art history lesson aside, what are your thoughts?

Do we live in a world that’s too busy to have brain-heavy art?

Could it be what this world needs?