You’ve probably encountered this word countless times. Whether it was on magazines, blogs, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, the word “aesthetic” seems to keep popping up everywhere. And usually, it is accompanied by spaces in between and that wavey character (called tilde) at the ends.
So for those who are curious about what the deal is, here’s the thing about ~a e s t h e t i c~
When the wave of social media swept over our world, we became visually driven when it came to taking in information at a time. Graphics became such a crucial aspect of our lives, especially online. Noticed how a lot of the sponsored content on our feeds just demand to leave an impression on us? Our visual cues are so often tapped by the things we interact with on a daily basis that eventually we, too, got into the habit of looking for the art and beauty in our everyday lives.
SEE ALSO: 5 Must-Follow Instagram Accounts With Really Beautiful Photos
Today, we have a love for infographics that came with our avoidance of Comic Sans. We have a pair of heart eyes for awesome posters and a facepalm for those that just don’t work. We even pay attention to furniture choice and arrangement!
In a sense, the pursuit of art became more attainable and doable in ordinary situations and by ordinary people. No longer was it limited to the white walls of galleries. No longer was it so intimidating for people whose names weren’t on any plaques yet. Art didn’t seem so far away and unreachable anymore. Today’s creators discovered more agency.
I’m talking about how we painstakingly fix the plates on the table to get that IG-worthy flat lay. And how we suddenly become masters of balance and flexibility when we’re trying to get that perfect ootd photo angle. And how we practically grow another arm to hold a lamp over our heads just to give our subject the right lighting. And how we accidentally-on-purposely let a few bills fly away to get that pastel desk organizer set. For us, these visuals are satisfyingly artistic already!
We also welcomed illustration and calligraphy back in the picture. We began doing bullet journaling and shopping for grid notepads. Graphic design and blogging also jumped to being popular career choices (and mind you, this is coming from the kids whose parents were generally against arts as a career)!
We discovered our own ways of creating art that simply fueled our creative expression. We took our range of materials, from traditional to digital tools, and employed them as our creative souls pleased. And best of all, it was completely us.
We let our sight and mind find the things we resonated with—big or small—and we found and created art from them. The visuals we put out connected with us through personal significance, gradually filling up this virtual collection which we then called our unique, personal aesthetic.
Now imagine us as individual beings, with different contexts, finding the art embedded in the simplest things and feeling it speak to and about our individual souls. What a concept, right?
What do you think? How has ~a e s t h e t i c~ influenced your life? Let’s discuss in the comments.
