Why Not Buy Some Art?

There are times when I’ll read an entry on someone else’s blog and I keep thinking about it afterwards. This happened on Friday when Carmi wrote about lowering the price of her poufs on Etsy and also buying a piece of Christina Lazar-Schuler’s art. The theme of Carmi’s post was really a question: why do we undervalue our art? Well, I don’t think we undervalue it necessarily, but we do need to sell things in order to make more. So we compromise.
Also, I couldn’t help wondering why we keep on buying supplies we’ll never use when there’s so much great art out there looking for a home and a place in our hearts.
To be honest, I don’t have much extra money to spend on anything really, but I’ve bought a couple of Carmi’s adorable poufs and they’ve brought me way more pleasure than the pasta machine (still in its box) that I got with a Michael’s 40 per cent off coupon three years ago.
Ditto for this fabric collage I recently bought from Colette that brings a smile to my face and lifts my spirits every time I look at it—which is more than I can say for the huge stash of paper I’ve amassed over the years. It just makes me feel guilty when I think about how I’m not using it.
John and I agreed that if we ever win the lottery, the first thing we would do (after paying our debts) is to go out and buy lots of art. But there’s no reason why any one of us can’t be a collector on a more modest scale. Like David for example. Last week he went to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and bought several prints. He’s been doing this since the age of nineteen, and there’s something serene about his environment because of the art he’s chosen and framed. Much nicer than a few generic pictures slapped on the walls, and more personal.
So I put it to you: why not buy some art?