(Or: Why That IKEA Print Will Never Speak to Your Soul)
Real art—art made by a human hand—can stir something in us. And that can be unsettling, especially with abstract work. No one tells you what it means.
It might be easier to choose something mass-produced, designed to blend in, not stand out. But when you buy a piece made by an artist, you’re choosing connection and authenticity. That’s a powerful thing.
Art encourages you to feel. You choose a painting not because it fits in—but because it speaks to you.
Abstract art doesn’t explain itself. It doesn’t ask to be understood, only felt. You might not know why a piece moves you, but if you find yourself thinking about it hours—or days—afterwards, then something in you has recognised something in it. That’s the piece to bring home.
Authentic art connects us to what’s real. You don’t have to know what it means.
Artists make art because we have to. It’s not a product; it’s a process. Sometimes I begin with a clear intention, but more often, the work is intuitive—driven by something deeper I can’t name. My conscious mind may not know, but my soul does.
Each painting I make involves hundreds of choices:
Should I add this mark or scrape it back?
This colour or that one?
Brush or fingers?
Does it need quietness or chaos?
What do I love—and what can I let go?
Layer by layer, the work grows. These paintings are slow. They hold time, energy, texture, and emotion. Some have drips—some deliberate, some accidental.
They are unique. They are flawed. They are human.
And that is something no machine can replicate.
AI can generate images. But it cannot create authentic art. It can mimic a style, but it holds no lived experience, no inner struggle, no resolution earned through time and feeling.
When you buy real art, you’re not just buying an object. You’re buying presence. Emotion. Soul.
So yes—
- Buy art because you find it beautiful.
- Buy it because it pulls you in.
- Buy it because it softens something in you, or wakes something up.
- Buy it because you keep going back to look again.
- Buy it because the textures are so rich, you want to run your hand across the surface.
But more than anything, buy it because it’s real. Because it’s human. Because it was made by someone showing up, again and again, to create something honest from the inside out.
And when you do, know that you’re not just buying a painting. You’re supporting an artist. A small business. And yes—there might be a little happy dance involved!
Next weeks blog post will explore what art can do for us. Don’t miss it!
Ailsa Brims Art 