** for simplicity purposes, I will be using “gallery” as a blanket term for all types of art galleries, museums, exhibits, etc. **

It can be difficult at times to find peace in such a chaotic world, but I think I have a solution. Look up the nearest art gallery and go to it. Right now. Or if you can’t at this very moment, try to find a time when you’re feeling stressed and overworked. Just drop everything and go.

Why, might you ask, should I do such a thing? Maybe I don’t want to waste a whole afternoon staring at canvases painted by a bunch of dead guys. And don’t these places cost money? I’m not even that into art.

I hear your concerns loud and clear. And believe me, I was a skeptic like you once. But just hear me out for a second. For someone who isn’t too fond of or familiar with art, it can seem overwhelming and uninteresting to undertake such a venture; specifically, where should one even begin? But I believe if you try it out, I think you’ll see there is merit to visiting an art gallery.

Just a few weeks ago, my sister and I spent the day in downtown Los Angeles checking out various attractions in the area. Our day concluded with a long-awaited trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA for short). When I entered the cool, whitewashed room dotted with intermittent splashes of color, I was immediately drawn into a new world insulated from the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Angeles. As cliché as that sounds, you won’t know until you are physically there in the room. There’s just something about having a clean slate when viewing art that helps you to fully understand the gravity of the artwork.

If you need further reason to get off the couch and go, imagine yourself in the gallery. Think about how your perspective might change when you’re up close and personal with a piece of art that an artist created with his bare hands, that he poured his heart and soul into for weeks or months or even years, devoting all of his time to this one project. Think about why he chose to express himself through this medium instead of music or writing. Consider the texture, how certain elements stand out, both literally and figuratively. I know I have been affected by certain pieces of artwork that I wouldn’t normally be affected by, simply because I was there in front of the thing itself and not a facsimile.

I understand that it might take a while for you to come around to the idea, and by no means am I appreciative of every single form of art. But if you at least give it a chance, you might find that it’s not as stuffy as it appears.