I will be the first to say that I am not an art expert. I am not majoring in Studio Art, or Graphic Design, or anything like that. I did not take AP Art History in High School, just Art I. I cannot sit down and sketch your portrait in ten minutes, nor paint using a computer program, nor do anything impressive with a piece of clay (I mean it; clay was my worst enemy in Art I.) In fact, the only real claim I have to writing an article about art, is that I like it. So everything I say here, just take my word for it, okay?

Every so often I'll sit down with my sketchbook or my watercolors and spend a few quiet minutes alone. Every time that I do, I find it refreshing. It does not matter how productive I am with the piece--I could fill up an entire page drawing a mandala from the beginning, or just fill in some color on a watercolor piece that has taken me months to do because I keep abandoning it in my closet.

Art as a hobby is relaxing, though I admit at times it can be frustrating. When you just cannot seem to get some proportion or angle sized correctly and have to keep erasing, there are moments when you need to take a break. But the end product and the effort you put into it gives you something to be proud of. You are doing something constructive with your time, even if you are the only one who ever sees it.

Doing art also helps you to go about thinking and problem-solving in new ways. To look at something from a new angle, to try a different approach, to mark the page but know you can erase it later if you change your mind--these processes teach you. This type of thinking does not always use words; it is visual, creative. It is different from most of our thought processes throughout daily life.

I don't do art as much as I should, nor as much as I would like to. Like I said, my only real claim to writing about art is that it is a hobby of mine--I like it. I find its benefits important, and I want to encourage others to try it. Even people who say that they are a bad artist, or that they can't draw, can try something like working on a detailed coloring book. It doesn't have to be complicated to be good, and it doesn't have to be complicated for you to enjoy it.

Don't be afraid to start small. It doesn't have to be something other people see and judge; just try it for you. You might surprise yourself.