How does this art make you feel?
It’s a simple question. Maybe the simplest question. All you have to do is look at art, feel something, and express what you feel. EASY, right? I mean, we aren’t asking someone to identify what the art represents or dissect the meaning behind the blue curtain, nor are we asking how the art was made, what principles of design were used, or how much it would be worth at auction.
“How does this art make you feel?” is a simple question that can be loaded and challenging. Feelings aren’t always safe or accessible. Feeling feelings about art doesn’t come naturally to everyone. This question, when given space and time to answer, can spark a meaningful conversation and lead to deep self-inquiry.
| gouache on paper | 10 x 13 1/2 in.
Why Bother Asking “How Does This Art Make You Feel?”
There are many of benefits to asking this question, here are a few:
- Learn about preferences
- Interpret stories and images
- Break the ice
- Practice voicing opinions
- Active listening
- Experience labeling feelings
- Improved observational skills
- Enhanced analytical abilities
Where to Ask “How Does This Art Make You Feel?”
You can ask this question wherever you see art and art is practically everywhere. Here are a couple places you can find art and dig into a conversation:
- Art museum – obviously
- Public art in outside spaces
- Spaces like Starbucks, hotel lobbies, libraries, and office spaces
- Media, like television commercials and billboards
- Art books
- The internet
When to Ask “How Does This Art Make You Feel?”
The timing of the question will determine the success of the resulting conversation. The way I see it, you can either 1) carefully plan when to ask this question or, 2) ask it spontaneously, without any prior preparation.
1 | You can create an environment where this question would thrive. For example, decide what work of art to talk about, get tickets to an art museum, guide the participant to the art, let them look at it for awhile, and ask them the question. Or pick a work of art, pull up the image in a book or online, show the participant, and ask the question. This option will allow you to be prepared for different reactions.
2 | Keep this question in your back pocket for when the right moment comes along! There’s no need to rush things or manufacture the moment. You can wait for a participant to bring up a related topic and go with the flow. You might not know about the art, artist, or context before viewing it with the participant, but this approach can remove barriers between you and the participant and promote equality.
How to Set Up and Ask “How Does This Art Make You Feel?”
There are as many ways to set up for the question, “How does this art make you feel?”, as there are ways to view art. Here is a pretty basic approach for asking the question and engaging with participants about art and feelings:
1 | Walk up to the work of art. Give yourselves at least ten seconds to silently view the art. If the participant starts a conversation about the art, follow their lead. If the participant doesn’t start a conversation, wait a little while longer before asking the question: How does this art make you feel?
Give the participant time to think and respond. They might respond with questions and it’s up to you how you want to engage with that. One word responses are fine at this point because the follow up questions will provide more insight. Try to minimize your expectations as far as how participants will respond to art and the question: some participants will be enthusiastic and others will be bored- that’s ok!
2 | If the participant doesn’t have an immediate response or says something like, “I don’t know” or “it doesn’t matter”, give them more time to view the art and consider their feelings. In ideal circumstances, the participant should have plenty of time to let the art sink in. Reassure them that it’s ok to not know right away. It’s also ok to think that it doesn’t matter! Provide a clear timeline by saying something like, “let’s look for another thirty seconds and then come up with one word to describe how this art makes you feel.”*
3 | For participants that are still stumped, consider guiding them to a drastically different work of art nearby. For example, move the participant away from an abstract sculpture and ask them to view a renaissance portrait instead. Ask the participant to compare these works of art, identify the differences and similarities, make observations, and be inquisitive about what feelings each work inspires.*
3 | If the participant still doesn’t have a response, provide them with a tool, such as the feelings wheel or chart, to spark some ideas and narrow down their feelings. You could also ask participants to label a prominent feature of present in the work of art- a color, texture, figure, material, or theme- and identify how that individual aspect of the art makes them feel. This can lead to questions like “how does the color red make you feel?” or “how do you feel about shadows?”.
*Remember: It’s valid for participants to not have feelings about a work of art. They should never feel pressured to provide an answer because that’s what they think we want. The absence of feelings still provides information and can spark conversation.
Follow Up Questions
It’s important to keep in mind that sometimes a participant’s feelings about art is not layered or meaningful- it’s simply a feeling. We don’t have to analyze everything! We can accept these feelings without divulging into deeper investigation.
- What do you see? How would you describe this art to someone who can’t see it? What is important? What is the first thing you see?
- What part of the art makes you feel this way?
- What was your first reaction to seeing the art? How did your reaction change as you looked at it?
- Have you seen this artwork before? Have you always felt this way about this work of art?
- What does the artwork remind you of?
- Are you experiencing a positive or negative feeling? Is this a feeling you welcome or want to avoid?
- What other experiences or things inspire this feeling? When was the last time you felt this feeling?