Originally posted on The Shindobrarian.
I was looking through the New York Public Library‘s YouTube channel and I came across “Design by the Book,” a very cool series of videos discussing the importance of libraries for artists. One very important thing to note is that art never exists in a vacuum; there is no “art for art’s sake.” Whether art be dreams, an expression of beauty, a meditation on the profound, an observation, a reflection, a criticism, or analysis, or even all of the above, art is something that is deeply connected to other ideas, history, literature, science, nature, religion, or even preceding works of art. To create is to not simply wait for the muse, but to peruse, research, read, and think deeply on various things. Even the most utilitarian forms of expression can benefit from visits to the library.
