When I travel, I always make time to visit a museum or art gallery. I enjoy not only looking at the art, but also watching the people who come to look at the art. We can learn a lot by watching the public's reaction to art.

One of my favorite people-watching museums is the Louvre in Paris. It has so many famous works of art, and the mob scenes in front of works like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are an event in themselves.

Ever wonder – what does it take to produce a timeless and iconic work of art that will inspire others for hundreds of years? Do you suppose that Leonardo pondered the possibility of the Mona Lisa being the most famous work of art on the planet, 500 years in the future? (the photo above captures part of the crowd, behind the velvet rope, viewing the Mona Lisa on the right.)

Great works of art are not just an expression of creativity. They are a joining of talent, passion, hard work, experience and the quality of the medium that is available to the artist. Great works of art are not just about being the first to conceive of a new artistic perspective, but they are the culmination of a long process of curiosity, failure, courage, obsession, despair and bliss.

Today creativity is available to the masses more than ever – not because the human race has become so much more talented – but because we are exposed to the idea of being creative and using it as a process of self discovery and self expression.

Sometimes we see the old argument on quilt lists – what is art? – and are quilts art? There is no magic dividing line between craft and art. The greatest works of art were created by master craftspeople like Michelangelo, who had a powerful combination of craft, skill, artistic talent and other-worldly vision. They didn't worry about whether or not to call it art. They just went into the studio or workroom and got to work.

When we go to a museum or gallery, and find ourselves staring with fascination at a particular work, why is it that we will break our gaze and move on to the next work so quickly? I believe that when we are drawn to a particular work – when it speaks to us – that there is something there for us on a very deep and personal level. Is it possible that somehow the artist can speak to us across the ages, and make a soul connection? Are we drawn to something about the moment in time that this work was created? Is there a subconscious message that whispers to us from the artwork's origins?

Next time a work of art captures your heart, don't break your gaze. Spend time with the piece and listen to its message. You might just bring a little piece of the artist back to your studio.

See my photo page for other images from the Louvre and France.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/sets/72157621525828557/