Turning your bland walls into something to behold doesn’t require a big budget. It takes a big imagination.
You’ve lived in the same house for 10 years, and now your plans to spruce up your dull walls seem like a pipedream. The framed pictures of the family are a decade old and the cheaply framed posters of great works of art is a little bit too college dormitory. But you’ve grown tired of the naked walls and are ready for a change.
How can you add tasteful art to your home without spending millions of dollars? You’re about to find out.
Artistic Tip #1: Go Local
Many people wanting to add some artistic flair to their homes get discouraged, because the only place they’ve ever seen art is in a museum. While some of the world’s most celebrated pieces are indeed housed in museums across the globe, there is plenty of fantastic art being made in your backyard.
Instead of mourning your inability to have a Monet in your living room, track down the Monet living and working in your neighborhood. Whereas countless artists in the past were relegated to being clerks and policemen during the day without any way to display their art to the world, the Internet has made it possible for closet artists to make their work available to the general public. Hop online and search around for a local artist that creates work to your liking, and you’ll probably find something better than you ever expected for a price better than you imagined.
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. “
– Scott Adams
Artistic Tip #2: DIY
If you’re exceptionally particular about the art that is going to be hanging in your house, it may be best to do it yourself. Grab a paintbrush, an easel, and a canvas the size you want and get to work. It may take a few tries, but if you keep at it, you may be surprised at your artistic abilities. And if you grow tired of something in your painting, you can always go back and fix it later. After all, you’re the artist!
Don’t think you’ll be content with art you create? You can still keep it in house by recruiting your kids or a friend. Simply give your kids some art supplies and leave them to do their thing. After an hour or so, they will probably have a dozen or more unique pieces of art that can never be duplicated. Find which ones you like the best, frame them with matting, toss them on the wall, and your home will take the giant leap from bland to grand. Don’t have any kids? Start talking about your desire with friends. Before you know it, you’ll have a line of people at your front door, anxious to do something artistic to be displayed in your living room, dining room, and bedroom.
Artistic Tip #3: Get Shopping
You may only think of second-hand stores as great places to pick up a killer suit that came from the 1960s, but there can be some great art there also. Granted, you may have to think outside of the box, but the art is there nonetheless.
In addition to the accidental finds of paintings and sculptures that await you, second-hand stores are often filled with memorabilia of a day past or present. When you walk into the store, be very creative and try to find ways to use regular objects for art. Grab a handful of old 45 records for an album collage or nail the individual records on the wall as wallpaper, slip an old advertisement inside a frame, or mount shelving to line your wall with odd finds.
Artistic Tip #4: Stop Waiting
No matter what you’re planning to do on your quest for a more artistically pleasing home, the secret is to get started. Sure, the paintings you put on your wall the first time through may not stay there until your dying day, but mounting them anyway lets you figure out what will look good in your home.
So stop moaning and groaning, complaining that you don’t have the resources to change the appearance of your walls, and get to work. Your home needs art!