“Beulah,” an original landscape painting by Tara Shoemaker, framed and displayed on a dark wood surface beside white tulips in a gold vase; warm, moody lighting highlights the painting’s depth and contrast.

How Do You Know What Art Is Yours?

There’s something strange about how we connect with art.

Sometimes it’s immediate—you walk into a space, and a piece catches your eye. You don’t know why, but you keep looking. Other times, it’s slower. You scroll past a painting, then scroll back. Something about it stayed with you.

That kind of connection is hard to explain, but it matters.

A lot of people hesitate to trust their own taste when it comes to art. They worry they’re not “art people.” That they’re not qualified to choose. But in my experience—both as someone who creates art and someone who’s still learning what I want in my own home—style isn’t about having the right vocabulary, like a sommelier naming every note in a glass of wine.

It’s about recognition.

You already know it when something speaks to you. It might remind you of a place, or a season, or a part of yourself that’s hard to name. That kind of art doesn’t blend into the background. It holds its own. It brings presence.

When I was early in my practice, I tried a lot of different approaches—different media, different kinds of marks, different subjects. Some felt close, and some didn’t. But over time, I started to see patterns. I kept returning to certain colors, certain shapes, certain kinds of contrast. I learned from other artists, too, and began to see where I fit. I wasn’t just experimenting anymore. I was choosing.

The same thing happens when you’re discovering what kind of art you want to live with.

You don’t have to name the style or justify it with design terms. You just have to pay attention to what keeps pulling you back in. It might be a particular kind of light, or the weight of texture, or a sense of movement or emotion that you can’t quite put into words.

That’s your style. And it’s allowed to evolve. Mine still does.

So if you’re figuring out what kind of art is “yours,” you’re not behind. You’re doing the real work of noticing. Let what draws you in be enough.

Want to explore original paintings and fine art prints that are rooted in emotion, faith, and presence?

You can browse the current collection here, or join the Collectors Circle for behind the scenes snapshots and first looks at what’s coming next.

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