Day 1 - Do I even LIKE art?

So, this morning, as I drank my cup of coffee, I took a few minutes to think about what topic I would like to learn more about for the first month of this project. I tossed around a few ideas in my head and decided that I'd like to take the next month to explore the world of art. I'm interested in exploring further the type of art I've found at museums, such as paintings, sculptures, etc. (I know, I know, this is an extremely broad category. Bear with me).

As I thought about this, I realized that I've often listed "Art" as an interest in "About Me" sections of social media sites. But do I really like art? Or do I only say I like it because that's what educated, worldly people are supposed to say? My formal experience with art started with an introductory art appreciation class in college, a requirement for my undergraduate degree. It was a broad survey of pretty much every type of art imaginable, and the only thing I remember is that we watched the movie Babette's Feast as an example of art in film. I thought the movie was okay, but also thought that it was strange that, out of all the movies in the world that we could have possibly watched to exemplify film as art, that movie was chosen. Ladies and gentlemen,  that is all I took away from my 3-credit-hour formal art education.

Apparently undeterred by my failure to actually learn anything about art from my university class, I have continued to say that "art" is one of my hobbies. When I visit a new city, I dutifully visit at least one of its art museums. (See below for one of my favorite pictures from one of these trips - my 2011 visit to the Seattle Art Museum. What's not to love about a giant rodent?!?). I stare at paintings and old pottery and even old beer cans strung across an old fence post (hello, modern art), and I nod as though it moves me and I understand what it all means. But I don't. Should I?

Should I spend time finding ways to actually learn about and explore art? Will this enrich my life and make me happy? This is actually a question that has been bothering me for a while, and my goal for this month is to answer it. I appreciate and respect art in a broad sense, but that's not really enough for me to list it as an interest or hobby. Do I truly enjoy "art" and, if so, which kinds? I might try to visit some of the museums here in Chicago and reflect on that experience, but since I've spent a lot of time in museums I would love other suggestions on how to discover more about art. Are there books I should read, websites I should visit, podcasts that discuss the topic? Is there a type of art that you love or that really speaks to you? How did you discover your love for it? It's time for me to finally decide whether I love art, or just love appearing to be someone who loves art.

Oh, and here's that giant rodent I promised you:

Xoxo,

Diana