Effects of Culture

Culture is something essential in everyone's life. It is not something that can be only taught, but also experienced. Culture reflects a person's attitude and behavior; it has an effect on every part of your life. With culture comes customs, morals, and beliefs. Culture is what makes you unique. In Chicana Artists: Exploring Nepantla, el Lugar de la Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua explains how much of in impact their culture inspire the way they express themselves through their artwork. Gloria Anzaldua tells why her culture is so significant in her art, and why it could be in yours also. Although, the Chicana artists are heavily influenced by their culture, my art is influenced by my church environment which involves God, family, and music. Growing up, I was taught to put God first in everything I do. I was born and raised in a church that praised and longed for God. It is our custom to come together every sabbath (seventh day of the week) for worship. I believe this is a reflection of what I have learned and seen about my African heritage and now I experience it today. In some African cultures they use dance as a form of praise and offering. They used specific instruments that they believed draw the presence of their god. The drum was one of the most significant instruments during this experience. The beat of the drum symbolized the heart of the people. Different tribes and villages would gather around to be apart of this spiritual experience. They would sing songs that told stories and/or sent messages. This ritual still exist today! Our songs now send messages and tells stories of our victory in God. We sing songs to encourage one another and to uplift spirits. My artwork is expressive. I like to use some sort of color in whatever I make. The colors that I use has to have meaning to what I am creating. My work always has movement and freedom because I believe it brings life to each piece. I like my artwork to be well organized and clean, because it is easy to