Personal development, growth, and learning through art?

Why should we learn new things?

It can be hard to justify the time, investment and money spent on it. Nowadays, we have the internet at our fingertips and can find almost anything. There's no need to understand complex topics; you just need to know where to find information or how to prompt AI to generate content for you. Even if you don't understand a language, highly capable translators are available. We are witnessing new developments, such as real-time translators that enable us to hold fluent conversations with people who speak entirely different languages. It's incredible. I eagerly await the day when such devices become affordable.

But why should we learn new things? It's a significant question, especially in academia. A common complaint is that students no longer need to study because they can use AI or the internet to write their papers. They often just want the final result, without experiencing the frustration of not understanding or grasping the process. I believe the issue is that we focus too much on the end product. Many people think that the final product — an essay or response, for example — is the ultimate goal, but I believe this is a mistake. The real goal is personal growth.

Every movement, every piece of knowledge and every new encounter changes us. We're not robots or simple programmes; we're human beings with emotions and responses. Encountering new ideas — whether we understand them or not, or whether we agree with them or not — brings frustration, joy, horror and insights. All of this transforms us. We gain more than just final information: we shift our perspectives, expand our understanding and broaden our insights.

Therefore, we should recognise the importance of investing time, money and energy in learning because we are investing in ourselves. It's not just about producing a final essay or paper; it's about personal development, growth and change for our future selves.

And this brings me to something that is often overlooked in academic and technological conversations: the role of art. If learning is not just about information, but about transformation — about how we feel, process, and make sense of what we encounter — then we need to ask: How do we actually process information as human beings? Not just store it or retrieve it, but truly engage with it, wrestle with it, integrate it.

Art is one of the most profound ways we do this. Through images, symbols, stories, and sounds, we shape our inner world. Art gives us access to things we cannot easily put into words. It creates space for ambiguity, tension, and wonder. It allows us to feel and reflect, not just conclude. In a time when speed and efficiency often dominate our approach to learning, art reminds us that growth is not always linear or measurable. It can be slow, intuitive, and deeply embodied.

So if we value learning as a process of becoming — not just knowing — then we must also ask: Where is there a place for art?

Queen of Spades, 2021