‘A Thing of beauty is a joy forever’ goes a popular old saying. Indeed beauty enhances your life, moves every heart and excites and breaths life into the monotony of life. But how do we define beauty? There’s a smart answer to that in another saying as, ‘Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.’

One of the best ways to bring in beauty in our everyday lives is by collecting fine arts and decorating our surroundings. Now how can someone decide on something that’s the best, suits his tastes and goes easy on his pocket as well? You can check out my tips on the topic here.

Some handy tips on collecting Art

1. Go for something that you personally feel good about. Something that enchants you and not what’s popular. Art that’s a part of, or reflects your personality and matches your energy gives your surroundings a distinct style.
Even the art that is contrary to your persona is stylish as it lends an enigma and challenge to your aura.

2. You could read books on art, subscribe to art magazines, browse on the internet, talk to art collectors to understand more about the various art forms and styles.

3. Visit exhibitions and art displays to brush up your art education. You could also meet like minded people and join in their art communities and clubs where you get acquainted with curators and art collectors.

4. Some of the questions that you should ask yourself before you make a purchase could be:

• What colors or color scheme am I looking for?
• Where would I like to decorate or display the object / collection?
• What would be the theme or the message that I would like to convey?
• What is my annual art budget?
• Where shall I get the most genuine pieces, wide variety and economical rates?
• What is important to me- the painting or the artist?
• Do I really love this art or is it just for my collection?

When you finally do decide on what you want, get to know the artists before you buy it, display it in the planned space and enhance the surroundings with more focus or highlighted by proper lighting and ventilation. You can also check out my other articles on ‘How to choose art to work well with your décor’ and ‘How colors affect a room.’