Art Defined I

David, Degas, Dale Chihuly.
They all create art. They look nothing alike. Their meanings, mediums, and sources of inspiration are very different. Ranging from biblical characters to abstract Japanese flowers, how can these items be categorized into one group called "fine art". Or just simply, "art".
Most people I talk to about this topic are reluctant to do so. They have their own view of what art is, and what they like in art. However, they can't quite put a finger on what is and what isn't. The definition is what they can't quite figure out. I can't blame them, and it's not that the common man doesn't "understand art". Sure, some people aren't educated in form, shape, line, and balance, but that's not the deciding factor in this matter. What is, is that there is not definition.
As a society we want to categorize everything neatly.
Since art has changed over thousands and thousands of years, so has the definition. It doesn't fit into a neat tidy package saying "art". It is difficult to write requirements for something to be, or become art. It is interpreted. It occurs in a particular place and TIME. What was the artist feeling, and what was his motivation? He/she takes the personal experience and twists it into something new.