Will Hardy wants you to stop overthinking it. As an assistant curator at Saatchi Art, he’s seen every kind of collector and his advice is almost always the same: follow what draws your eye, and let everything else fall into place. Here, he talks about why buying art doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think, the art hanging in his own home, and why abstract painting finally won him over.How did you become involved in the art world, and what drew you to curating? I started seriously learning about art in high school. It was so fun just discovering different movements and the stories behind great artists and their work. After that, I decided to study art history and pursue a career in the art world. I think the greatest appeal of curating with Saatchi Art has been helping to promote emerging artists. There are so many talented artists working in every style you can imagine, and every day I find a new artist that I absolutely love. Curating their work and sharing that with collectors is such a fun and rewarding process that I feel so lucky to be a part of.What advice would you give to someone buying their first piece of art?It can be so easy to overthink every aspect of purchasing art. At the end of the day, you should just buy what makes you feel good! My advice for people visiting museums has always been to skip the things that don’t interest you, and go right for the pieces that draw your eye. I don’t think buying art should be any different—just focus on what you enjoy, and everything else will fall into place around that. This also applies to wanting your art to match your home. While I think there’s something to be said for coherent design, I truly believe that great art does not clash with anything. Follow your heart, and you’ll never regret it.What’s currently hanging in your own home, and why did you choose it?My collection is more limited than you might think! Certainly, my favorite is a small still life I purchased from an artist directly from his studio in Merida, Mexico. I love the piece, and the frame he used makes it the perfect pop of color in my home. Even smaller is a landscape that a friend gifted me. I haven’t framed this piece yet because even though I love the frame on the previous piece, I always love getting to look directly at an artwork with nothing in the way. Even though it was really only a quick study that he did, I love the palette and style. I chose these pieces because they brought me joy and because they bring back fond memories. I’ve taken it slow with my collection so far, but I’m looking forward to adding my first piece from Saatchi Art soon! It should be the first of many.How do you think art enriches our daily lives?More than anything, I think art is an escape. Whether a piece has sentimental significance or is just a beautiful object that you get to look at every day, the little moments of joy that art can bring are so important. In a world increasingly driven by technology and machine learning, I think an appreciation for products of human hands, minds, and hearts is more important than ever. Art feels core to the human experience, so connecting with it in whatever way you can will brighten your day. I also think that art is a great way to learn about the world! I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner, and I find art to be such a great way to discover stories I might otherwise never have known. That’s why I spend way too much time reading every plaque in a museum. What’s a common misconception about buying or collecting art that you wish you could clear up?That collecting art has to always cost you a fortune! Some of my favorite artists at Saatchi Art are creating really affordable work. I am also often drawn to smaller pieces, as I think they have a lot of whimsy and charm that a large statement piece usually doesn’t have. By looking at smaller pieces from artists at a lower price point, you can find some really amazing artwork to start growing your collection without spending too much.How do you recommend someone explore what their “taste” actually is?Look at more art! It can be so hard to articulate why you like an artwork, especially if you’re new to art in general. The more you immerse yourself in art, the more a pattern will start to emerge that will help you identify what you do and do not like in any given artwork or style. The first time I went to a museum with my partner, I asked her which pieces she liked and why. That challenge to put your feelings into words forces you to really think it through, which will help you better understand your own taste in the end. The more time you spend with art, the more you’ll know and understand. This is true whether you’re looking at Picassos on a museum wall or emerging artists online—there are connections across all art just waiting for you to discover them. What’s a medium or style you didn’t appreciate until you really spent time with it?Even after I started studying art history, I still wasn’t fully sold on abstract art, especially by artists like Mark Rothko or Jackson Pollock. The more I found chances to see these artworks in person, though, the more I understood their draw. When you’re in the room with a great work of abstract art, you can feel its gravitational pull. Because these works are often stripped down to the most basic elements, they have a certain universal, unspoken appeal that sets them apart from figurative art. Now, abstraction feels to me like the peak of ‘art for art’s sake’—no need to adhere to any story or guidelines, just expression and beauty.The post Meet the Curators: Assistant Curator Will Hardy appeared first on Canvas: A Blog By Saatchi Art.