A Case Study in Self-Expression: Me and Georgia O’Keeffe

One of the most intuitive ways we use art is to express ourselves — not just through the pieces we create, but also through the pieces we choose to bring into our lives and share with others. Self-expression through art becomes a kind of language, a way of saying: Here’s a bit of me. Here’s who I am, even when we don’t have the words.

Blue and Green Music, Georgia O'Keeffe 1919-1921. O'Keeffe created it to explore the idea that music could be translated into something for the eye.

For me, the earliest and most vivid example of this was Georgia O’Keeffe.

I must have been in second or third grade when I first came across her work. I checked out a book of her paintings from the school library and brought it home. I remember being overwhelmed by her colors — the flowing lines, the swirls, the folds. The work was vivid; it felt almost hyper-real. More floral than an actual flower.

Her work felt so intense, so sensual, that I was embarrassed. Maybe even ashamed. I thought I might get in trouble for having the book, and I hid it under my bed, blushing, until I could safely return it the next day.

An Orchid, Georgia O'Keefe, 1942

That’s how deep and unsettling the personal connection to artwork was for me.

Nothing about that connection has really changed — except my own comfort with myself. Even now, her paintings speak to me in a way I still don’t fully have words for. Looking at her art feels like a reflection of something within me. If someone were to ask who I am, and I pointed to one of her paintings and said, That’s me — they might actually understand.

What’s amazing is that it isn’t just one piece or one theme. O’Keeffe is best known for her close-up flowers, and later for her desert skulls, but she also painted cityscapes — towering, geometric visions of 1920's New York skyscrapers seen from the ground. Each body of work is so different, yet somehow, all of it feels like her. And somehow, it all speaks to something inside me too. Art and identity.

Now, I want you to try something.

If you’ve read some of my other museum visit articles, you might guess where this is going.

This time, when you visit a museum or gallery, I want you to wander until you find the piece — the one that somehow, inexplicably, feels like you. You may not know why. You don’t have to. Just trust the feeling: This is me. This is my experience.

When you find it, you need to bring it home with you — one way or another. It doesn’t matter if it’s an original (lucky you!), a postcard, a print, or even your own study or sketch of the work. Find a way to integrate it into your outward life. Hang it where you gather, where you live — your living room, your dining room, your patio. Or wear it: a scarf, a notebook cover, a phone case. Find a way for this expression to live alongside you.

Because when you see it regularly, you’ll remember parts of yourself that you don’t always have words for. It will continue to guide you towards your most authentic self. And when others see it, even if they can’t articulate it, they’ll feel it too. That genuine, wordless expression of self is powerful. It deepens connection — both to yourself, and to the people around you.

This is how to choose art for your home.

I'd love to hear, have you found 'your' piece of art?

From the Lake No. 1, Georgia O'Keeffe 1924 - a favorite I get to visit locally at the Des Moines Art Center. It is like reconnecting with a friend whenever I get to see it.

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