Art?

There have been many attempts to come up with a philosophical, articulate definition of "art,"(as in visual art) but the fact is, every time you put rules on what art is, someone breaks them. So what is art? What should be considered art? How is the value of art determined?
In my opinion, art is not a product, it's a perception.
Finding yourself intrigued by how light is reflected or how an egg shell cracks, seeing the beauty or allure in the banal; this is what it means to perceive like an artist. With that definition, I consider Marcel Duchamp an artist, who took a commonplace object and saw art, naming the urinal "Fountain" and putting it in a museum. At first, I didn't appreciate "Fountain" to say the least. But it has line, form, shape, color, and in a museum, it would hold my attention for more than three seconds (every artists goal). It is art.
But does "Fountain" deserve to be put next to the work of Van Gogh and Vermeer? No. (At this point you may be thinking, 'but Caitlin, you just said "Fountain" is art! I'm so confused.') Well dear reader, "Fountain" is art, but according to me it is not artwork. It's called 'artwork' for a reason. Art is work! It takes time, energy, creativity, thought, flexibility, skill, and patience. If an artist actually creates something, that's a work of art. Duchamp didn't create the urinal, he only created the idea.
On a slightly different train of thought, I honestly believe the work of Jackson Polluck, the finger paintings of a child, and the paintbrush strokes of an elephant all have artistic merit. The uses of colors, composition, and processes each have value and interest me. So what makes one painting sell for thousands and the other get hung up on the fridge to eventually be thrown away?
The name.
It's as simple as the signature. It's the same reason my paintings sell for enough to pay rent for a month while others sell for well over the cost of my parent's house. Besides the dollar value, the worth of art solely depends on who's looking at it and what they choose to see.
In short, 'art' is determined by perception. Its value, determined by a name. Its overall worth, determined by the process and impact.