People have high regard for the arts, whatever the medium. From painting to the written word to performance and beyond, the arts help define people, both as individuals and as a society. And yet a strange dichotomy exists within one's society, where the arts are paid rhetorical respect even when they are not always adequately funded. Arts education is typically one of the first subjects cut or eliminated in difficult times. A study conducted by the Education Commission of the States declared that news stories portray arts education as easily traded off in an era of cash-strapped school districts. However, arts education seems to be enjoying a revival in California. Throughout the state, numerous cities and school districts are reinvigorating or reinventing their arts education programs. This article discusses art's effect on learning and explains how creativity is critical to everything including to one's economic survival.