Conversation Starters: Art
If you are not a natural at making conversation, then thinking of conversation topics when first start talking to someone can make you nervous.
While it is good to find other topics (more interesting) topics of conversation to move on to having good small talk topics up your sleeve will help break the ice and help you find those more interesting topics of conversation. It will also help relieve some of the anxiety of walking into an unknown environment and meeting new people. Alternatively, if you are networking online, having some conversation starters in your back pocket can make it easier to make conversation.
Hobbies are a great conversation starter, entertainment can be useful for a larger group of conversations with people. However, in small group or one-to-one conversations it is important to find a topic of conversation that the people you are talking to wants to talk about and is passionate about.
Art can be an example of something that falls into this category. If the person you are speaking to enjoys art, ask them which museums they’ve gone to and would like to visit, their favourite exhibits (IRL or online), which artists they enjoy, if they have any recommendations for galleries or exhibits, how their interest developed, whether they do their own art, etc.