Over the years, individuals have utilized art to assist them in coping with challenging circumstances. Right now, with the emerging of a much more dangerous COVID-19 variant, people strive to find ways to combat yet another challenge in their mental, physical, and financial lives.
Although each of us will have to respond and adapt to this crisis differently, hitting everyone almost simultaneously, we all work to find a balance to better approach and deal with it. One way is through art. According to research, having a visual representation to express ourselves contributes to our happiness and overall well-being, demonstrating that we are all globally interconnected despite the circumstantial differences.
Expressing your passion
Contrary to popular belief, using art as therapy doesn’t require you to do complicated methods to awaken your inner artist. All you have to do is start somewhere and make something. Pick up that pen and start writing your thoughts. Make a poem or start drawing your feelings. Don’t limit yourself to the box. Art is a vast land, and you can explore almost anything you want.
For example, if you wish to express your art on interior designs, start experimenting on your home with various materials with a particular theme in mind. This could range from creating a more rustic feel with Barnwood shiplap walls to collecting multiple works of art to make a more powerful impact on your artistic values and goals. Starting with a vision in mind is a great way to express your creativity and get to know your art, thus, yourself.
Getting your flow
The therapeutical advantages of creative activity occur in various ways. These can calm our thoughts, provide a good retreat, and even liberate our unconsciousness. For example, the trend in coloring books among older people has increased dramatically over the years as it boosts one’s mental health can even serve as an aid for therapy.
Activities like this allow us to reach the peak of our creative flow, and in return, our thoughts attain an ideal level of awareness. This allows us to achieve our peak performance. When most of us are awake, our brains are usually in a condition with an average level of beta waves. Getting into that flow enables us to slow down those brainwaves guiding us through a more meditative and mindful state. This contributes to a lower stress level and better productivity.
It also enables us to create something without having to stress about outside judgments. Self-awareness and managing our worries can result in the same mental and physical advantages as finding time to utilize your brain artistically.
Healing through the arts
Art and wellness have always been a source of fascination for humans, with their therapeutic benefits. Researchers have discovered that individuals who engage in art therapy have better clinical results than those who don’t. This is true in both the healthcare institution and the social environments. Our ability to express ourselves creatively may serve as a stimulant in our healing process in general.
Long-term gains in happiness and health are strongly linked to creative writing. Putting our feelings on paper can help us better understand ourselves and improves how we regulate and deal with our thoughts and emotions. When our work conveys personal thoughts and feelings, artistic worth derives from its effect on the audience and how it makes them feel.
Thus, how we make art, by which we turn a particular vision or idea into a specific reality, mirrors how we process our thoughts. Which in turn, makes art an effective tool to check in on ourselves, especially on our mental health.
The impact of creativity
Creative expression helps to understand the connection between the unconscious and conscious minds. By creating an idea or a concept and transforming it into something we see or do, we can better manage our emotions and thoughts and see things more comprehensively. Because we cannot always rationally explain our feelings, it is easier for some to find ways to reduce their mental process and try to understand it through creative pursuits instead. This then relieves them of the need to respond to their sentiments on an impulse.
Art, in general, allows us to create an unshakable link between our intellectual and emotional selves. Thus making this stage crucial for our healing process. We need to understand that what we believe rationally doesn’t always fit our feelings. And that is okay. It is an integral component of how life works. Finding a creative outlet to express ourselves allows and benefits us to control our feelings and thoughts better.
