Creativity and Mental Wellness
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously declared the week of June 10, 2024 as Arts and Health Week.
“There is growing research that demonstrates the arts have a positive impact across physical, mental, and public health. “The suggestion is that focus on the arts is “integral to equity and healthy communities. It also highlights that the arts can have a positive influence across social determinants of health, which are the conditions in the environments where people live, work, and play, to promote health equity for all.” https://www.lacountyarts.org/supervisor-hilda-l-solis-declares-arts-and-health-week
How Art Can improve your mental health
There has been so much research around this subject lately that I keep on coming back to this profound experience of art as a healing tool. This is something that artists intuitively know. However, with the publication of books such as “Your Brain on Art” there is a growing awareness around art making as a tool for improving mental well-being. There is now scientific evidence that not only art making but being in the presence of art (such as a concert or a museum) can elevate your mood.
Benefits of Making Art
~ It keeps you firmly in the present moment (akin to meditation)
~ It opens new neural pathways in the brain (helps with aging)
~ Making art allows us to problem solve creatively (helpful in the workplace)
~Gives you another form of self expression (especially in a therapeutic setting)
~ Making art connects you to humanity on a deeper more spiritual level
The State of Mental Health according to the WHO
According to an article in the American Scientist magazine published July-August 2020, on How Art Can Heal, the statistics are staggering: “One-fourth of the global population is at risk of developing a mental health challenge in their lifetime, and one-fifth of children and adolescents could develop mental health problems, according to a 2014 World Health Organization report. Wars, adversity, discrimination, natural disasters, and illnesses such as COVID-19 further exacerbate these unmet needs for psychosocial support.” This is why it is critical that we find ways in which we face these challenges early enough in order to avert a mental health crisis. Humans have always (from cave painters time) had a need for artistic expression and “as an imaginative tool for adapting to changing condition and solving problems.”
Do you have to be an experienced artist to enjoy these benefits?
Absolutely not!! I believe that everyone is innately creative. Somewhere along the line, a teacher/parent/friend told you that you weren’t good enough to be an artist, so you gave it up, believing that you were being frivolous and non deserving of the experience.