Art, the Anti-stress Drug – Available without a Prescription

YES! I adore Bob Ross! Noted television artist and now cult figure popularized on public television stations in the 70’s. I could spend all afternoon watching him. His calming voice, his encouraging words and his FAN brush made me want to create! Check out our Harvest Moon painting styled after the 30 minute master!

“It’s the process, not the end product,” says Megan Carleton, an art therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Agreed. Everyone is an artist! It’s only the medium and how often we devote to making time for art that differentiates us. I have so many reasons art is healthy for you, but here are SEVEN reasons art is good for you:

Research also shows that when people make time to create art, doing so relieves stress and promotes relaxation, particularly in people who are hospitalized or homebound.

Stress relief therapy

Studies have shown that a primary stress hormone called cortisol suffers a significant decline after creative art-making sessions. These findings apply no matter your level of art skill.

See the world from a different perspective

When you’re one with your inner art self, you express what you see from a realm of limitless possibilities. YOU are the Creator. Dogs have wings, the sun is blue, and eggs are green! Your imagination drives what you put on paper or canvas and it is all good.

Art Arrests Cognitive Decline

Studies show that those with dementia experience memory recall and the ability to reconnect with others through the experience of creating art.

Emotional Release

Creating art enables us to release emotions and feelings like pain, anger, depression and fear that cannot be expressed in words. Art cancels darkness through luminescence, opening the mind to adventures.

Inner peace and happiness

Art directly gives us permission to enjoy solitude, self-expression and nurturing of the creative muse.

Impact on thoughts of sadness

Just sitting down and creating willy-nilly art for two hours was found to be significant in reducing the state of sadness in a study focus group. The magic of art is in its ability to distract, inspire, motivate, relax and calm.

A Happiness Boost

Chocolate is king because of dopamine which is associated with increased alertness, focus, motivation and happiness, which is also immensely triggered when making art.

Takeaways: Enjoy the process rather than the quality of the results. Even professional artists feel there’s always room for improvement. You don’t need to be enrolled in art school to be an artist. Creating something that didn’t exist before is an awesome, even enviable place to be.

Sources:

The HealingPower of Art

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-healing-power-of-art

Benefits of Art Therapy

Creativity and Recovery: The Mental Health Benefits of Art Therapy

Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5004743/

Why You Should Make Art Event if You’re Bad at it

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-make-art-even-if-youre-bad-2016-6