Art
Creating art can be incredibly therapeutic for some people. In fact, Art Therapy is a type of formal therapy used by professionals with both children and adults. However, you don’t have to do art with a therapist to get the benefits from it. We understand that there can be barriers to entry in art, such as anxiety about how to start or the cost of supplies. We hope to provide information that will make art accessible to everyone.
How Can Art Be Helpful?
First thing first, what kind of art you do isn’t as important as doing the thing. Whether you use coloring books, sculpt with clay, or create digital art it can all be beneficial. Art can help our mental health through a few different mechanisms. Going back to our last couple topics, concentrating while creating art can lead to you entering a meditative state or help you regulate your breathing.
Creating art can also help us process our emotions or events we have experienced. Canadian firefighter/paramedic Daniel Sundhal is also a photographer and digital artist (images can be emotionally evocative). Dan has spoken extensively about how the time it takes to create his images helps him process events and calls he has experienced and has improved his PTSD. Our own Rob Leathen, who created our clasped hands banner image, also uses digital art to help his mental health.
If you’re unsure about creating art, viewing art can also be helpful to your mental health. Visiting an art museum is a good solo activity that allows you to take time to yourself. You can also practice slow-looking and mindfulness while viewing art, which can remove some of the overwhelming feelings people experience when confronted with art.
It isn’t necessary to have a background in art or the context of the art to employ slow-looking and mindfulness; you can focus on the experience of looking at an object. Taking more time gets you beyond your initial assumptions. Listen to the questions that form in your head—what do you wonder about it? Looking at art can help you learn about yourself—what you like and don’t like, what you feel connected to and why.
While some art exhibits are still closed due to COVID, you can look at art online, you can look at art outside (public sculpture and architecture), or look at objects in your environment.
Art Therapy vs Therapeutic Art
One thing about discussing art in the mental health context that can be confusing is the difference between Art Therapy, a formal therapeutic process that involves a licensed professional. And art as therapy, or therapeutic art. Most of this information is related to therapeutic art you can do at home or on your own without a professional involved.
Art Therapy combines creating art with the therapeutic process. Using art during therapy can help people express themselves without words and can help you isolate and process difficult emotions while in a controlled environment with a professional. Both Canada and the USA have licensed art therapists and each country has a licensed provider search you can use to find an art therapist near you.
How Can I Start Creating Art?
While creating art can be intimidating (and expensive), literally anyone can create art. There are no rules! You can get started with art for mental health with only colored pencils and a coloring book. In fact, studies have shown that using coloring books specifically can help reduce stress and anxiety (and there are a lot of fun coloring books for adults now).
Art goes far beyond drawing or painting. There are hundreds of art mediums for you to explore. The goal is to find an art medium that you enjoy and helps your brain relax. Beyond drawing and painting, mediums like fiber art, hand lettering, and sculpting can be especially relaxing.
If you aren’t sure where to start, art classes may be a way for you to explore this tool (and make some new friends!). While COVID has affected in-person classes, many areas have a university or art collective that holds inexpensive classes. Some art instructors now offer live classes via video feed. YouTube also has a plethora of tutorials for all kinds of art, including an archive of all of Bob Ross’s videos.
Ways To Incorporate Art In Your Life
There are many ways you can incorporate art into your existing hobbies. For example, some people paint rocks and then leave the finished rock in a geocache. Other people process emotions by designing and getting tattoos (there was even a TV show about therapeutic tattooing).
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the goal of using art as a tool in your toolbox is to find something that you enjoy, fits with your lifestyle, and helps improve your mental health. It may take some exploring to find what art medium that is, but that is half the fun of it!
Special thanks to Kelly with the rRemai mModern art museum for assistance with this post.
Helpful Links and Sources
