HEALTH + WELLNESS
ART FOR Wellbeing
ART IS ONE OF LIFE ’ S GREAT PLEASURES , BOTH FOR THE ARTIST AND FOR THOSE ADMIRING THE RESULT OF THEIR WORK . ‘ ART ’ AS A PRACTICE OVERALL – WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO DRAW , SCULPT , CRAFT , OR SOW – IS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE SOUL , AND IT ’ S GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH TOO ; CREATING AND ADMIRING ART RELEASES SEROTONIN , WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE ‘ HAPPY HORMONE ’ AND MAKES US FEEL BLISSED OUT AND CONTENT . OVER RECENT YEARS , THERE HAS BEEN A HUGE UPSURGE IN UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE IMPACT THAT TAKING PART IN THE ARTS CAN HAVE ON OUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING , SO WE ’ VE DELVED IN TO TAKE A DEEPER LOOK AT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN ARTIST AND HOW IT CAN IMPACT YOUR HEALTH OVERALL . by Polly Humphris
The first rule of art ? It ’ s never too late to start exploring your inner Picasso . There are no upper ( or lower ) age limits ; there are no restrictions when it comes to knowledge , skill , or talent ; and there is no ‘ wrong time ’ to pick up a new , invigorating hobby , or to reignite a love of art that has tailed off due to life and other commitments . If it is something you want to do , then you must do it – just ‘ doing ’ something is nourishing for the soul and will keep your mind sharp too .
The second rule of art ? Although not everyone can be a professional artist , everyone can certainly get involved and have a go at creating art . The secret to this , and the thing that many people forget or don ’ t realise , is that you don ’ t have to have any kind of artistic talent at all to simply create . It ’ s the process that counts and it ’ s the process that releases a life-affirming hormone hit , so it ’ s the process itself that will make you feel good – not how polished the end product looks .
So , now you ’ ve talked yourself into giving it a bash , what are the benefits of art on our wellbeing and how does it work ? Herein lies a misconception – contrary to popular belief , you don ’ t have to work with an art therapist to get a therapeutic benefit from doing art . We ’ re all born with an innate desire to express ourselves and creative expression , be that through dance , acting , painting , song , or one of the myriad of other creative endeavours that ‘ art ’ encompasses , benefits our brains and mental health to make us happier and healthier people .
Art for stress relief . On average , a person has 60,000 thoughts a day , of which about 95 per cent are exactly the same – just thinking about that is as mundane as the fact itself , but activities like painting , drawing , sculpting and taking photos , are not only rewarding , as you get to see a physical end product , but relaxing too . Once you ’ re immersed and fully ‘ in the zone ’ in your artistic activity , your stress levels will drop and you ’ ll naturally begin to feel
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