Using Art as Therapy ?
Paloma Llaguno
Growing up , my mom used to fill up my and my siblings ’ rooms with artwork ; I even remember looking up in the middle of the night and seeing Alexander Calder ’ s notorious chandelier staring right back at me . Sure , I grew up in a very artistic household , but it was more than that . My mom always told us to “ heal ourselves ” with what surrounds us . Today , she still drowns us in essential oils and sneaks superfoods into our breakfast because she thinks we don ’ t notice — we do , but we don ’ t mind it . Holistic healing is the secret to a healthy , happy lifestyle , and it has recently become more modernized . But most people do not recognize that art also falls into this “ healing ” category .
We often see art as an opportunity to indulge in mere aesthetics , and we fail to realize that it is also a tool . Unquestionably , humankind is flawed . We worry too much , think too much , and as a result , work too little . But this is precisely why art heals us .
We are creatures of habit ; we find comfort in regularity . So it is challenging for us to handle sorrow , accept growth , and begin self-understanding . But like philosopher Alain de Botton said , “ art compensates us for [ said ] inborn weaknesses ” ( Popova ).
The first is sorrow . Do you know the feeling of being flooded by a rush of adrenaline when simply looking at art ? Sunflowers , by Vincent Van Gogh , is a perfect example . He painted it for the sheer joy of it , and it reflects on what we feel when looking at his piece . But the same goes for sad or even depictive paintings — it is also possible to feel a rush of negative emotions entering your body . In doing so , art teaches us how to “ suffer more successfully .” It helps us feel less alone in our suffering , “ to which the social expression of our private sorrows lends a kind of affirmative dignity ” ( Popova ).
Next is the acceptance of growth . Too often , we are afraid to explore the unknown , and as a result , we stop indulging in the world ’ s enticing wonders . Art allows us to overcome this “ chronic fear of the unfamiliar ” and invites us to live a life of constant self-discovery ( Popova ). In simply acknowledging how a piece of art makes us feel , we are forced to relate the work that sprang from the artist ’ s life to our own realities , and in doing so , we may begin or continue to find ourselves .
Lastly is self-understanding . Different from self-discovery , the concept of understanding one ’ s psyche is much more complex . The least explored parts of our character are usually those that we can only sense and cannot express to others in words . This is where art comes in . Why do we identify and surround ourselves with certain types of art ? You may notice that some houses are decorated with Renaissance art while others are flooded with Existentialist paintings . The reason being , people dress their homes in pieces of art that represent their desire to communicate to others the subtleties of who they are “ in a way that words might never fully capture ” ( Popova ).
Therein lies art ’ s greatest gift : “ Art can offer a grand and serious vantage point from which to survey the travails of [ human ] condition ” ( Popova ). Through learning more about art , we will begin to learn more about ourselves . It will always be essential to continue growing , understanding , and discovering oneself , which is why it will always be essential to immerse in the wondrous language that is art .
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