The human being has an inborn desire to express himself and to find different ways to do so. Throughout history, it has been demonstrated that many individuals and different cultures have turned to art as one of the most important means of self-expression. The safe space that art offers us to manifest our thoughts, feelings, and emotions with no fear or stigma is very significant, especially nowadays.
We tend to go through life ignoring and swallowing our emotions because we don’t want to deal with them. Perhaps we do this because facing our emotions is uncomfortable, confusing, time-consuming, and sometimes even painful. You might think it’s easier that way, if you ignore the unpleasant feeling long enough or hide them deep inside, then they will eventually disappear. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that war. Those emotions don’t disappear and they impact your daily life even if you don’t notice. They end up accumulating in your interior and waiting for a moment of weakness to explode and come to light. Having so much stored in our hearts can become a burden.
No one is immune to the unpleasant feeling and little traumas that life gives us. We all have felt fear, loneliness, embarrassment, rejection and even if we don’t acknowledge them, they do affect us greatly. This is the reason why art is so important for everyone. Through a path of self-exploration, art allows us to face all those things we hide in our interior that we might not even understand. It allows us to rediscover ourselves, to understand what we feel, what we think, and what we believe.
Art can bring peace and calm to the mind. According to a study published in the journal Art Therapy, the level of the stress hormone cortisol of three-quarters of the participants lowered during their 45-minute art-making session. Furthermore, art also helps individuals deal with difficult situations and cure emotional distress as they can communicate and understand their emotions. Additionally, studies have also shown that taking the time to do something is enough to improve our self-awareness and raise our self-esteem.
You don’t have to be an artist to take advantage of the benefits of art-making. Some people refrain from making art because they believe they need to be talented and this is not true. However, in art-making, the results don’t matter, what matters is the creative process. It is much more valuable to be able to stay focused and immersed in the activity we are doing rather than obtain some wonderful work of art.
Besides, the human being has an innate ability to be creative. The problem is that we forget this as we grow up. Children carry out any artistic activity with total freedom and without any worry.
According to Phylicia Rashad, the American actress, singer, and stage director:
“Before a child talks they sing. Before they write they draw. As soon as they stand they dance. Art is fundamental to human expression. “
From painting to dancing, from singing to writing. There is a wide variety of arts that we can choose to practice and receive all the benefits it has to offers us. The decision is yours.
References:
https://medium.com/@inna_13021/art-therapy-how-art-can-heal-bb66c6915bdf
