I am a big fan of art. I’m not the greatest at it myself though. The closest I can get to making anything artistic is tie dye and weaving potholders. There are a lot of creative people out there. We have a lot of art and craft fairs locally. The work some people create is really amazing. Even browsing Etsy is a great way to view what people are creating.
Art is fun to look at, but it is also another tool used in healing. It is commonly used in treating mental health conditions including trauma, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress, substance abuse, anxiety and even cancer. The idea is that expressing yourself through creativity helps reduce stress and improve mental wellness. A person creates art to represent how they feel on the inside. Bringing those feelings out helps with healing on the inside. Colors are associated with emotions. For example, red is anger, yellow is happy, blue is calm. All kinds of art may be used in therapy including drawing, painting, photography, coloring, sculpting, pottery. Even tie dye is a form of art. Many of the dye artists I follow have recovered from substance abuse by making tie dye.
People who are physically unable to create art can guide an art therapist on what colors to use and the art design.
Creating a work of art helps boost a person’s confidence and self esteem by providing a feeling of accomplishment. I know every time I finish a project, it’s pretty rewarding to look at it and know I created it. Opening up a fresh tie dye is like opening a present. It’s exciting to see the end results.
Challenge:
Try incorporating art into your life. Do something simple like grab a box of crayons and print out a coloring sheet from the internet or do something more complicated by learning how to draw. Take a class or watch some free videos on YouTube. Just try to have fun with it.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9472646/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8397377/
https://www.priorygroup.com/priory-treatment-programmes/therapy-types/art-therapy