Embrace the arts

You never know what they might be able to do for your mental health

Imagine you are standing in front of a massive white canvas. It’s ready to paint, and you have all the tools at your disposal immediately to your left in a well-organized container. How do you feel looking at this canvas? Does it fill you with dread? Excitement? Imagine your process for starting to paint. Perhaps you get inspiration from another picture. Maybe you paint what you feel – how you feel.

You can look throughout the history of the world and see the power of art in storytelling and rituals. There’s a reason we engage in such a practice – it’s one way to have creative expression – to tell a story through a different medium. Of course, there are different types of art and different ways to tell a story. There’s music, dance, visual arts, and writing. All are powerful in their own right and all help us express ourselves.

And deep beneath the enjoyment of engaging in art is a science. Sure, for many people art is a creative outlet that is just fun to do, but even beneath that there’s a benefit to our health. There have been systematic reviews showing that the arts can help lower anxiety, stress, and other mood disturbances. I have written specifically about music here before and the benefits that it can have on our mental health so for today, let me pay more attention to the visual arts. Consider one study that found the simple act of self-expression through doodling or coloring could activate reward pathways in the brain. Or another study that found how creating art led to a lowering of cortisol, which is a proxy measure for stress.

You may be thinking, “But Ben, I don’t have a creative bone in my body, how do you expect me to get involved in art?” Well, the good thing is that it’s not that hard to get started. Here are some simple things you can do today.

Start with the art you enjoy the most. Is it music? Visual arts? Make a plan to go to an art museum or a music show. Put on some music at home and dance as if no one was watching. You don’t have to go all in on one thing for it to benefit you. But don’t take my word for it, test it out yourself. Rate your stress or mood on a scale of 0-10 (zero being non or low and 10 being high). Do it before the activity and after. See how it changes. The point here is to start with something that works for you.

Try something new. I have always loved art and benefited greatly from being involved in it throughout my life. Go to the local art store and pick up some colored pencils or some canvas and just create. Just be you. Make something that’s for you, not for someone else. See what you get from it. We already know the literature in that space and its good for all parties involved! I have rediscovered my own passion for painting in the last few months and now try and do some art every week.

Go to an art gallery or art show with a friend. Get the added bonus of the social time and find out what you like, dislike, and what your friend thinks of what you are both seeing. And if you do like something you see, maybe follow the artist to learn more about their creative process. You’ll learn a lot about yourself - how certain pieces make you feel - or just what type of art you like. There are so many free places to see art - find one in your community and give it a try.

I asked my friend, Genesis the Greykid, an amazing artist, what he thought about the arts. I wanted to know how the creative process made him feel. Here’s what he said to me:

“Painting is a lot like farming to me... there's medicine in the work, there are fruits in the work, there's an invisible quiet healing in the work, something bigger than yourself, in the work. But when I'm able to bring these fruits to the table (exhibition), to friends, family or people I've never met and serve them a meal from this soil within me...my god what a humbling experience.”