Who am I to think that I can ever be an artist? I’ve always loved to dabble in art, from drawing, scrapbooking, crafts, sewing, etc. I enjoy creating! When I create anything, time flies by, the troubles of this world recede for a time and everything revolves around what I am creating. We are all creatives! It doesn’t have to be in the usual sense of what we think “art” is - painting, sculpting, writing, etc. Creativity can be seen in decorating your house, your organizational skills, leadership skills, a plumber, a carpenter, a computer programmer and so much more. All of these require a creative skill that is honed over time and can bring pleasure to others and great satisfaction to the creator.
I hope you have found your artistic side! If not, or you want to try something new, I suggest you try your hand at drawing, painting, writing or whatever medium interests you. I recently learned that the word drawing means to pull - like pulling a pencil across a sheet of paper. I can do that! And soon one line becomes two, and two becomes four and so on till you have created a drawing. It might not look too exciting at first, but with practice it soon takes on a more masterful shape.
It’s been well researched that creating art can be therapeutic. Just the act of sitting down and creating something (not talking masterpieces here) helps improve health and overall well-being. Who doesn’t want that? There is even a name for research-
based evidence that studies the intersection between brain sciences and the arts, it’s called “neuroaesthetics.” According to an article in Cerebrum, “research shows that creating art sparks a dynamic interplay among brain cells that spearheads billions of changes affecting our thoughts, emotions, and actions. This knowledge elevates the arts to a superpower in its potential for healing and empowerment. Indeed, if we were to design a tool from scratch to improve learning, health, and overall we’ll-being, it would look like the arts.”
So, I hope you decide to take up a pencil, watercolors, paints, or sing and dance. Just for the fun of it, and of course for all the health benefits too.
Credit:
Magsamen S. Your Brain on Art: The Case for Neuroaesthetics. Cerebrum. 2019 Jul 1;2019:cer-07-19. PMID: 32206171; PMCID: PMC7075503.
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