Can Practicing Art Better Our Mental Health?

How being creative can help disorders

Everyone has something they love. For many people, what they love is art. Art can be experienced in many different ways: drawing, painting, theater, dancing, writing, playing music, singing or sculpting. Of course, people participate in these activities because they enjoy doing them or because they are good at them, but the benefits of art can actually be much deeper than meets the eye: when it comes to psychological wellness, art may be just what the doctor ordered.

Art and the Average Person

The average person’s psychological well-being is defined by positive emotion, engagement, accomplishment, positive relationships and meaning; this according to the oft-called father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman. Making art can create positive emotions and joy, and most if not all people engaged in art get some satisfaction from the practice, even when being creative is a career rather than a hobby.

When Martin Seligman speaks of mental happiness coming from engagement, he is referring to the satisfaction we feel from being wholly involved in a hobby, job or other pursuit. Positive engagement can also occur while working to hone an artistic craft. Those who participate in theater, for example, will spend hours learning, researching, rehearsing and performing; becoming truly engaged in their work both mentally and physically. The feeling of learning and then performing a role in front of an audience - in essence, accomplishing one’s goals - gives the performer a sense of pride and adds to his or her psychological well-being. By this time, the performer has also met many other actors, directors, choreographers and costume designers, and created positive relationships with these people - once again, the artistic pursuit of theater has provided one of Martin Seligman’s criteria for mental well-being.

Art & Emotions

Art also helps people connect to their emotions, sometimes ones that are hidden deep down inside, even from oneself. Tapping into these emotions and releasing and expressing them in a healthy way through artistic expression helps one’s mental health. Holding these feelings in can create stress or unhealthy releases of emotion. For some people, art can even change their life in a profound way. This can be an extremely positive mental experience for a person who encounters life-changing transformations by creating or experiencing art.

All of these positive effects on mental health have the potential to occur in the average person, and in someone with mental disabilities as well. However, those with mental disabilities and disorders can experience unique benefits from art.

Art & Illness

Art has the power to help everyone express emotion, and creative activities can be especially beneficial to people who are not as well-equipped to understand and display emotion in the first place. Art can boost self-esteem, aid in behavior management, develop social skills, reduce anxiety and enable a person to feel a sense of control over his or her life.

Known as art therapy, the practice of working with various patients through an artistic medium has come to be a viable form of mental healthcare. A qualified art therapist will meet with her client, normally in the hospital, a therapy room or an art studio, and allow that client to explore their artistic inclinations in a safe and structured way. The ultimate goal is enhanced mental and physical health for the patient, and considering art’s wide variety of benefits, it’s easy to see how the enhancement of positive emotion, engagement, accomplishment, positive relationships and meaning can be even more important to explore for someone with a mental illness or even a more serious disability.

As the field of mental health grows, we may uncover even more uses for art therapy. Already doctors are looking into the possibility of art as a form of care for people suffering from physical trauma, illnesses like cancer, brain injury or other disabilities. Studies also show that art can also be a medical benefit to patients living with autism, dementia, depression and Alzheimer’s.

Art Programs

There are even entire museum programs, like that at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, dedicated to sharing art dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers. For patients, these visits to the museum can include discussions, analyses of artwork and art-making activities. The MoMA programs and others like it have been found to provide feelings of self-worth, enhance learning and intellectual stimulation, and create a sense of belonging when experiencing with instructors and family members. Repeat visitors can attest to the positive experiences of this program and the positive effect of art on patients of dementia and Alzheimer’s. 

The verdict seems to be in: art is good for mental health, and you don’t need to wait for a doctor’s prescription. What’s the harm in picking up a pencil or a paintbrush the next time you feel overwhelmed by the stresses of life? You may be the next Monet or even have a religious experience, or you may just forget about your worries for awhile and end the day with a smile on your face.

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