Making Art Helps Your Brain & Is Good For Your Health, No Matter Your Skill Level
Last edited Sun Jan 12, 2020, 04:06 PM - Edit history (1)
- 'Feeling Artsy? Here's How Making Art Helps Your Brain,' NPR, Jan. 11, 2020.
A lot of my free time is spent doodling. I'm a journalist on NPR's science desk by day. But all the time in between, I am an artist — specifically, a cartoonist. I draw in between tasks. I sketch at the coffee shop before work. And I like challenging myself to complete a zine — a little magazine — on my 20-minute bus commute. I do these things partly because it's fun and entertaining. But I suspect there's something deeper going on. Because when I create, I feel like it clears my head. It helps me make sense of my emotions. And it somehow, it makes me feel calmer and more relaxed.
That made me wonder: What is going on in my brain when I draw? Why does it feel so nice? And how can I get other people — even if they don't consider themselves artists — on the creativity train? It turns out there's a lot happening in our minds and bodies when we make art. "Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy, remaining connected to yourself and connected to the world," says Christianne Strang, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Alabama Birmingham and the former president of the American Art Therapy Association.
This idea extends to any type of visual creative expression: drawing, painting, collaging, sculpting clay, writing poetry, cake decorating, knitting, scrapbooking — the sky's the limit. "Anything that engages your creative mind — the ability to make connections between unrelated things and imagine new ways to communicate — is good for you," says Girija Kaimal. She is a professor at Drexel University and a researcher in art therapy, leading art sessions with members of the military suffering from traumatic brain injury and caregivers of cancer patients...
More, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/11/795010044/feeling-artsy-heres-how-making-art-helps-your-brain
- Creative therapy benefits life and health- arts, crafts, gardens, writing, music, and more.
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- Also, 'Making Art Is Good For Your Health. Here's How To Start A Habit,' NPR, Jan. 7, 2020.
Whether it's woodworking, sewing or sculpting teeny cupcakes out of bright purple clay, making art is good for your mind and body. The act of creation can reduce stress and anxiety and improve your mood, says Girija Kaimal, a professor at Drexel University and a leading researcher in art therapy. And flexing our creative side can give us a stronger sense of agency — the ability to solve problems by imagining possible solutions. Making art can also feel pretty awesome, she says.
Engaging in any act of visual expression activates the reward pathway in your brain, "which is perceived as a pleasurable experience."
Artists say they often feel those positive vibes when they work. Trinidad Escobar, a Filipino American graphic novelist and poet based in Oakland, Calif., says that drawing "feels like a superpower." And Liana Finck, a cartoonist for The New Yorker, says sharing her art with an audience is "the most cathartic thing in the world."
But you don't have to be a full-time artist to get in on those health benefits, says Kaimal. All you need to do is just make art. And the more you do it, the better. Here are six things you need to know to kick-start your creative art habit. 1. You don't need to be an artist with a capital "A"...
More, https://www.npr.org/2019/12/30/792439555/making-art-is-good-for-your-health-heres-how-to-start-a-habit
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- 'Can Poetry Keep You Young? Science Is Out, But The HEART Says Yes,' NPR, 2017. 
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/02/20/514558968/can-poetry-keep-you-young-science-is-still-out-but-the-heart-says-yes
-'The Growing World Of Gardening Therapy,' The Guardian, July 2018,
https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2018/jul/26/a-path-to-wellbeing-the-growing-world-of-gardening-therapy
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