{"id":10014,"date":"2019-12-19T04:32:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T12:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nebulous-oyster.flywheelsites.com\/?p=10014"},"modified":"2021-04-08T17:24:01","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T00:24:01","slug":"art-arts-sake-will-make-healthier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/art-arts-sake-will-make-healthier\/","title":{"rendered":"Art for Art\u2019s Sake Will Make You Healthier"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"It's

I drew this frog one afternoon while my daughter was at her circus class. I used watercolor brush pens and plain drawing paper. Time disappeared as I was working on it. It didn’t feel like I was making art, it felt like I was channeling the beauty of the universe ~Jennifer Margulis<\/p><\/div>\n

Make art, not war\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s no secret we are living in pretty trying times. Spend just five minutes on <\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/a> and you\u2019ll feel like you need a shower. Maybe the vitriol and the divisiveness aren\u2019t all that new. Maybe it\u2019s just that the power of the bullhorn social media gives us simply exposes the <\/span>anger<\/span><\/a>, hate, and strife that\u2019s been there under the surface all along.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who knows?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what I do know for sure is that we all need to use all the tools at our disposal to make ourselves <\/span>healthier, less stressed, kinder, and happier<\/b>. These days I\u2019m probably a five. But even if you\u2019re a nine on the happy scale, who doesn\u2019t want a ten?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why am I so stressed?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Some of my closest family members have been dealing with a lot of problems this year. A life-threatening illness here, a bleeding ulcer there. Throw in an accident resulting in a concussion and brain swelling so bad it warranted surgery for a beloved eight-year-old and an open-heart surgery with a 3-month recovery time for a beloved 77-year-old. Mix and stir.
\n
\nIt doesn\u2019t help that I\u2019m super empathetic. I was the kid who cried when another child got hurt, the one who never understood how anyone could laugh when Road Runner pushed Wile E. Coyote off the cliff. So when I see people suffer<\/a><\/span>\u2014whether it\u2019s my family members or <\/span>children harmed by modern medicine<\/span><\/a>\u2014I tend to suffer with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the face of all this, I\u2019ve discovered art.<\/span><\/p>\n

Art?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, art.<\/span><\/p>\n

Drawing and painting have turned into my go-to stress reliever. If I didn\u2019t need <\/span>to work<\/span><\/a>, I would probably spend most of my day every day sketching, drawing, and painting.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not an artist. Unlike my daughter<\/a>, I don\u2019t think I have one iota of natural aptitude. But I started drawing and painting for the sheer joy and solace of it, and nobody was more surprised than me how much joy breaking away from the rat race, <\/span>turning off the computer<\/span><\/a>, and picking up a pen or a paint brush has been bringing me.<\/span><\/p>\n

The connection between art and wellness<\/b><\/h3>\n

So you can imagine that I\u2019ve been delighted to discover that new science-forward research backs up what my own personal experience with art and wellness tells me to be true:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Making art makes us healthier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And calmer.<\/span><\/p>\n

It also helps us feel better about the world<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the best part? You don\u2019t have to be good at it!<\/span><\/p>\n

The science behind art and wellness<\/b><\/h3>\n

As anyone who enjoys making music, drawing, sculpting, or writing fiction can attest to, it turns out there are several connections between different art forms and mental wellness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientific studies have found, for example, that:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Learning and making music is good for your brain<\/b><\/h3>\n

We all know that listening to music can improve your mood, and increase your feelings of relaxation. (My favorite go-to is <\/span>Joni Mitchell\u2019s Blue<\/span><\/a> when I\u2019m feeling down.) But what about making music?\u00a0<\/span>It turns out that making music has positive and lasting effects on the brain, for both children and adults.<\/p>\n

“Musical activities are an engaging form of cognitive brain training and we are now seeing robust evidence of brain plasticity from musical training not just in younger brains, but in older brains too,” says Gavin Bidelman, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Institute For Intelligent Systems at the University of Memphis.<\/p>\n

Bidelman was the lead author of a 2015 study<\/a> published in The Journal of Neuroscience<\/i> that found that music has lasting positive effects on the brain.<\/p>\n

2. Art helps you battle cancer<\/h3>\n

As this <\/span>2015 research from Marymount Loyola University<\/span><\/a> details, breast cancer survivors report making art to be tremendously beneficial to their feelings about being ill. Art therapy helps cancer patients maintain a more positive attitude, reducing negative emotions and improving positive ones. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A <\/span>2019 study<\/span><\/a> of Iranian women reiterated these findings: \u201c<\/span>As compared to the control group, the Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy group demonstrated a significant decrease in symptoms of distress and significant improvements in key aspects of the health-related quality of life.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3. Art works wonders to reduce stress<\/b><\/h3>\n

When researchers measured the levels of stress hormones before and after study participants did art in this 2016 study<\/span><\/a>, they found that spending time doing art significantly reduced stress levels in 75 percent of participants (but remained unchanged in 25 percent), regardless of the participants\u2019 artistic experience or talent<\/span>.
\n<\/span>
\nSo all that drawing and painting I\u2019ve been doing to cope with the difficulties we\u2019ve been facing this year? Honestly, I didn\u2019t realize it when I started doing art. But I think I\u2019ve discovered a life hack for mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n

A colorful jellyfish<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Making

I made this jellyfish with Sharpies, colored pencils, gel pens, and a gold paint pen. The original is much more sparkly! Jellyfish have lived in the Earth\u2019s oceans for millions of years. The smallest jellyfish, Irukandji, is less than one inch long while the largest known jellyfish, the lion\u2019s mane, has tentacles that are up to 120 feet! Abundant in both cold and warm ocean water, jellyfish aren\u2019t actually fish, despite their name. Jellyfish are invertebrates (animals with no backbone) and they squirt water from their mouths to propel themselves forward. As global climate change threatens marine life, these gelatinous creatures continue to thrive and flourish.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Feeling

Feeling blue? Try making a whimsical drawing with colored pencils. I used pencils and a white gel pen to make this whimsical girl carrying a basket of flowers. It doesn’t matter what you draw, actually, just sitting down with pencils and paper will make you feel better.<\/p><\/div>\n

Related posts:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Artist Betty LaDuke, a Southern Oregon Treasure<\/a>
\nA Commitment to Coloring Your Life<\/a>
\nHow to Make Pop-up Puppets With Your Kids<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Make art, not war\u00a0 It\u2019s no secret we are living in pretty trying times. Spend just five minutes on Twitter and you\u2019ll feel like you need a shower. Maybe the vitriol and the divisiveness aren\u2019t all that new. Maybe it\u2019s just that the power of the bullhorn social media gives us simply exposes the anger, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[476,8162],"tags":[8803,8807,8806,8804,8805,8560],"yoast_head":"\nArt for Art\u2019s Sake Will Make You Healthier, Less Stressed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dealing with a lot of stress, I\u2019ve discovered art. Art? Yes, art. 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