The Process, not Product, Counts
Artistic expression plays a role in how we teach, learn, communicate and heal. Art in many forms, and through some of the examples mentioned in this article, helps us understand and communicate concepts and emotions by drawing on all our senses, and can help us navigate processing those emotions.
Art helps promote holistic wellness and can be a motivating factor in the management of health and well-being. It is a fantastic coping mechanism and tool for emotional healing, wellness, self-care, stress relief and therapeutic creative expression. It is a beneficial and fun way to explore new ways to gain personal insight and develop new coping skills.
Art-making aids in healthy mindful communication and expression of feelings and emotions, such as grief, anxiety/stress, depression and trauma. It is a solid mindful coping mechanism and brings more clarity. Art not only helps improve our own individual physical health , but it can contribute to greater social connections and a sense of community.
There is a strong connection between the arts and mental health, including self-care, wellness, self-love, mindfulness, attention, creativity and even improved cognition and overall well-being.
Therapeutic art provides a way to gain insight and understanding through self-expression. Art can help with feelings, thoughts and emotions when words alone do not.
The creative process can help us identify and express deep and difficult, anxious feelings that we all feel at times. Art-making can be calming and brings more self-awareness, which helps soothe symptoms of stress, nervousness, and irritability.
Creating art can help facilitate change, and expression through art can help us gain insight, self-awareness, and can even rejuvenate our capabilities to resolve and reconcile conflicts and problems.
The act of creating art calms the nervous system, promotes mindfulness, focus (reduction of over stimulation from outside sources), increases self-esteem and the sense of accomplishment. It can help reduce anxiety by expressing feelings, solving problems and setting goals, which aids in working toward improved thinking patterns.
Art is an encouraging and playful form of expression, which is especially great for kids. There are many creative ways to utilize art in our daily lives. Some uplifting helpful art activities are painting, crafting and clay, creating a vision collage. Setting goals is helpful, especially aiding in coping with anxiety that may come with the new year.
Some examples: A gratitude journal focusing on things you are grateful for can reduce anxiety; affirmation art reflecting on affirmations to help cope with anxious feelings; mandala art creating patterns helps reduce heightened emotions; abstract art and emotion wheel/color therapy.
Everyone is a creative expressive artist and it’s the process, not the product, that matters most. Art can help everyone. Art heals. Keep creating!
Diana Shabtai “MissDee, Psy.D., ATR-BC is a board certified art therapist who obtained a masters degree in clinical art therapy, ma in marriage & family therapy & a doctorate degree in MFT. She is passionate advocate for bringing awareness to the therapeutic benefits of art. Experience studying, working, & educating in the field of psychology & the therapeutic arts for nearly 20 years. she is a contributing writer to jlife magazine.