The Health Benefits of Creating Art

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Art does more than help people create. It actually makes them healthier. In a number of studies on how creating art improves personal health, the evidence is clear and so are the benefits.

It Keeps Your Mind Sharp

People’s minds lean toward deterioration and a lack of cognition skills as they age, most notably memory and focus. Harvard published the results of a study on geriatric patients with dementia creating art. The results show that these patients, regardless of ability to make art, improved their cognition and memory functioning to the point where they could talk and relay memories they had long forgotten.

Many artists who work as artists report that their ability to focus is very much improved during and after they have made some of their art. The act of creating something involves multiple parts of the human brain that are responsible for problem solving, visual spacing and recognition, color theory and application, etc.. With all of these different areas of the brain waking up to make art, it’s no wonder that art helps patients with dementia restore some cognitive function, even if it’s temporary.

Art Not Only Reduces Stress, but Also Stress Hormones

The body produces a number of stress hormones. The hormones are in response to situations where someone is afraid, overwhelmed, or unwilling to say no to a request when they have already said yes. The hormones cause you to become angry, frustrated, and sometimes aggressive. Thus, the “fight or flight” response is activated, and people strive against those impulses to complete the tasks requested.

However, one study shows that engaging in the act of creating art daily not only reduces stress, but also reduces the production of stress hormones. It’s in the meditative feeling people get while creating that they are able to slip away from what is causing the stress, and find a sense of relief. When people are calmly engaging in creating art, their bodies revert to a moment when the stress hormones were not needed for a “flight or fight” response. It is similar in nature to thirty minutes to an hour of quiet meditation practice, although many find that creating art is more enjoyable than meditation.

What to Know About Licensing Your Art

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Being an artist can be a hard job when it comes to making money and getting customers. One of the best ways to turn your art into income is by licensing your artwork. When you license your art, you’re allowing a bigger company to reproduce it on their end. This isn’t something that needs to be done for all of your pieces, but every artist should have a few in mind that they would like to share with a larger audience. Many times licensed artwork is put onto tote bags, phone cases, pillowcases, and many other products. Licensing agreements state what percentage of sales an artist will receive. Before jumping the gun and licensing your art, here are important things you need to know about licensing.

 

Manufacturing

There are so many ways and places you can license your artwork. Many times opportunities of collaboration will come up with someone you know or even a brand that saw your art on social media. Check out small local businesses that may be interested in teaming up with an artist to work on their products. Some restaurants might want to rebrand themselves by having new cups and coasters for tables and selling merchandise. If you’re interested in working with a larger manufacturer, then check out options on online stores. Redbuddle is an online shop where over 700,00 independent artists sell their art on just about any product you can think of. This option is great for artists who may not have time to create products themselves.

 

Understand your Deal

Every licensing deal is different, so it is important as an artist to sit down and understand the terms. For some companies, you may be asked to create art that is specifically designed for them to manufacture. If you team up with a well-known company to license your art this most times means that they take care of work behind the scenes. From manufacturing, shipping, and customer service, none of these things will be on your hands. Look deep into your deals to see if you can license the same pieces of art to more than one company. The most important thing to consider in a licensing agreement is the responsibility of you as an artist and the amount of money you receive from sales.

 

Enjoy the Benefits

After licensing your art you will begin to gain new customers and attract followers on social media. Your sales won’t only increase through licensing but as well as your selling. It can take some time for your art to be noticed, but once it is, it’s up from there. By continuing to create art and selling it from your home or a local store, and licensing other pieces of art, you’ve created multiple streams of income for yourself! 

The Psychology Of Color (1)

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The human brain is an incredible and complex system. We are continually taking in stimuli and processing on both subconscious and conscious levels. One aspect of natural life that we are always aware of, are colors. Our brain processes colors and what they mean every time we see a sweater, a piece of furniture, or a painting. Artist and marketing agencies alike are very aware that colors carry a psychological connotation. Commercials, advertisements, clothing brands, art shoes all use the psychology of color to appeal to an individual. 

 

Color psychology is defined as how colors affect perceptions and behaviors. The practice of color psychology is mostly dependent on how we use color to be primarily dependent on the experiences we have. We can’t assume that red represents passion for everyone. When we look at overall experiences for different demographics or geographical locations, we can make an educated guess on what common life experiences they are experiencing. From there, we can build a color profile on what colors may link to what feelings, thoughts, and memories. The bottom line is, there are no clearcut answers to which colors will be the most effective.

 

When creating an ad, marketing opportunity, or piece that needs to appeal to the human eye, try using some of these color categories in your art. 

 

Red

Red is a color that captures attention and draws the eye to it. Red is associated with danger, passion, energy, and action. In color, psychology red is usually classified as the most standout color. Famous brands like coco-cola and Youtube use red to draw attention to the product.

 

Yellow

The meaning behind yellow revolves around warmth and light. It evokes feelings of excitement, happiness, optimism, and positivity. Yellow is a cheery color that provides happy vibes and feelings. 

 

Keep an eye out for next month’s blog, where we will delve deeper into the psychology of color.

 

What is Environmental Art?

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Environmental art, also referred to as ecological art, is a genre that encompasses a blend of both craft and nature. The idea of showcasing the Earth through art has been around since the dawn of man, starting with paleolithic cave paintings. They were, in essence, the beginning of landscape art. Back then, their only purpose was to display the beauty of nature itself, not to send any type of political message. In this era of a growing concern for our planet, a lot of people are feeling ecologically motivated to send a social message along with displaying their talent. There is a strong movement towards educating the public about growing concerns all around us. 

Instead of using nature as merely a background that is used to tell human tales, many artists nowadays are working alongside nature to create works of art in order to convey a deeper message about climate change and how it relates to society as a whole. By choosing a specific landscape to showcase their work instead of working within the confines of a studio, environmental artists help draw their audiences’ attention to the canvas of nature itself. This can help bring attention in a positive way to those areas that need human intervention.

Some artists in this field have chosen to express themselves in a very literal sense, using only all-natural materials and working only within natural landscapes. This can be rural, urban, or a combination of both. These particular artists try to achieve two things simultaneously – they seek to display a certain area as it has always been in its natural state, while also transforming it into a new vision to send a message. The purpose of having a twofold goal in mind is to help people see the existing world around them from a new perspective. 

A common thread among environmental artists, regardless of location, is that they must do no harm. Their purpose is to raise awareness while drawing attention to a specific area or plight without harming it further. Some artists take a more figurative approach, but most of them will use organic material in order to represent their subject matter. The types of substances they might use include rocks, sticks, leaves, sand, flowers, or water, to name just a few. This leaves them open to vulnerability, much like in nature itself which falls prey to the changing of the seasons and predictable decay. 

 

How to Start an Art Collection for Beginners

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No matter what your age is, if you have always admired art and have wanted to have your own art collection to view, appreciate, and enhance your home, following are some suggestions as to how you can slowly begin this exciting and unique hobby/investment:

 

Research Before Buying

 

Have the fun of getting to know what type of art and which artists really appeal to you. You can do a lot of that online at your leisure, but it is even more enjoyable if you are able to go to art galleries, openings, exhibitions, and art fairs to get a major feel for what will really “turn you on.”

 

Find out about the artists, their various works, what their styles are, the galleries where they have been featured and shows they have been in, their previous sales, and as much information as you can put together.

 

A great many artists will also sell their art for extremely reasonable prices on their own websites or on Instagram because they don’t have to pay all the extra costs involved in commissions when represented by galleries. You can also save money by going to auctions during the off-season.

 

Making Purchases

 

Once you have looked at length, realize what your particular tastes are, and you suddenly see something that jumps out at you and is within your budget, go ahead and make the purchase. You will stretch your dollars if you consider an emerging artist that is new with his or her career but is being successful at making sales as compared to a popular and established artist.

 

Consider Prints or Multiples

 

If you just “have” to own a certain piece of art or photographs offered by a particular artist but just cannot afford an original, there are often prints available at a much lower price. For example, check out benefit auctions where the proceeds will go to a specific charity that you are happy to help sponsor.

 

What is Editioned Work?

 

That means that a set number of the prints or photographs has been designated, and once that number has been sold, no more can be purchased. In addition to your knowledge that you have something unique, there is a better chance of the piece increasing in value over time because of being a limited edition.

 

For Pleasure or as an Investment

 

Whichever way you decide to dedicate your art collection, the main idea is to have something delightful to look at and which will add to your decor. ENJOY!