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.

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.

 

Artificial Intelligence Takes on the Art Industry

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Artificial intelligence is making inroads into just about every industry. Finance, medicine, and marketing are all being changed by discoveries made with artificial intelligence. One world that most people didn’t expect to be overtaken by AI is the art industry. However, like any other, it is being heavily influenced by the automation and technological advances of AI. Pieces created with neural networks are taking the art world by storm.

 

Just over a year ago, the portrait “Edmond de Belamy, from La Famille de Belamy” sold for over $400,000 at Christie’s in New York. It had been expected to sell for about $7,000 to $10,000. This painting, made with convolutional neural networks, is just one example of how the art world is reacting to artificial intelligence. This new technology is making a bigger splash than many people had expected.

 

Computers use convolutional neural networks to arrange and analyze images. This technology isn’t just used in the art world. It has applications in a number of industries. It’s the same type of artificial intelligence that is changing the way the medical profession interprets images from X-rays and MRI images. CNN uses style transfer. This process changes the tone of an image without changing the content. This is similar to the idea of a filter on an Instagram photo.

 

While some purists are alarmed that AI-created images are sharing space with the work of classical and popular artists, it is important to remember that computer-generated art dates to at least the 1950s. Some artists in the postwar period saw this art as an important antidote to emotional manipulations. For people who had lived through the rise of fascism and Hitler’s propaganda films, an art made without feeling seemed like a relief. It was hard to imagine how such works could be manipulated by politicians, and that seemed comforting.

 

Frieder Nake and Max Bense are some of the important names in that early period of computer-generated art. Although many people today feel that AI-generated art is just a grotesque display of technology, it’s important to remember that many respected art forms started off that way. Today, films are preserved by governments for posterity due to their cultural value. When that industry emerged, it was made up entirely of outsiders. It was considered vulgar. It will be interesting to see how history views AI-generated art.

What is Art Therapy?

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People have turned to the creative arts as a means of therapy for centuries. Art therapy is a field that originated from the catharsis of artistic expression, and licensed art therapists help clients around the world treat a variety of mental illnesses and personal struggles with creative projects.

 

Art therapy can be used in virtually any environment with clients ranging from pre-school children to senior citizens. Those who cannot articulate themselves clearly due to developmental disorders such as autism may benefit from art therapy as it gives them a voice that would otherwise go unheard.

 

With the help of a professional therapist, clients who undergo art therapy are able to learn more about themselves through their nonverbal expression; art therapists decipher symbols, colors, patterns and metaphors that arise through the creative process, all while helping clients relieve stress and find comfort in their artwork.

 

Art Therapy in Action

There are types of art therapy that can treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Therapists will typically choose exercises and mediums based on a client’s age, personality and symptoms.

 

Journaling is a common art therapy prescribed for people struggling with depression or anxiety; children and adolescents who may not be as capable of identifying and expressing their feelings might be prompted to draw or paint their emotions instead.

 

For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sensory art therapy that utilizes finger paints, kinetic sand, clay, and other tactile mediums can provide emotional release and serve as a positive outlet to reduce maladaptive behaviors.

 

Benefits of Art Therapy

It is not always feasible or comfortable for people to express how they’re feeling. Sometimes, an individual may not even understand the depth of their own emotions until they are given the opportunity to explore them creatively. Through art therapy, people can develop healthy coping skills while learning more about themselves, who they are and how their problems “color” their lives.

 

Art therapy can build confidence, reduce stress and improve behavior. By exploring a new way of expressing one’s thoughts and feelings, art therapy offers the opportunity to delve deeper into the psyche and uncover repressed thoughts and feelings that may be causing trouble in the present.

 

Finally, art therapy is a valuable tool that can be used in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy. By exploring a client’s creative output, therapists can find new ways to address their problems using therapeutic models such as talk therapy and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).

Why Study Art?

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Student who intend to study art often get flack from well-meaning loved ones who believe that the student won’t be able to make a living if he/ she studies art. However, the ability to make a living as an artist has changed drastically, in part, due to advances in technology. Further, the study of art develops skills aside from the obvious, art-related ones. Here’s a look why the arts can actually lead to better careers.

 

Technology Has Opened Up New Jobs

The advancements in technology have created a new demand for artists trained in digital technologies. After all, it was well-trained artists who created the fantastical dragons on shows like “Game of Thrones” or the magic of “Harry Potter.” Studying art, including the new technologies that make that art possible, opens up new job opportunities that have never existed before.

In order to work in these industries, these digital-savvy artists usually study both traditional art techniques, like drawing and old painting. They also learn the principles of design and art marketing. Finally, they become well-versed in digital tools, like Adobe Photoshop, Maya, Lightwave and Adobe After Effects.

 

Develop Cultural Awareness

A design career offers a simple example of how culture and art studies converge. Many challenges in the workplace arise from a lack of cultural awareness. Studying art, art history and languages develops the cultural awareness necessary to work in the art and design fields.

 

Transferable Skills

The study of art doesn’t just develop the ability to draw or sculpt beautiful things. It develops other skills, like creative thinking, the ability to work independently and eye-hand coordination. Aside from this, university studies done by James Catterall, a professor and researcher at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies demonstrate that students who have been exposed to the arts and who have been involved in the arts do better in school.

 

 

These days, studying the arts helps students develop many practical skills that bring value to the workplace. Additionally, art studies teach students about the cultures and eras from which a piece of art arose. Finally, technology has changed pretty much every aspect of the workplace, including animation, media, and other arts-related jobs. Having a foundation in the arts opens up job possibilities that heretofore didn’t exist.