When was the last time you sat down and doodled, painted, or otherwise created? I imagine that for many folks, the last time they made art was when it was required for school. But did you know that art can have a profound and positive impact on your mental health?
Creating of any kind can give you a sense of accomplishment, help you work through difficult emotions, and express yourself in ways that very few other things can; art can be one of the most cathartic methods of engaging in self-care and expression.
However, there are many myths that may hinder the creative process:
- Many individuals stop creating because of the feeling that their work isn’t good enough. This is often tied to expectations (from yourself or from others in the past) that your art must look a certain way or that you *must* be a trained artist to create. This is false. As Pablo Picasso once said, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Each and every human out there has the capacity to create. What and how is up to you.
Your work does not have to be hyper realistic, nor do you have to have formal training to create something meaningful. - Art only means painting, drawing, ceramics, etc.. This is also false, as art is limitless. That photo you took of your dog, or the way the shadows bent through the fence you passed on your way to work, is art. Coloring in an adult coloring book to destress is art. The journal where you write down your thoughts is art. The way you arrange your knickknacks is art. The crazy little dance you did while listening to your favorite song is art. The new recipe you tried is art. Your makeup and wardrobe can be art. Again, art is limitless.
- Art is only about the final, finished product. False. Art is about enjoying the process; it is engaging in something that allows you the space and freedom to express yourself. Please, I encourage you, do not get hung up on the final product. It is about enjoying your time. It is about engaging in an act of self-care and it is a way of being present in the here and now. It can also be an act of expression, rebellion, a cry out into the world that says, “I was here!”.
Art as a Vessel to Healing
Now, let us look at one specific project that can help you in your healing journey.
Doodling with Music
- Pick a song that speaks to you in your current moment. Listen to it, feel it, allow it to move through you.
- Next, grab a piece of paper and some drawing supplies (pens, pencils, charcoal, paint, whatever works).
- Play the song again. While listening, doodle on the paper. It can be very rewarding to not create anything specific or concrete. What that means is just make swirls and lines and jags. Go with the flow of the music.
- Once the song is over, look at the doodle. What do you see in it? What things do you find within the lines?
- Next, you can play the song again, or you can turn off the music (personally, I prefer to continue with the album or song). Start enhancing and adding to the objects, people, animals, faces, buildings, symbols, etc., that you saw in the doodle. Continue to add details, color, layers, quotes from the song, whatever works best for you.
- Last, from a place of non judgment, take a look at what you created. What does the piece mean to you? What do the shapes and forms stand for? What do you think it means? Did the meaning change as you worked? How do you feel now that you created this piece?
Feel free to continue to add or change it however you see fit. Remember, art is limitless, just like your healing journey. You have choice, a voice, and you can change the path you’re on, just as you changed and altered the doodle you made. You are a work in progress, ever evolving, ever growing, just like the art you create. I gently encourage you to set aside the strict code of “being an adult” and to break free, if only for a moment, and create.
Sam Rich, LMHCA
Clarity Clinic NWI
