Have you ever noticed how a picture or a painting will sometimes just knock your socks off? Art is communication. For whatever reason, art can speak to the heart when words fail. We, Johnny (my husband) and I truly believe in the therapeutic value of doing some kind of art. We have our favorites but it really isn't just about the conveyance of art and the message that you are trying to put across, but it is also about the doing. These two aspects are soul enriching. We as social beings are constantly trying to live up to what society expects of us. We are giving of ourselves constantly in small ways (and larger) sometimes minutely so that we don't really realize that we are depleting our soul's stores. The creation of or even just visually experiencing art, can replenish us in ways that we don't really expect. The bottom line is that human beings need just a few things in their lives in order to be 'happy'. I am a happiness mentor and study happiness from a scientific approach. My husband has a Master's degree in counseling. We both agree that art is often a key to finding the 'happiness door' that we all have been searching for for so much of our lives.
Art does a couple of things that we need. One; it provides a conduit for communication. We need to be known, understood and accepted. That is a basic need. When art is created and shared, others who have experienced similar things, or who see things much like yourself will be drawn to the work because it communicates likeminded feelings or beliefs. Even colors can speak to community.
The other part of this happiness connection is in the 'doing' of art. You can work your $#*t out. The parts that you can't find words for. (People with PTSD are finding great relief using the visual arts.) It can also create 'Flow'. Flow is very important for a human being as it is one of the ways in which your mind will lower its guard and not only be 'in the present' for an extended period of time, but also it is a time when you are your most authentic self. You are more 'you' in flow, than any other time in your life, unless of course you have ascended to a higher plain which is what we all aspire to. But until then, this is as good as it gets.
Maybe art doesn't do it for you, though it is highly possible that it will. The problem with art is that it has been anesthetized, monetized and theororized to death. People are worried about what it looks like and not what it expresses. But I was told by another artist once that "There is an ass for every seat" and no matter what or how you create art, someone will not only be drawn to it, but will also understand, for it truly is communication, or why create it at all? My point is that if you have had an art class or experience with others, you may have had an experience where your cow was the wrong color or you colored outside the lines, and that may have put your art aspirations to bed. Maybe, just maybe now that you are older and hopefully wiser after reading this, mayhap you might want to try that artist hat on (traditionally a beret) one more time. Use the art as a tool to finding a little atmospheric peace for the betterment of your soul and the clarity between you and some of the other humans on the planet. Not all, but some.
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