The Healing Power of Creating ANY Art
So I just started listening to a podcast FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! It’s called, Honest Art, by Jodie King.
CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW SHORT VIDEO ON THIS EPISODE
I had such an aversion to listening to podcasts for some reason, especially any that dealt with personal growth. I spent decades on that stuff and just needed a break. I also have a trustworthy guidance system that worked for me and I needed to follow my intuition without interference. Maybe it’s just a function of getting older and supposedly acquiring all that clarity and wisdom I’m supposed to have by now - theoretically speaking :)
Then I started painting and all I wanted to listen to was music and I still do. But after years of staying in the creative zone, I’m feeling an urge to spend some time on marketing and getting my art out there.
I discovered Jodie King while watching a webinar on pricing art on which she was a panelist. I just loved her humor and authenticity. Her podcast is full of so many topics and I’ve learned so much from her in a short period of time and she’s led me to so many other resources and books.
Episode #56 How Art Helps Us Heal is really a great listen. I access it through Spotify but I’m sure there are lots of way to find it. In this episode, she references:
the song of the lark
This painting by Jules Breton in 1884 is referenced in a 2014 video clip by Bill Murray as having “saved his life.”
A study done by Drexel University proving that creating art for 45 minutes reduced the stress hormone, cortisol. We’re talking ANY art and without any attachment to the result. You could draw circles and color them in and it would suffice. Art is also defined loosely here, whether painting, drawing, writing, composing music, design, etc.
There have been thousands of studies done over the past decades demonstrating that art - for both the maker AND the observer - has a very healing effect
Results of 2020 groundbreaking study at the University College of London University found that people who participated in art activities more than once a week and attended just two cultural events A YEAR had significantly higher life satisfaction than those who didn’t. This was across all socioeconomic levels.
Gift from my granddaughter, Grace, because “I like pink!”
She also discusses how making art can help reduce stress by helping to process the emotions that cause the stress response and considering that mental illness has now surpassed physical illness in our country, processing your emotions is crucial. There are several ways to do this that I’ll share in a different post.
Anyhoo, this episode is worth a listen and I wanted to share it with you!
Happy creating and healing! Remember, art’s a necessity, not a luxury. Make time for it.
Love,
Kim