How often as an adult do you allow yourself to just draw? There are always plenty of reasons NOT TO DO IT. Work, household chores, kids — and THAT is a waste of time! Our day consists of exhausting chores and obligations. And in the evening, we collapse on the couch, exhausted, and think through a new to‑do list. There’s no room for ourselves. What if you try to awaken your inner child and allow it to stay alone with a pencil for 10 minutes? Remember how sometimes, on autopilot, we find a spot on a scrap of paper and draw something — the brain itself starts looking for “rest.” ART THERAPY is the simplest way to switch from the hustle and bustle to RELAXATION.
According to Wikipedia, art therapy is a creative method of expression used as a therapeutic technique. The main goals of such therapy are to harmonize a person’s personality and mental state through self‑expression. It is suitable for everyone, has no side effects, contraindications, or restrictions based on age, gender, or social status. It promotes the development of creativity and imaginative thinking, allows you to take a break from everyday worries, and enjoy the process. And most importantly, art therapy can help the brain relax, take a break from everyday concerns, and protect you from stress — and, as a result, from hair loss! There are many types of art therapy — as many as there are varieties of creativity. The course can be individual or group-based. In Europe and the USA, for example, there are art therapy courses for businesspeople aimed at developing creative thinking in business processes, as well as at relaxation and rest. After all, running a business requires constant control over processes, which often leads to nervous tension and overexcitement, loss of sleep, and subsequently, disruptions in the functioning of the entire body. Today, the personal form of art therapy is also gaining popularity. It focuses not so much on analyzing emotions as on simply spending time engaged in a creative activity.
So: What are the benefits of art therapy?
1) Meditation. Relaxation and calming.. Focusing your attention on a simple, repetitive task can work like meditation. You get rid of all the thoughts that have been haunting you all day, you literally turn off your brain. The right hemisphere loses its grip, and the left one wakes up. You hear your own breathing, the scratching of a pencil on paper, the ticking of a clock in the background…. The goal is to enjoy the process, not to achieve a result. You will finally be able to be satisfied with what is happening in the moment.
2) Enjoyment Enjoying an activity is crucial to our mental well-being. Our days are filled with commitments, hustle, work, and stress. Enjoyment reminds us of what we really live for. Creating art for pleasure is an ideal activity, because there is no other hidden goal, nothing to gain or lose. There are no options to do it wrong. Furthermore, it has been proven that creativity stimulates the release of dopamine.
3) Getting rid of perfectionism Drawing or any other type of creativity is not intended only for professionals. It brings pleasure, regardless of your skill level. In personal art therapy, you eliminate the role of observer and judge. An important therapeutic element in creativity is to come to terms with your inner critic. This is especially useful for perfectionists who are used to giving 100% to everything they do, burning themselves out in the process. Accepting the idea that nothing terrible will happen if it doesn’t turn out perfectly. Adopting this healthy mindset in the “real world” becomes natural over time. Drawing or any other type of creativity is not intended only for professionals. It brings pleasure, regardless of your skill level. In personal art therapy, you eliminate the role of observer and judge. An important therapeutic element in creativity is to come to terms with your inner critic. This is especially useful for perfectionists who are used to giving 100% to everything they do, burning themselves out in the process. Accepting the idea that nothing terrible will happen if it doesn’t turn out perfectly. Adopting this healthy mindset in the “real world” becomes natural over time.
How to get started?
You can find many online tutorials and self‑help books on art therapy on the internet. You don’t have to draw if you’re not drawn to it. Make a collage from your favorite poems, sign up for pottery classes, buy an anti‑stress coloring book, create a playlist of your favorite songs. But if you’re drawn to brushes and paints, try drawing your desires and dreams; put on paper what will transport you to the moment you achieve your goal and find happiness and peace. Or simply copy the images you like onto a sheet of paper. Interestingly, in India, people traditionally draw a Mandala — a circle with graphic figures and a center inside — for self‑discovery and relaxation. The colors and shapes you depict help you understand your emotional state, and the center of the circle brings you back to the awareness of the true value — your own life and your sense of self within it.
P.S.: We not only talk about this beautiful type of therapy but also practice it ourselves. That’s why we’ve left a step‑by‑step video of an amazing drawing in this section for free access. Anyone can easily recreate it together with our artist. Turn off your phone today, light an aroma candle, and surrender to the power of creativity. Our modern world is fast‑paced and dynamic. It’s often very difficult to stop and stay in the moment. Simple artistic activities, done simply for pleasure, provide relief from stress and anxiety and have a beneficial effect on mental health. Art therapy, on an ongoing basis, helps to address many tasks and problems, including age‑related and personal issues, conflicts, losses, and various kinds of crises. All of this suggests that it makes sense to start and give it a try. Many people even call art therapy a real path to their soul – a fascinating, interesting, unusual path, rich in vivid images and positive experiences.
Take care of yourself, love and take care of yourself! The Biofollica Team