Drawing and Painting as Therapy

therapeutic drawing paintingOne excellent method of caring for yourself is drawing or painting. This may not seem like the most obvious way of balancing yourself and caring for your mental health, but statistically speaking, it will do you a world of good. Artistic projects in general have been found to alleviate symptoms of mental disorders and addictions through their calming effects, the way they organize a person’s thoughts and the feelings of accomplishment they give the artist.

One of the most important mental health aspects of drawing or painting is the calming effect it has on the artist. There is nothing stressful about creating art casually. Even if you dislike the finished product, it is the journey you take to get there that is meaningful. Many artists describe the feeling of art creation as a type of Zen experience, where they are executing a task intuitively instead of logistically. This process creates incredible relaxation for the artist.

This type of artistic process is also very good for organizing a person’s thoughts. In part, this aspect is aided by the calming effect art creation has on an artist. The creative process opens the artist’s mind and relaxes it, preparing it for healthy critical thinking using many parts of the brain. The artist is then free to use their art creation to express how they feel about the mental discoveries they make. For example, many people who are struggling with addiction depict their addiction as an outside entity in their art. This is their way of connecting with the idea that addiction is not part of their identity.

And lastly, painting and drawing can aid your mental health by giving you feelings of accomplishment that you have something worthwhile to show for your time. Your personal art creations are always worthwhile because they are meant to serve as reminders of the way you felt and the personal discoveries you made while you were executing the artistic process. If you are looking for an easy, accessible personal therapy, consider the creative hobbies of painting or drawing!