“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” - Picasso
While trying to find a good artist showing their expressive style in an art video, I came across this. A video about 5 subjects tested to see if art therapy can heal the soul.
Before the few subjects begin painting, they are given two questionnaires: One to show their level of happiness right now, and another to show what makes them happy/supportive. Afterwards their bodies are traced around a canvas, and they begin to paint. I won’t spoil the whole video plot.
The main conclusion to this experiment was how painting can fully relax a person. It can not only help the soul, but help regulate blood pressure and heart rate. It can reveal true feelings about something you wouldn’t even think was inside you. Sometimes, painting or any form of art does not have to be about the final piece. It can be the creation, the feelings that were used, the time taken, the colours, the references, the story. Personally, art is an escape. It could be imaginary world, a fictional world that escapes the real reality.
As Julian says in the interview, “When you engage yourself artistically and use your imagination, you can help regulate your blood pressure and your heart rate”. He follows on by saying “You don’t have to be an artist to do this”. This is a very important point, you don’t. Art isn’t like design, anyone can become an artist. Being a successful artist is another thing, as you need to find something no one has ever done before and can be perceived as ‘art’ by the top artists/art world. More importantly, art is a feeling. It is an emotive response to a feeling, an experience, the future, and much more. It is a feeling towards something. Art Therapy doesn’t have rules or restrictions, because it is all about you. Your feelings towards something. Revealing the something is what helps patients during this exercise find what they are thinking about the most, where certain feelings are circling and how it can be changed for the future.
Art Therapy shows the imaginary world inside your head, and in this video, it shows the most important things that makes your world happy or feel supportive. Art can show your problems, your achievements, your worries, your mindset.. It is a phenomenal thing. No rules, no right or wrong. It is you.
