Monday, December 07, 2015

7 Reasons To Get Creative and Make Art


Regardless of what path in life you have chosen, whether you are in finances, law, or even chose a career in art, we all have a basic need to express ourselves. There are many forms of expression such as writing, singing, or cooking, to name a few, that can be mediums for our emotions and passions. With all the constraints of everyday chores and things we need to do in order to survive, sometimes our need to set ourselves free becomes lost in this busy landscape of habitual routines. We all have an inner soul that craves external comfort on some level. This zone is a creative urge to communicate our needs and turning to avenues of expression that can release these thoughts, ideas, and emotions, are not only beneficial for our well being, but can become life rafts of healing in a sea of choppy, sometimes turbulent emotional waters that run deep. Calming these inner tides becomes a natural response to putting closure on things or healing from wounds. In some cases, it can be to release positive feelings that need to be expressed in order to balance our equilibriums. Whatever medium you choose to latch onto for an emotional release, creating art can be a rewarding experience on many emotional and mental levels and provide a feeling of satisfaction regardless of the outcome intended. As an artist for over 30 years, my personal experience has led me to believe that creating art is a cathartic process that can benefit many individuals. Here are my 10 reasons why you should create art or get creative.

1. The Freedom to be the Pilot of your Creation and World.

In many ways, we all want the freedom to be in control of our world. In a world where we sometimes find ourselves at the receiving end of rules, orders, and limitations, at the end of the day we feel as though we our prisoners of a systematic hierarchy. Not everyone feels this way, of course, but with less control over what we want to manifest, it becomes more apparent to some of us that we are being held back by the constraints of necessity rather than the freedom of choice. Turning to creative endeavors can unleash this inner need to be free and leave us more in control of the outcome of the worlds or ideas we envision. The act of painting or drawing can be so empowering and relaxing that we feel an unbridled passion that carries over into the need to be free and feel more empowered. Creating a work of art can leave us feeling satisfied, proud, and liberated.

2. The Healing Powers of Expression.

Being able to communicate your inner emotions onto a canvas or paper can leave you feeling relieved. This release can be therapeutic for many reasons. Letting out powerful emotions such as happiness, sadness, despair, excitement, etc., can leave our equilibrium more balanced without too much residue or build up of emotions. This can be very satisfying in keeping us grounded and less likely to reach a climactic explosion of emotions. Creating imaginary or real worlds in black or white or in color can also engage our mind, spirit, and soul in one cathartic process that aids in keeping us healthy in all these areas.

3. Color can Lift our Spirits.

If you suffer from depression, anxiety, or despair from trauma, painting and drawing in color can help lift your emotions and thoughts. Even if you are naturally more positively inclined as a person, using color has known beneficial effects on the human psyche, and can remediate any powers of thinking or emotions by resonating certain moods and memories triggered by the specific color choice. Although no extensive conclusions have been drawn to what color actually does to our moods, etc., color choice is a bit more of a personal subconscious feeling that enables us to face these deep seeded memories and emotions through our expression of color. This enables us to heal faster by being able to communicate through visual art.

4. The Process of Creating takes us back to Childhood.

When we sit down to think of an idea and try our best to draw and paint what we desire it to turn out like, we are actually going back to our playful worlds we would create as children. As children, we are naturally inquisitive and curious, and this naïve almost innocent drive to get into everything always led us to become more playful within ourselves and act out our inner imaginings. As we create when we are older, this playfulness stays rooted in this memory and the inner child becomes prominent again. This leaves us feeling more vibrant, free, and our imaginations respond by rewarding us with another unique journey through manifested creation.

5. The Courage to Face the Unknown.

Creating art presents unique challenges to all of us and rewards us for seeing our inner visions through. Completing a work of art that is unique to our experiences, truths, worlds, and visionary ideas, leaves us feeling empowered, satisfied, and gives us a sense of pride in having the creative courage to forge ahead into the unknown and reach the other shore in a sea of turbulent emotions throughout the experience. Our personal inspirations and passion guides us and is our compass throughout the process. Once we finish this personal vision, we feel as if we not only had the courage to see it through, but the work is infinitely connected to our soul regardless of where it ends up.

6. Challenge Yourself and Build Confidence.

Facing your emotions head on and dealing with your doubts and ability to make your work turn out the way you perceive it can become a detrimental burden on your way to achieving your creation and, in some cases, prevents you from even starting. Being able to sit down or stand in front of an easel and plunge into all these doubts and fears while overcoming them can lead to renewed self-confidence and faith in yourself as a person.  Just completing a work of art, regardless of how you perceive it against that wall of judgment we all stack ourselves up to, can really be the difference maker when it comes time to tackle another inner vision onto the canvas or paper.

7. Your Imagination can Awaken Fresh Eyes upon the World.

We all have imagination and it can be less or more developed depending on how much you tap into it. Practicing seeing the world through a new set of eyes can unleash powerful ideas and leave you in awe of the possibilities around you. The process of creating seeks to naturally tap into the reservoir of untapped worlds that can turn the world upside down or inside out and give us a brand new perspective on life. This can drive us to the heights of unique freedoms that can steer us down unchartered roads and end up on the highest plateaus of hidden treasures that await our understanding. Art can open these doors.

Conclusion....

Art is a wonderful medium and outlet for channeling your inner emotions, ideas, and inspirations. As a professional artist and someone who started created a very young age, art has helped guide me into worlds that came from my own ideas and invention. This has given me confidence in my ability to create solutions and ideas from just simple objects or thoughts and turn them into seeds that can grow into bigger manifestations. I believe that the arts are extremely critical to a well rounded evolution throughout life and it should start at a young age. There are countless benefits to creating and among them lie the ability to heal and balance our emotions. Being able to step out of the world as we know and be able to create our own visionary ideas from existing experiences and memories is priceless in our growth as human beings and becomes an important foundation for tapping into ourselves and helping guide us on our own unique journey through life.