5 Health Benefits to Painting
5 Health Benefits to Painting
Painting is good for both your mental and physical health. Keeping your mind and body sharp as you age is so important. We live in a crazy, frenetic world and painting, doodling, or sketching can provide a great release from the stresses of our lives.
During a particularly tough time in my marriage, I signed up for a watercolor painting class at my local library. It opened a door for me that lead to reenergizing my creativity and painting practice. I have found my happiness through my art and personal expression. Watercolor painting has changed my life in the best ways possible. I work on my business everyday and feel so fortunate that I love what I do.
Painting, drawing, and writing can lead to better mental and physical health. Here are 5 ways that it can change us for the better:
Improves memory:
Creating art strengthens your memory recollection skills and works to sharpen the mind through creative visualization. Painting can also lower your risk of developing memory loss later in life.
Problem Solving Ability:
Believe it or not sketching and painting can also enhance your problem-solving ability and critical thinking. Thinking outside of the box becomes a natural skill for painters.
For me It starts with an idea in my brain, then a sketch on a blank piece of paper, as i finalize the art, I get numerous out of the box ideas that trigger enhanced brain functionality. Artistic thoughts evolve during the creative process. When I’m developing a surface pattern design, it’s a puzzle to figure out how all the motifs will fit in the repeat. I love the challenge of making it all work together and the exercise it presents for my mind.
Boosts Your Mood:
Creativity breeds happiness. The creative process is a source of joy for many people including myself. A growing body of researchers emphasize that there is a positive connection between the creative process and our personal happiness. Grab some paints, markers or a pencil and start creating!
Builds Fine Motor Skills:
Everybody agrees that making art is an effective way to enhance creativity. Apart from boosting creativity, art also improves fine motor coordination. When an individual engages in painting, handling a paintbrush leads to increased mobility in the muscles of your hands and fingers.
Reduces Stress:
Painting can provide an escape from the daily pattern of life and release stress which can do wonders in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Getting involved in some form or the other of art is
perhaps the best way to shun mental stress. Visiting art museums and viewing figurative art has shown to lower systolic blood pressure.
One of the many reasons I love to teach watercolor workshops is to spark creativity in others. And knowing that this activity can lead to better mental and physical health is an added bonus. Maybe I can open a door for someone to find a new way to channel their creativity.
You can read more here about the health benefits of creativity.
https://www.whataportrait.com/blog/drawing-and-painting-24-proven-health-benefits/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199607/capturing-creativity
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17533015.2018.1443953?journalCode=rahe20&