Everyone has emotions. Emotion that is kept within, deep in your thoughts, waiting to be let out. Sometimes, it is better to make your thoughts into something physical. Something abstract. Something that’s not written, yet speaks a thousand words. Make it into an art piece. There are no restrictions.
Art can be so many things: music, drawings, paintings, dancing, and much more. It is something that I’ve been passionate about since I started drawing all the way back in pre-k when I was around three to four years old. I remember in those days when I started drawing and coloring little pictures as an assignment. I realized it was something I really enjoyed, so as a toddler, I started drawing lots of animals and random creatures. Even though my skills when I started drawing were not the best at all, I still enjoyed taking part in the activity. It was enough to satisfy my toddler brain back then. I remember I used to grab a large piece of construction paper, and use up the whole page to draw animals. I once made two large paper sharks and gave one of them to my friends back then, and used the sharks as toys. Those were very fun times.
What matters most to me about art is having fun while doing it. Having fun makes everything turn out better and keeps you motivated to do stuff. Making art is like being able to make your thoughts into reality. Even if you are not confident in your abilities to draw, I recommend you start making little stick figures or something else and make scenarios with them. Make stories with your pictures and let your imagination go wild with them. It doesn’t have to be perfect, nor ever will be. You can always add something more to your piece of artwork. I really think people can enjoy making art, even if they have never done it before.
Art helps me relax and stay calm. It takes my mind away from things that stress me. There is research from a study that proves art can help relieve stress. In Cultivategrandrapids.org, under Benefits of Art on Mental Health, it states: “Another study published in the International Journal of Art Therapy found that participants who engaged in art-making reported lower levels of anxiety and depression”. Art isn’t just for fun (even though it is fun in my opinion) it may really help people with some problems and issues they have. Art has the ability to make stress die down and elevate relaxation.
My mind is constantly buzzing with thoughts, and art just enables me to forget about them and focus on the piece I am making. For me, It’s like having your mind take a slow stroll in the park with a sweater on during the fall. Watching the colored leaves fall as the cool breeze hits your face. Having every single ounce of stress depleted is very much delightful. There are no worries. Just draw, and everything feels right. I recommend people should draw more, even if they are not good at it. It helps me, and there is research that suggests it can help with other problems. Art may help you as well, so just draw. Just art.
Photo credits: Adobe Stock By Smart Future
Jade Cardona- Carmel Catholic- DMSF Class of 2028