Stress is an emotion that affects many people on a daily basis. There are many ways to relieve stress, among these strategies are speaking with a therapist, sleeping, and even drawing. Yup, you heard that right. Drawing. Drawing has gotten many people through their stress because it is a fun yet relaxing hobby. Artists like Vincent van Gogh illustrated their emotions through the colours used in their drawings.
I myself am among the people that relieve stress through art. I have never been the type of person to enjoy one-on-one conversations with people I am not familiar with, so instead of taking therapy, I tried drawing. Drawing has got me through many stressful events in my life. I have also tried other stress relievers like sleeping and socialising, but nothing has stuck with me like drawing has.
Ever since I was younger, art has always sparked interest in me. It didn’t matter what I was doing at the moment, drawing was always on my mind. At the time, I hadn’t drawn to relieve stress but just to have fun. Over the years I have acclimatized to strategies such as moulding clay and colouring to illustrate my emotions, similar to Vincent van Gogh.
This strategy has a specific name that is known throughout the art community. It is known as depression drawing. Depression drawing is an artistic way to express your feelings, typically stress or depression. When individuals express themselves through this strategy, it can help them cope with their emotions, which could also lead to an improvement in their mental health.
Vincent van Gogh suffered from the disorder known as bipolarism. At the age of 20, he suffered a psychotic break after a rejected marriage proposal. These events caused him to devote his life to religion and depression drawing. It is well known that he used colours to illustrate his emotions. Cool colours like blue and green were typically distressed or neutral. Warm colours like red and yellow were typically happy or elated. His satisfaction after his finished art pieces were what led him to have a better, less depressed life.
Many artists were challenged and shunned by society due to the disruption in societal norms. Back in the day, art wasn’t as normalized as it is today. People viewed artists as irregular or weird due to the change in society. This is what pushed many artists into depression. This is also where the idea of depression drawing roots from. As the mental health of many artists began to worsen, people came up with the idea to express your emotions through your art in order to push through the backlash.
I may not be the best at many of these strategies, but they have still gotten me to push through stress. This proves that relieving stress through art does not involve skill, which is why the strategy is available to almost everyone. If you are like me and nothing else is working to relieve stress, try drawing. Drawing gets many people past stress and even depression.
Jayden Jenkins – Carmel Catholic High School – DMSF Class of 2030
Photo Credit: Pedro Figueras – Pixabay