What is your favorite piece of art?
Are you moved by great works hanging in museums? Maybe you’re more interested in local art, or art your friends make, or even your own art. Whatever it is, certainly there is some type of art that has unlocked an emotional response from you. If you make art yourself, you may feel this even more strongly. Art is a fantastic way to work through your emotions and process how you’re feeling. In fact, some art therapists even describe art as making the invisible visible.
So, you might be asking yourself, why does art appeal to us? How does it cause us to feel an emotional response?
Humans have been feeling emotions for millennia, and we’ve also been creating art for nearly that long. Some of the only clues we have of ancient civilizations are through the art they left behind. Art has long been an important part of humanity - in fact, it is a hugely important part of our culture still to this day.
Some scientists believe that the emotional response that people have to art is influenced by our ability to pick up visual cues. As social beings, we are taught (both in practice and through the traits we inherit) how to interact with others. One aspect of social skills is the ability to understand people’s feelings without words. For example, if someone is glaring at you, you probably logically assume that they’re upset with you. On the other hand, if someone is grinning at you, you will likely assume that they are feeling calm or happy.
Often, art interacts with our senses in a way that brings up other emotions. Certain colors might make you feel different emotions. Red, for example, is often connected to anger. We can also read facial expressions and body language in visual art to help us determine how we feel about a particular work. Art can also remind us of experiences we’ve gone through or a certain moment in our lives. Hearing a particular song might make you burst out singing, while another makes you weep.
Your reaction often depends on your lived experience, which is why art is so personal and moving to so many. Fifty different people could look at the same work of art and have completely different emotional responses.
And the best part is that there is no right or wrong in any response!
There isn’t a ton of scholarship available on how artists, in particular, are affected by mental illness. In popular culture, at least in Western society, is the idea of the “tortured artist”. This is the idea that in order to create beautiful works of art, artists must be going through emotional turmoil. This myth perpetuates the idea that artists are more emotional and have more mental health issues than non-artists.
Artists also may deeply identify with their art and their creativity, and their mental health status may tie in with that. For example, people with bipolar disorder may experience periods of heightened creativity and motivation during the manic stage of their illness. Artists may also experience higher levels of performance anxiety and relationship problems due to the nature of their work.
Art is such an important part of our culture, but it also has many benefits.
Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, you can express your creativity. You might find something that surprises you! Art is a fantastic tool for self-expression and self-discovery. As discussed above, art can help bring what you’re going through to light. It makes the invisible (your emotions) visible (art). The act of creating can also help you process your feelings.
What are you drawn toward creating? Why are you drawn to it? You can explore these questions while you work. If mindfulness is something you struggle with, setting aside time to create regularly may help you achieve a more mindful state. Some people don’t find traditional meditation helpful, but the time spent in your creative state can be extremely mindful. You might find it’s reassuring to have time set aside to just create instead of thinking all the time.
Now, let’s come back to your favorite piece of art. How does this work make you feel? Why do you think it makes you feel that way? Does anything about it surprise you? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? If you’re not sure, explore a bit. Start with the colors. What do the colors suggest to you? Are there people in the work? What are they doing? If it’s not a visual medium, describe it as best as you can.
Sometimes getting started is the hardest part, so starting with a description can help get your ideas flowing. You can start an art journal for this particular purpose if that feels good to you, or just write it wherever you feel like.
If you need help putting your emotions into words, try using this emotion wheel that covers primary and secondary emotions. This can help expand your feelings vocabulary so you can name what you’re feeling.