Saturday, February 6, 2010

The ART of Staying Healthy

Another reason for me to LOVE art....  according to a recent survey by the Group Health Cooperative, creating art entertains us, exercises our brains, and exposes us to new experiences and social activities.

For me it's also very therapeutic.  No matter how stressed I can become with the day to day of being on a project far away from home, (hey, if I'm not sleeping in my own bed at night it's considered far! ; ) as soon as I bring out my art supplies the tension starts to fade and my world is immediately that much calmer.

The report goes on to state that those who make art a part of their lives have fewer doctor visits and health-care costs, use less medication and have lower rates of depression.  Expressing yourself through art may also help boost your immune system (or maybe it's that glass of red.... er,no, that keeps me HEART healthy...lol)

And the good news, at least for me, is you don't have to be great at it... you just have to Do IT!  Any creative act such as arranging flowers, journaling, decorating your house (or even making ATCs).... are forms of art.

What are some things you do to keep healthy?
...scatter joy...
lindy

3 comments:

  1. That is a good thought.Scribbling is a good way to solve problems and stay calm. Or it's a very good way to destroy Prismacolors and HB's!

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  2. Art is definitely therapeautic for me!If anything I stress out when I don't have enough time to do it!!lol of course I ish I could create,create all day!But gotta work and do all those other things!Oh well!
    I take a little sketch book with me and zentangle or draw when I am on the bus .
    I wanted to let you know in case you didn't already,there's an awesome blog event going on called One world one heart going on.the deadline to join is tonight right before midnight~check out my blog post for sunday to learn more.you can siggn up to join my give aay too!
    talk to you soon!

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  3. To stay healthy I try to run when possible (marathon training and such...lol), eat right (which I still don't do) and definitely try to get into my studio at least three times a week.

    I'm fortunate enough to have a large space now (after soooo many years of not having said space) to work and keep work out while it's in progress that I feel veeeery fortunate and most importantly, very inspired.

    I walk into my studio space and I am filled with happiness, love and SOMETIMES creativity! ;)

    Working on small projects such as inchies, APC's and ATC's HAS helped me blossom spiritually and artistically. It helps one get back into the practice of art, and then we start to feel better about our skill and ultimately become more positive in the process. Positivity REALLY makes a huge difference in how we think and feel don't you think?

    Anyway...glad that you are finding art therapeutic too! :)

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Please share you thoughts & ideas!