The significance of art & its effect on mental health

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A picture of Lina and a picture of Lina doing Art

With a knack for arts and a passion for psychology, my dream is to use my art to contribute to real change in the community. By portraying my ideas through art and putting important topics on display through tangible artistic pieces - such as abstract sculptures and visual art representation - my messages get communicated to people.

Since childhood, I have loved art and always looked at it from different perspectives, ranging from painting, drawing, and more. Illustrating cartoons with a beneficial story for kids, in addition to making miniatures (size of a coin) that show the significance and beauty in the detail of the normal size we see around us.

Art is the mic between me and my inner voice, it has assisted me in many ways I didn’t imagine it could. It has contributed a lot to my well-being and mental health… Whenever I see how much art has helped me, I become keener to help others through my art. I have found it is the easiest way for me to share my voice and raise awarenesses on important topics like mental health, well-being, and self-love.

I believe art is for everyone, not just artists. Within each of us lies a spark of creativity. Since art has helped me personally I’d love to share how it could help you too!

1. Stress relief:

Research by the American art therapy association has shown that engaging in just 45 minutes of art-making significantly reduced the levels of cortisol, across 75% of participants. Art forces the mind to slow down, to focus on the details, and it helps to block out the mind’s distractions, resulting in people feeling noticeably calmer and less anxious.

Art also activates the reward pathway of our brain: According to a study conducted in 2017, the results showed a significant increase in blood flow in the brain’s prefrontal cortex which controls our emotions and motivations. It is also where part of the brain’s reward system lies. When we expect to receive a reward, parts of the brain get activated to release dopamine, aka the ‘feel-good hormone. When released our blood flow, heart, and lung functions as well as our stress responses improve.

2. Mindfulness:

I often find myself getting swapped away with my thoughts, and need something to bring me back to the present moment.

Using art as a mindfulness technique helps us to embrace our Inner Critic, tap into our creativity, focus on the sensations, and be in the present moment without judgment. It’s a break from our minds!

3. Encourages creative thinking:

There’s no right or wrong, you’ve got a blank paper, paint, and through creativity and imagining your solution you get your final art piece. This helps you learn new, resourceful ways of solving problems in your art, and also in life. 

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An artwork the shows that imperfection is perfection
This was an art visual representation showing how we don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. Imperfection is Perfection!
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Picture of Lina’s miniatures
Some of my coin sized miniatures
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