Does making art actually help your brain?

What goes on in your brain when you create art? If you’ve ever tried painting or drawing you’ll know that it often brings with it a feeling of relaxation and calm - or something more inspiring. Whatever it is, it feels good and yet we often don’t give it enough credit. Many people tend to label themselves as “not creative” or feel like there is no reason to invest time in making art unless you’re actually going to be good at it. However, the experience of making art itself might well be all you really need to help your brain.

Creativity for health

Being regularly creative is an important element of being a healthy human, feeling connected to yourself and also the world around you. Creativity could be anything that engages your mind and encourages you to find connections between unrelated things and new ways to communicate, whether that’s through paint, movement or even cake. Art is for everyone and it can actually help your brain in a number of interesting ways.

• Making art helps us to navigate problems that could arise in the future. The brain processes information to make decisions about what we can do next - and what we need to do to survive and also to thrive. Art is also a decision making process, from what you want to use to create it to how you interpret what you’ve made. It can help you to open your mind to a reality beyond the present moment, where you may not be feeling great or you might be struggling with something, and see a future that is more hopeful.
• Reducing stress and anxiety. Art therapy is increasingly being recognised as a very effective way to lower stress and anxiety. One study measured cortisol levels in a group of healthy adults - cortisol being the hormone that helps the body respond to stress. The study found that just 45 minutes of creating art significantly reduced cortisol levels. The study also identified that there was no difference between those who were artists and those who were not - all received the same positive benefits.
• Getting into a place of flow. Flow is that feeling you get when you lose awareness of what’s happening around you because you’re so focused and involved in what you’re doing. You’re so present and so in the present moment that everything else fades into the background. Making art induces this precious sense of flow, which actually does a lot more than just make you feel good. It also activates networks in the brain including focused attention to task and a sense of pleasure.

What kind of art works best?

Some studies have found that there are specific mediums that have the most impact when it comes to a positive effect on your brain. Modelling clay and sketching inside a shape have been established to have clear benefits such as reducing anxiety and boosting mood. But any art activity can have some positive impact and so is worth investing time in.