We’re excited to present a special article on Mindfulness and the Arts from Clinical Psychologist, Mindfulness Teacher and MPA co-founder, Miranda Stephens. Miranda will be bringing her inimitable skills to our Mindful Muster in October and the Ulverstone Refresh Your Self in December. More details on those events here.
Mindfulness and the Arts by Miranda Stephens
There are many, many ways to relieve distress and to shift into increased wellbeing and many people who practice art activities, know that journalling, drawing, sculping, dancing, crafting, painting, crocheting etc can help to feel more relaxed, experience flow and generally feel good. Recently, scientific studies have been investigating how and why these effects occur. In 2020, a UK study involving tens of thousands of participants found that people who participated in art activities more than once a week had significantly higher life satisfaction than those who did not. People who engaged in the arts were found to have lower mental distress, better mental functioning, and improved quality of life with art being used as a tool to regulate emotions (Fancourt et al, 2020).
Engaging in the creative arts and the practice of mindfulness meditation are akin – they can both lead to a greater sense of focus, of calmness, of spaciousness, of insight, and of connectedness.
Creating produces an “aesthetic mindset” which is also described as being present in your life – feeling and sensing all of the things that make you feel alive and grounded and connected- “When you tap into the arts to foster a meditative state, the places in your brain responsible for judgment and personal criticism are quieted in your prefrontal cortex, and you can assess a more generous, perspective taking point of view”(Magsamen et all, 2023).
You don’t have to see yourself as artistic to receive benefits either. Simply making marks on a page, dancing to your favourite tune or picking up coloured markers and drawing how you feel can help release and process. Your body (where all your emotions are experienced and stored) will know what to do and what it needs!
If you’d like to read a book about Mindfulness and Art and your health and wellbeing, there’s a great one by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross called “Your Brain on Art”. For more info, links and activities to try yourself, check out The Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy.
References:
Fancourt et al, 2020, The relationship between demographics, behavioural and experiential engagement factors, and the use of artistic creative activities to regulate emotions, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, online publication https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2020-02229-001.html
Magsamen, S, & Ross, I, 2023. Your Brain on Art: How the arts transform us. Canongate Books: Edinborough