Importance of Art as Healing in Covid 19 times
Art, by definition, is the expression of human creativity and imagination. Visual art can take many different forms and express a multitude of emotions. Whether you are creating art for the first time or returning to practice, it can be a powerful way to cope with stressful times.
While we find ourselves in self-isolation, reduced working hours, trauma related to Covid 19 deaths, financial challenges, many are resorting to art as healing to help them get through these troubled times. Evidence that art as healing can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, which are omnipresent during this pandemic.
Discovering your creative talents can bring feelings of relief and adventure. What might first appear as depressing feelings can be reframed into a unique opportunity to explore the inner self.
Exploring the Mental Health Benefits of Art
Art as healing uses visual elements as a way of exploring the inner self, mostly for self-awareness, self-knowledge and exploring the subconscious world. It is all about self-expression.
Some of the more common forms of art as healing techniques are journaling, working with clay, painting, and sketching. All forms of artistic expression can be beneficial, but you may find one that draws you in more than others. What matters most is that it helps calm your negative emotions, and gets you closer to inner peace.
Art as Healing can also be done in group therapy sessions. Group art therapy offers the chance to build a social connection with others who may be dealing with similar issues. Attending Art as healing sessions and workshops can be rewarding, and often leads to a fascinating road of self-discovery!
Who Is a Candidate for Art as Healing?
If you’re feeling worn down by your emotions during these troubled times, you might want to give art as healing a try. Expressing yourself through art will allow you to let go and divert your attention away from all of the bad energy around us.
Art as healing is all about the process. Nobody is there to judge you on how good your art is. As long as you are feeling comfortable and relaxed while creating, you are succeeding.
Focus areas and workshops available;
• Improv-Art (Combination if visual arts and drama)
• Imagination, Art and Healing
• Specialised Improvisation Workshops (Drama and Visual Arts)
• Critical Art Theme Conceptualisation (Focusing on Grade 10 – Grade 12 Art Students)
• Finding Alice: exploring the self
• Art-jamming
Benefits of Art as Healing sessions and workshops
Humans have been using visual arts as a form of self-expression for thousands of years. The underlying concept is to help balance emotions, reduce stress, and explore our creativity.
- Personal development – Art as healing helps people discover their inner creativity buried under negative emotions or feelings of self-doubt. Most people have no idea how creative they are until they learn how to concentrate and control their emotions.
- Confidence – By being in an environment that promotes creative thinking, individuals can have more confidence in their ideas and passions. Normally, we suppress these feelings because we are afraid of what others will think about us. Art as healing helps you find release and feel comfortable in your skin.
- Emotional stability – Art can be a safe and healthy way to release negative emotions. Art as healing allows you to express your emotions in a visual and creative way.
- Stress relief – During the outbreak of COVID-19, people are experiencing higher levels of stress than usual. Art as healing is a way to detach from things you cannot control. By using your unwanted free time to do something you are passionate about, you may discover that your stress levels will normalize and you will experience more clarity.
Bookings
For bookings of individual sessions or group sessions contact Hannelie Swart at 0834695470 or mail to hannelie@lefra.com. Visit www.artsofmind.net of Facebook #artsofmind.net. All visual art as healing sessions are conducted professionally by Hannelie Swart (Masters in Visual Arts and Community Art Therapy Counselling) and Drama as healing sessions by Anmari van Achterbergh ( BTech Drama) .
