5 benefits of creating art - SIBWA Challenge Week 7

After years of not doing any artistic engagement I startet to draw again with likeminded people last year and since then I have been experiencing more joy and peace in my life just by drawing and painting. The main benefits I experience myself during and after the creative process are following:

Stress Relief
Drawing and painting is a great tool for relieving one's stress. When I start to use my pencils I soon find my self breathing deeper and feeling more relaxed. I literally get more conscious about the the point where stress is leaving my body.

Getting into the flow state
The famous flow expert and psychology professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi defines flow as "the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)). According to my personal experiences this mental state of flow is easily achievable through creative art. By focusing on my fine motor movements when drawing I completely get the feeling of being in the "Now", where life takes place and in this state I totally forget about the past and the future.

Boosting positive emotions
By using colours and observing the development of my artwork I notice how my mood changes to more happiness and joy. Some positive transformation happens in my brain by being creative and enjoying the estethics of my art. Drawing activites help me to transform my anger and frustration into positive emotions.

Improving awareness and the senses
Since I startet drawing and painting I am more perceptive for the beauty in nature and in my environment. My heightened perceptive abilities allow me to be more aware of and better enjoy especially the subtle happy moments in my life. Drawing is a great tool for me to strenghten my 'awareness muscle'.

Better intuition and creativity
During the process of drawing I feel how I connect to my inner self and often unexpected spontaneous insights pop up. The act of creativity seems to unblock my intuitive channels and I often find solutions for problems without getting into stress with challenging my rational thoughts.

Maybe after reading about the benefits of creating art I hope more people will try to explore their artistic side and strenghten their 'happiness-muscle';-)

This is my artwork for today, I hope you enjoy it :-)