World Art Day is observed on 15th of April since 2012 by International Association of Art (IAA) in accordance with UNESCO. It is the birthday of the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci. This day is celebrated to promote fine arts and spread the awareness for art and creativity globally. Art is formed when creativity woven with soft skills result in something visually appealing. Some of the popular forms of art are drawing, sketching and painting; sculpting, calligraphy, photography, videography and architecture. I am an ardent art lover and an amateur practitioner. Painting and sketching has brought a profound difference in my lifestyle and that is why I am sharing five benefits of art in daily life today.
Art Aids Expression
Art is a beautiful form of expressing ourselves. Our feelings impact our art. Colours, boldness of strokes, the composition and final outcome of a painting is a result of our mood and feeling like love, anger, sorrow and joy. Paul Jackson Pollock, an American painter was well known for his abstract expressionism, modern art and action painting. His ‘Drip Technique’ of dripping household liquid paint from paint tins on a horizontal surface or canvas was unique. He discovered that the movements which resulted in the splashing of the paints differed according to his mood and temperament. This difference in mood was significant and useful in creating variety in his paintings. For us too, art is a way of expressing. We should channelize our powerful feelings into something creative. It gives us joy and peace and explains the benefits of art in daily life.
Art is Relaxing
Studies have proven that practising art releases dopamine, the happy hormones. It is useful for people suffering from anxiety, post-traumatic stress and depression. From my personal experience I observe that a little bit of sketching daily keeps me happy and stress free. Art is healing and therapeutic since a lot of our inner state is expressed and make us feel light. The benefits of art in daily life are that art helps us focus on the self, recognise our hidden thoughts and feelings and then finally helps in letting out our fears. Painting brings a sense of peace and calm in today’s hectic world.
Art Enhances Creativity
One of the major benefits of art in daily life is that even observing art enhances creativity. Art in any form widens our perspective and provides plethora of ideas. We get ways to unpack our experiences and give them a new package. Art gives the liberty to think and imagine beyond the normal. Creativity is highly essential. The most creative minds have been changing the world with their ideas, innovations, inventions and discoveries.
Practising Art Boosts Confidence
Art helps in self-discovery and boosts our self-esteem, increasing our self-confidence. As we get creative by practising art, we are open to diverse and broader ways of looking at things. This provides multiple solutions to one question, making it much easier for us to face the world. Taking into account the above mentioned benefits of art in daily life, we feel confident when we are relaxed and creative and the moment we can clearly and deeply express ourselves. Clarity to our subconscious also boosts our confidence.
Art Influences and Reflects the Society
Artists are significant story tellers, often laying down a vivid picture of the society. Their creations may reflect the external world directly or their thought on it. Leonardo Da Vinci, born on 15th of April, 1452, painted realistic period pieces which depicted chapters from history. He also themed some of his paintings around the urge to understand the phenomena of nature. The amount of influence art had on war affected society is immeasurable. Pablo Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ represents the horror of war. This humungous canvas of 1937 aided in effective political negotiations and influenced changes in National Policies in favour of anti-war protests. How often we find powerful graffiti spurting out both positive and negative messages.
Art is Meditative
Art is timeless. We have seen history and stories preserved for us in the cave paintings. Folk art or Tribal art also represent nature and the activities of the people. We have seen art pieces created during Renaissance and we also see today’s format. The purpose of art is almost similar, only new methods, styles and types have evolved with time. Practising art is like meditation and with the multiple benefits of art in daily life, it is like Zen.
Here’s wishing everyone a Happy World Art Day.
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This is an amazing journey and in sight. The journey of art, the effect it has and experiencing the healing factor. All of these together makes an artist. The article is informative and insightful. Will look forward to more.
All the best