Sep 15

Sep 15 Five Wellness Benefits of Creating Art

Hi, I'm Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.

Several years ago, I suggested that my partner Dan and I take an art class together. We’re fortunate enough to live near a phenomenal art center, the Minnetonka Center for the Arts, so I showed him the latest class brochure asking him to pick a class.

I assumed he’d choose pottery, painting, even printmaking. But, instead, he opted for stone carving.

Yes, stone carving. And not with power drills. For two-plus hours a week, we head to stone carving class and patiently chisel an object out of a chunk of rock.

Many things about stone carving surprised me. For one the people in the class. There’s a mix of women and men, from a restauranteur to a retired food scientist, most of them have been carving stone for a while and have multiple sculptures to show for their efforts.

Most surprising of all is our teacher. She’s a retired advertising executive and an awe-inspiring stone sculpture and accomplished artist. On the first day of class, she showed us one of her pieces, a woman lying in repose with her legs tucked underneath her. Every detail meticulously carved. She almost looks like she's breathing. Then after motivating us with her work, she suggested we start by making either an apple or a pear. Ha!

Our teacher plays an eclectic music mix, while we talk, chisel, laugh and then talk, laugh, and chisel some more. It’s hard work and takes patience and perseverance. As the before-mentioned retired food scientist said, "You're lucky if you finish your stone piece during one season's course as opposed to in abstract art class where you might complete a new painting every week!’

Dan and I just started our 4th series of classes as the art center only recently reopened after a prolonged Covid shut down, and I’m working on my 3rd sculpture.

I've completed two sculptures, so far. My teacher calls them bottles; some people say they look like tiny houses on a hilltop. Either way, I know they are heavy and represent a LOT of work.

So, just like last week’s video where I discussed the health and wellness benefits of playing music, this week I’m exploring the five proven benefits of making art or even doodling or filling in adult coloring books. Yes, don’t discount doodling or coloring books!

The first benefit is that art reduces stress and anxiety. Research shows that as you engage in any art, the pleasure centers in your brain light up. I can attest to that. No matter what I’m working on outside of class or worrying about, I let it go as soon as I arrive at stone carving. Working on my stone sculpture is soothing.

The second health benefit is achieving a flow state. When I’m attempting to make my hands carve an idea I have in my mind out of a chunk of stone, I get into moments of mindfulness and flow. That level of concentration creates a space for not thinking about anything else. That’s being in a flow state, an essential component to a happy life according to psychologists.

Third, it improves connections in the brain. Creating art takes focus and hand-eye coordination. Any activity where you are working that diligently coordinating the brain with movement creates connections in the brain.

The fourth benefit, art activates reward centers in the brain. Research shows the act of creating something out of nothing is rewarding, even if you aren’t particularly talented. Both artists and average joes (like me!) experience the same reward center activation while making art.

And lastly, the fifth benefit, art fosters social connections. Either taking an art class or sharing your completed work with others, creating art is a fantastic avenue for connecting with other people.

Making art reduces stress and anxiety, fosters a flow state, improves connections in the brain, activates reward centers, and fosters social relationships. In addition to those benefits, I like stone carving because Dan and I are spending time together, our teacher is wonderful, and the other students are fun yet serious about their work. Mostly, it’s a good lesson in patience, perseverance, and focus all while having a fun time.

I’m Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and thank you for reading this blog about the health benefits of creating art. If you have any questions about this blog, health, and wellness, or wellness coaching with me, please reach out via my website at lizmosercoaching.com.