Art Project to Reduce Stress in Children

Painting, sculpting, dancing, making music, and all the other artistic pursuits have benefits that go far beyond pure enjoyment or cultural creation — these activities can also strengthen our brain and improve our mood.

Scientific research has shown, our minds seem built to enjoy and analyze art deeply, and creating it, no matter your skill level, is good for you.

When it comes to children, art is especially important because it encompasses all the developmental domains in child development. Art activities also help children's social and emotional development. Children learn about themselves and others through art activities. It really helps them build self-esteem.

Quarantine Art Show

Starting to suffer cabin fever, last week we tried our hands on Nature Inspired Art in order to bring some of the ouside world inside. This week, we are working hard on setting up our very first Quarantine Art Show.

theme: Art Takes Nature as Its Model - ARISTOTLE
style: abstract art
sizing: miniature
frame: found twings cut to size and covered in a coat of paint
location: living room window sill
fee: free of charge
audience: family members

The Power of Art - "It's the process, not the product"

MAKING ART REDUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY.

In one recent study in the journal Art Therapy, researchers found that after just 45 minutes of art-making, levels of the hormone cortisol — which is associated with stress — were reduced in participants regardless of their prior art skills.

CREATING VISUAL ART IMPROVES CONNECTIONS IN THE BRAIN.

One 2014 study published in the the journal PLOS ONE found that making visual art can improve connections throughout the brain known as the default mode network.

This system is associated with the brain's state during wakeful rest, like daydreaming, but it's also active when we're focusing on internal thoughts or future plans.

ART-MAKING CAN HELP GET OVER SADNESS.

Distracting yourself from sadness by making art can work even better than venting about the problems. The researchers found that distracting yourself by making unrelated art was far more effective than either venting your feelings through art or just sitting in your sadness. (Other forms of distraction might have this effect too.)

MINDLESS SKETCHING MIGHT HELP GAINING FOCUS.

Doodling helps us focus and keeps our minds from wandering, reports The Atlantic.

One study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology found that, when aided by doodling, participants were able to recall 29% more information on a surprise memory test than those armed only with their determination.

TURNING OUR PROBLEMS INTO NARRATIVES CAN HELP US WORK THROUGH THEM.

A study from the Journal of Clinical Psychology suggested that framing our issues as a story can help make them more manageable. Organizing our issues as a narrative seems to bring some order to the chaos that is our problems. As the study puts it, "this gives individuals a sense of predictability and control over their lives."

MAKING ART CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE "FLOW".

The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defined "flow" as being "in the zone," totally absorbed by and enjoying the task at hand. "A good life," he has argued, is one in which this state is not so elusive.

While flow can come from all kinds of activities, art is one of the classic flow experiences, where the art-maker is not motivated by some end goal, but is fully engaged in the process itself.