Why making art matters in a troubled world
“I Can See Clearly Now” mixed media painting by Natalie Eve Marquis
Is it frivolous to paint in a world grappling with so much crisis?
This provocative question, explored in Art Juice’s episode 275 ‘Making Art in Messy Times,’ got me thinking. While the podcast delved into finding balance amidst chaos, it overlooked a vital aspect: the transformative power of creativity. As an artist, I’ve come to realize that painting isn’t just a personal indulgence—it’s a conduit for positive energy in turbulent times.
My take on making art in messy times
My take is that making art is not frivolous. It’s essential. Painting and other creative pursuits offer more than mere distraction; they provide a potent prescription for what ails us individually and collectively. That sounds a bit grandeous doesn’t it? Stick with me though because there’s research to back me up.
The healing benefits of creativity
When we allow ourselves to do what we love, to make art and to paint, all kinds of wonderful things happen in our bodies: Our blood pressure lowers, feel good chemicals are released, and our immune system gets a little boost. Creativity is good for our health, both body and mind.
Feeling good helps the collective
There are even more exciting things happening on an energetic level. Quantum physics tells us that at the most fundamental level, all matter is composed of vibrating energy. This includes our thoughts and emotions. As an intuitive energy healer, I sense emotions like worry and fear as heaviness or like dark dense clouds. When we worry a lot, it’s like we’re exuding dark puffs of energy into the world around us. On the flip side, when we are in a peaceful, relaxed state we are emitting energetic rays of sunshine.
Least you think I’m exaggerating, consider the research done on “The Maharishi Effect”. In a nutshell, the findings stated, “When 1% of a community practiced the Transcendental Meditation (TM®) program, the crime rate was reduced by 16% on average.”These studies are a powerful indicator that our emotional and energetic states can and do impact the world around us.
We are not isolated bubbles of energy, instead we are a collective consciousnesss. When enough of the individuals within a collective become deeply relaxed and alert, it can create positive effects in the community.
What do meditation and art have in common?
It turns out the act of doing TM and the phenomenon of creative flow share a fundamental aspect in common. They each produce a distinctive state of consciousness that combines elements of both alpha and theta waves. When a human is in alpha and theta, they experience enhanced creativity, coherence, and deep relaxation.
Bye bye heavy cloudy of energy, hello sunshine!
On an energetic level, spending time painting and being in creative flow can shift our vibration to a higher level because it takes our mind off worrisome things. It’s softens the mental chatter. When we paint the world drops away and we become absorbed in the creative process. We breathe easier, our body relaxes, and our energy expands. The energetic cloud we were carrying around due to worry parts and our inner light shines through.
Lifting your vibration the easy way
Worry and fear create a vibration that contributes to the heavy energy of the world. On the flip-side, when we are in a state of peace and enjoyment, these feeling states create a vibration that can heal and elevate us, and the world around us.
Please know that I’m not advocating ignoring or stuffing down our feelings. The opposite in fact. The most helpful thing we can do is to feel our feelings. Give them space to be seen, felt and heard. Emotions are energy in motion. They want to move through us. Rather than distracting ourselves or bottling our feelings, art-making gives us an outlet for all of that angst. Plus, it serves as bridge that can help shift our energetic state from a lower vibration to a higher one.
Spend some time feeling your feelings, then go do something creative. If I were a doctor, I’d prescribe 20 minutes a day of art-marking. A consistent, mostly daily practice, will work wonders on your mind, body, and spirit.
The canvas is a safe haven
Painting isn’t a perpetual state of bliss, of course. Yet, the canvas becomes a safe haven for our anxieties, a place where we can release pent-up emotions. We can aggressively express our anger through bold strokes and splattered paint, or, with more subdued intention, quietly work through our feelings by focusing on small, deliberate action.
The act of painting swiftly captivates, drawing our attention away from anxieties and allowing small pockets of peace and pleasure to surface. We might find ourselves surprised by the alchemy of colors or the unexpected beauty of a seemingly careless stroke. As we persist, these moments blossom into enthusiasm, perhaps even a flicker of joy, fueled by deeper engagement with the process.
A positive ripple effect
The creative process is a bold act of self-nurturing with a positive energetic impact on the world. If everyone picked up a paintbrush and painted for 20 minutes, it would be like billions of tiny lights illuminating the globe. In troubled times, creativity isn’t frivolous—it’s essential. It has the power to heal and enliven not just ourselves, but the world around us.