Emotional well-being and the arts

How do arts based interventions influence our emotional health?

Imagine yourself listening to a song you deeply resonate with. Or watching a performance that has moved you. Or sitting down and colouring, allowing yourself to be in the present as you watch the colours all merge. 

Art benefits our well-being. The process of creating and expressing through art and the power of witnessing it can evoke emotions, make us think. 

We might often think that art requires talent and we’re probably not someone who is “good enough in art”. But what we don’t often pay attention to is the distinction between the process and the outcome. 

When we talk about art-based techniques, we’re referring to using visual art, like painting and drawing, dance/movement, music, drama and writing to name a few.

All of this requires a process of creation, and it is this process that can have a profound impact on our emotional selves.

The benefits of art in our lives is most often not on the outcome, but in the process of making/doing it.

So how does this work? We try to break this down in the article. 

Before we talk about art and emotions, let’s understand what emotional well-being means.

Emotional well-being encompasses our ability to recognize and regulate our emotions while we manage stress and adapt to changes in our lives.

There can be many complexities that shape our emotional well-being. External factors such as childhood experiences and upbringing, socioeconomic status, access to opportunities, life events and internal factors such as our thoughts and beliefs all impact our emotional well-being.

Emotional well-being doesn’t mean the absence of unpleasant emotions. Rather, it is our ability to accept and understand our emotions in a healthy way.

It allows us to experience the wholeness of our humanness as we try and navigate our ways in life.

What role does art play in our emotional health? 

Arts based techniques don’t require you to learn any special skill. It is for everyone.

When we engage with art, through creating or witnessing it, we experience a range of emotions. These emotional responses can be windows into our deeply held beliefs – of ourselves and the world. They offer us a chance to introspect and self-reflect. 

For many people, expressing emotions through words can be difficult. Arts-based interventions offer an alternative form of expression. Through art, irrespective of the medium, emotions and experiences can be conveyed, giving the witness a visual representation of their inner worlds.

Within a therapeutic environment and with the presence of trained professionals, when we combine different arts-based techniques, they can allow individuals to express and process complex emotional experiences. This helps in releasing pent up emotions, offering a sense of relief. Through specific techniques, it can be a constructive outlet through which intense emotions are expressed – enabling us to manage our emotions better.

Art-based techniques involve creative processes. And creative processes are immersive – they draw our attention inwards. And this makes us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings while providing a way to express them externally.

The beauty of using art-based techniques is that it can support an individual’s unique needs as they offer us the option to choose how to express ourselves. 

By offering an alternative form of expression, promoting emotional regulation and encouraging self-reflection, it empowers individuals to gain insight and understanding of their emotions.

We tend to think of using art as a form of taking a break – something one-off or momentary. But we argue that the more we find spaces to include art-based techniques in our lives, the more aware and enriched we could be of ourselves and our communities.