The concept of art therapy is nothing new. Anyone who has ever indulged in a creative pastime or hobby can attest to the myriad ways that it improves our general sense of wellbeing. It gives us a sense of accomplishment and allows us to engage parts of our brains that we otherwise would mostly neglect. Not only this but as we become aware of our skills and talents improving, we will feel an additional boost in confidence.
Finding a creative outlet is an excellent way of keeping depression at bay and can also form a useful basis for meeting new people and trying new things. In this article, we take a look at the science behind creativity and how it can help to improve multiple aspects of our lives.
What is Creativity?
First, we need to ask exactly what we mean by creativity? The general consensus amongst psychologists is that creativity is the ability to formulate new ideas, identify new links between different ideas, and devise novel solutions to problems. Creativity engages multiple areas of our brains and encourages us to consider the world around us in new ways.
Everyone Is Creative
Many people describe themselves as not being very creative because they don’t play an instrument, write, draw, paint, or any of the many things that we traditionally think of as being creative. However, the problem here is that we are using too narrow a definition of creative. Creativity can be expressed in a number of different ways. Even cooking and preparing a meal is a form of creativity, so we shouldn’t feel that our version of creativity is somehow incorrect.
Different people have different talents, but there are very few people in the world who genuinely do not possess any talents; it is simply a case of finding yours. If for example, you work in a business where you are required to produce reports or other materials for other people, then you are being creative; you are engaging the different areas of your brain to identify a problem and devise a solution.
Equally, if there is a particular creative pursuit such as writing or art that you want to pursue but feel you lack the necessary skills, then you should give it a go anyway. Many people fall into the trap of assuming that creativity and talent are things that some people are just born with, but this is not the case. If you would like to produce a comic, for example, then you could make use of RageMaker.net, a tool which provides graphics, so you can focus on other aspects.
Augmenting Therapy
If you suffer from depression, then you will likely have some experience with cognitive therapies. These are therapies which are designed to change the way that we approach certain thoughts and subjects. Such therapies are the most effective way of combating depression for most people, but they can be further augmented by engaging with your creative passions. Art therapy is an established form of in what is known as a global effect.
Creativity is a powerful process that engages our brains in a number of different ways. Exactly how this alleviates the symptoms of depression we still don’t know for sure, but all the evidence suggests it is effective.
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