[Mini Guide] How Art Supports Mental Health and Healing
- Adilla
- Jul 18
- 7 min read
Painting, pottery, sculpture, and literature: all of these should be a source of de-stress, but why do certain artists or creatives end up feeling the opposite?
There is a fine line between expressing yourself and forcing art out of you. While creating art can be empowering, when does it become too much that it turns into a burnout before you realise? What differentiates art therapy from creative expression through art?
It all boils down to your intention, your goal as the artist, the art maker.
Art can be both a source of solace and a creation from your creative mind.
The Link Between Art and Healing Process
We can get into how art became therapeutic, but we cannot deny how art gives us a sense of peace and satisfaction. Whether you are a creative or not, engaging in activities that tap into your creative side can serve as an outlet for emotional expression and regulation. It helps with processing and managing overwhelming emotions. Plus, it could also improve response flexibility in stressful situations.
In other words, art therapy helps promote self-awareness and introspection, a deeper understanding of your emotions and your thoughts. While it’s true that most art is driven by an artist’s emotions, where they can transform their pain or negative feelings into something beautiful and moving, art can actually build your emotional resilience.
Art as therapy gives everyone a safe space to explore and understand their emotions. It can be both negative and positive as they go through a creative process, leading to better self-awareness and personal growth. Hence, art and healing can coexist as a tool for mental health for artists.
Why Creativity Can Sometimes Cause Stress?
There’s a delicate line between art as a source of therapy and stress. However, there are indications of how it can be turned into a source of negative emotions. Especially if you work in the creative industry.
External expectations and fulfilling your role as a creative in your workplace can be a burden despite your passion for the craft. The tight deadlines and mental load of having to pump fresh, new, competitive ideas are a fast track towards creative burnout.
When your passion for the creative industry becomes your source of income, it can add emotional pressure since you are required to perform at work. The need to fulfil client expectations and achieve perfection could cause creativity to be a source of stress.
3 Tips to Reclaim Creativity as a Tool for Mental Health
There is a way to reclaim the creative passion when the creative burnout hits. It’s not an easy process, but it is necessary to help you get back to doing what you love and have it fuel you with inspiration rather than be a burden.
Don’t Force Yourself to Create When You Can’t
Sometimes all we need is just a break. That includes being away from any sources of entertainment that require a digital screen or technology. When you consume too much ‘content’, whether through social media or shows, you stop thinking for yourself. Let yourself feel bored and let your mind roam with imagination. It will become a sort of reboot for you.
Consume Art That Inspires You
Whether it’s a TV show or a fantasy movie, consume genres or works of art that you like. Don’t limit yourself to the type of media either. Listen to music or even take a trip to an art gallery. It could motivate and inspire you to create. Personally, even works of fan art from different communities could boost your creativity. Don’t be ashamed of what you love and gain inspiration from.
Mix Up Your Creative Outlet
If you think that you are only supposed to master one craft, you might have to change your mindset. The phrase “jack of all trades, a master of none” is common, but not many have heard of the complete quote, “But better than a master of one.”
While it’s good to master one craft, consider trying other forms of art. If you’re the type to create visual arts like painting, consider creating a tangible art form like pottery. By trying different forms of art, you keep your creativity flowing without the dry spell and burnout you would experience from just doing one form of art.
5 Creative Practices that Boost Mental Well-being
Prioritise Routine and Self-Care
As tempting as it is to create art when inspiration strikes, this usually comes with neglecting your daily basic self-care, like eating 3 meals a day or getting enough sleep. When you’re so driven by passion, you do tend to forget what goes on around you. So, to be able to prioritise self-care, you need to utilise a routine for yourself.
A bit of structure and schedule could do you better than you think. Putting your art projects in a fixed timeline is one thing, but scheduling your day-to-day life to ensure that you’re taking care of yourself should be at the forefront. Schedule your breaks, meals and even when you will consume entertainment shows.
Set Boundaries With Work
Whether you are a freelancer or working for a corporate company, there’s no clear work time when it comes to creative work. So, for the sake of your mental health, draw the line between your work and your break.
Not only that, but learning to say no when accepting projects. As tempting as it is to accept every opportunity that could showcase your creative talents, it could burn you out if you end up with an excessive number of projects.
Foster A Positive Mindset
The creative industry is a competitive culture, and creatives tend to be their own worst critics. Fostering a healthier inner voice can help battle the constant anxiety and depression that creatives usually struggle with.
Changing your perspective and attitude towards a problem could also help foster a positive mindset, like adopting a growth mindset. Viewing failures as lessons can help separate your self-worth from your art. In an industry where rejection is common, be kind to yourself. Focus on the joy of creation and its significance to you, rather than seeking external validation for your work.
A Supportive Community
Having a community that you can seek support and a safe space for you boosts your mental wellbeing more than you think. While it is natural for creatives to isolate when they perform on their artwork, it’s important to always find time to have human connections.
While it isn’t easy to build friendships as a creative, consider joining art groups that cater to your personal interests, like a book club, writer’s group or even online forums for creatives and build connections through online interaction.
Artistic Healing, Using Creativity As A Tool
Sometimes, reclaiming our creative passion can be as simple as artistic healing. As I mentioned previously, art can be a tool to express your emotions. Whether through writing, painting or music, it can be a tool to let your emotions run free.
Instead of focusing on the result, express yourself as a form of release through art. This could induce a “flow” state for you where you become so zoned into your art, the anxious thoughts that once plagued your mind go away for a moment.
Creativity at Work: Making Creative Work Healthy Again
When your passion is your daily work and a source of income, pressure to perform can be daunting and paralysing. It’s important for creatives to check in with themselves to ensure that they still enjoy their craft while still being able to perform in their work.
Let Go of Perfectionism
Reminding yourself that creativity is a process and mistakes are a part of it can help shackle the need to be perfect. Creative work is a long process of experimentation, and achieving perfection at the get-go will only put too much pressure on you.
Match Your Personal Goals with Your Work Goals
As a creative in a structured company, it can be hard to find motivation to perform your work when it does not align with your personal goal. Take the time to find ways to align your work tasks with your personal goals. Either seek out your creative leaders or give suggestions that could utilise your personal skills and interests.
Don’t Compare Yourself
When you seek out inspiration and motivation, redirect your thoughts when they start to compare yourself with others. Recognise that everyone’s creative journey is different. Proactively choose to improve yourself and broaden your creative horizons.
Community & Creativity: Why Sharing Can Help
Communities for creatives foster a sense of belonging in an otherwise isolating work style. That’s why we see events and get-togethers like book club gatherings, movie party screenings, and even large conventions of comic books and shows. While it gives them a supportive and safe environment to express themselves in, they can build connections and share ideas that could build on and inspire others.
Resources For You to Check
Key Takeaways on Creative Burnout & Mental Wellness for Artists
Creating art consistently can fuel your growth and look good in your portfolio. However, overdoing it may lead to creative burnout.
Mental health for artists and creatives is often overlooked by many, especially when creativity is tied to the main income.
Reminder: rest is not a reward; it’s a necessary part of sustaining your creativity.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Other than intention, what differentiates art therapy from creative expression through art?
What differs in art therapy is rarely about the result of the artwork compared to works of art. The process of creating for the sake of healing and therapy is more about embracing the joy of producing the art.
Some artists find inspiration from their ailments. Is this considered healthy?
While it could help in reducing the emotional stress that comes with the ailments, practising moderation is the key to producing art without harming yourself in the process.
Since negative emotions seem to be a boost for artists to create, is there an opposite to that? Where do positive emotions become a source of great artworks?
Certainly! Without getting into the specifics, fans of specific movies or shows are an easy example of where the love and happiness they get from consuming this entertainment are reflected in the artwork they make.
Author Bio
With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies, including parodies of animated shows and plots for board games like Dungeons & Dragons. She loves to read anything and everything from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. One day, she is eager to publish her book. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.
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