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How the Act of Creating Something Can Change Your Life
I found improved mental health and a new sense of joy through rediscovering art
The most exciting moment of each school day was walking single-file to the art building. Each day, a new array of tools was arranged at each spot at the table, a preview of the fun that would fill the next 45 minutes.
Whether it was a hunk of clay, a blank paper with brushes, or colourful pieces of tissue paper or beads, I would get a chance to create something fun.
I remember being asked to draw a still life with items like a blanket, a vase, and a doll on the table. I sketched out the items and kept going. I drew the table and the students sitting in front of me out to the edges and walls of the room. I filled the paper with everything I could see.
The picture was selected to be displayed for a school art show. My parents and I dressed up and went to the school gym at night to see my picture. I’ve rarely felt so proud.
As I got older, I still looked forward to the escape to art class. And it wasn’t only visual art that captured my attention. I found my bliss in theater, becoming a different person on stage. Acting, singing, playing bells, and giving speeches were all ways to express myself.
