There is no denying we all need a little joy in our lives right now – have you ever considered bringing it back through art?
Art practice can have many benefits for your health and wellbeing. We all have the desire to express ourselves creatively, and the act of creating can have a wider range of benefits than you might realise.
1. Art is for everyone
You don’t have to be particularly ‘arty’ to be a creator – sometimes it’s more about the practice than the finished product. No matter who you are – your age, background, profession, health status – none of these affect your ability to produce art or impact your enjoyment of the art creation process.
In fact, we all have the ability to be creative and ‘talent’ or being ‘arty’ doesn’t factor in at all.
2. Learn new skills
The skills you will pick up during an art class won’t just be practical – you’ll find that you will develop your soft skills as well. The act of producing art has been shown to improve cognitive function and hone motor skills, by stimulating your brain in a new activity you create new neurological pathways. Studies also show that Art practice can foster self-awareness and emotional strength, as well as social and problem-solving skills.
Even as an adult, we still all have new things to learn. Lifelong learning is what CAE is all about!
3. Mindfulness
There is a reason why Art therapy is such an effective and commonly used practice – it works! The mindfulness aspect of being in the moment while being creative can have a profound effect on our overall mood and general wellbeing. While in the zone of making art we experience stress reduction, relaxation, mental clarity and calmness through self-expression. Being in the moment and putting all our attention to the task at hand is a form of meditation.
Basically, making art just makes us feel good.
4. Brighten up your life
Bring a little colour or interest to a plain wall or office desk with your own work of art. Not only will it brighten up a space but having something marvellous that you have created from scratch will boost your self-esteem with feelings of accomplishment.
And don’t forget that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
5. Share the love with your friends and family
Why not bring along friends, family or colleagues to share the joy of art practice and create a bonding experience that you will remember together for years to come.
Have fun, get your hands dirty and get to know yourself and the ones around you on a deeper level. Make some art memories!
CAE has a range of art classes to suit all tastes – Lane Cormick teaches the Painting: Abstract class that runs over three weeks and introduces students to a range of styles and techniques which promotes interesting discussions in class.
“By the end of week one class, most students have produced in excess of 10 to 15 paintings on paper,” Lane said.
“The abstract painting course I teach is overall quite spontaneous. It allows me to introduce my ongoing findings and research to the groups and explore possibilities in the development of the abstract painting.
“It is a fascinating course because it’s the only one of its kind that I know of. It also allows me to demonstrate my knowledge and appreciation of not only abstract ‘art’, but art in general and the students are fantastic and enthusiastic! It’s a real joy,” Lane said”.
Maybe an organic approach is more your style – why not get back to nature with Eleni Rivers’ Sketching in the Royal Botanic Gardens course. Explore Melbourne’s internationally renowned Botanical Gardens, while learning the basic skills needed to make descriptive drawings of the landscape. Make your drawings interesting by showing both close-up details such as foliage and flowers, as well as their surrounding environment. Throughout the session there will be several demonstrations to illustrate composition, perspective and how to draw trees. The class is open to nature lovers at all levels of artistic ability.
To view all the art programs on offer at CAE visit: https://www.cae.edu.au/course_category/the-arts/