Art Heals You

Art Heals You
by Kara Rane - Wake Up World
Upon hearing many children talk about how they would like to participate in an Art class, I decided to offer this experience to them. Living in the Caribbean, I was the owner of a beach-side eatery.
Children would naturally gather around while I was outdoors painting murals and signs. They were curious, eager to understand, and fascinated by the act of creating. I wished to involve them, so each day I would set a table beneath a palm tree, and here we would have our Art lesson.
Together we would begin to draw, the sound of waves and distant Reggaeton music providing the perfect meditative setting.
At first their hyper activity, quarrelsome squabbles, and sugary highs and lows seemed insurmountable. But after a few moments, each child would settle into their own chair, paper before them, colored markers in hand.
Some would begin instantly, their furious pace channeled across the white surface. Others looked sky ward in inner reflection until the time was right to begin. Soon the peace enveloped us, and there were no boundaries of age, gender, and language, only the deep connection that comes from within.
It is incomprehensible that children are denied Art in their education. Art History is a valid account of our past and culture, as insightful as the written word. Creating is fundamental to being alive.
Art making is a communication skill, one that some believe defines our being human. There are heights to the intellect that cannot be achieved through logical reasoning alone, nothing can replace the knowledge one gains from exploring the imagination.
The passive act of viewing Art is equally as powerful. There are countless accounts of patients reporting ‘feeling better’ after looking at paintings and plenty of scientific data now available to prove this.
Art infuses our being with positive energy, reducing stress and promoting a sense of calm. In 1860, Florence Nightingale wrote about the effect of “beautiful objects” on sickness and recovery, “Little as we know about the way in which we are affected by form, by color and light, we do know they have an actual physical effect.”
It is undoubtedly true that people who are suffering illness find solace in Art. To enjoy a lifestyle of wellness, it is essential that we feed our bodies with nutritious food. So too our soul has needs, it may be possible to prescribe Art as preventative medicine, as it is to advocate proper dietary nutrition.
Art encompasses a complete health of body, soul, and mind. “How do you draw a horse?” When we learn something new we expand skills and perception. Our brain is exercised, strengthening cognitive functions and increasing mental agility.

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