Your Brain on Art- Day 8

 

Julia Cameron, in her book The Artist’s Way encourages taking time out from your week to spend on an Artist’s Date. These simple excursions or experiences are all ways to peak your curiosity and creativity. I’ve collected a series of Artist Dates that I’ve found on Pinterest for you to try.  

Let me know how it goes if you choose to do one or more. 

Artist Date Ideas

Explore a college campus-art museum, library, and photo opportunities 

Scour an art museum- larger metroplex museums have art exhibits of famous artists 

Visit an antique store

Complete a walking trail-take plenty of photos

Mini-retreat at home- Check Pinterest for ideas

Schedule a mini-road trip

Go tech-free for a day- read, draw, bake, art project

Visit an art supply store- Hobby Lobby, Michael’s

Spend some time outdoors- journey or sketch

Go for a walk in your town- document your experience through photos

Stop by the library 

Watch an Oscar-nominated movie or a classic movie

Grab a stack of magazines and create an inspiration board

Support the local arts scene- festival, music event, art show, play, museum exhibit

Plant something- flowers, herbs, micro-greens

Visit a thrift store with a $5.00 budget to find something to create with 

Spend an afternoon perusing through your own personal library

Write a letter in longhand on pretty stationery to a friend

Go sit by a pond with your journal or sketchbook

Sit on your porch swing

Send a care package to your best friend or family member. Take time and care to put loving thoughtful things into it

Choose a fantasy mentor- read their books, watch their videos, learn about their life as an artist, let them inspire you

Go cloud watching

Spend time browsing Etsy or Pinterest

Take yourself on a culinary artist date and try a new cuisine

Write a poem-haiku 

Write a letter to the person you plan to be in ten years

Check a book out from the library on a topic you are unfamiliar with

Go to an estate sale or yard sale

Make a list of 100 things that make you happy

Find a new blog to follow

Color a Mandela

Make a Bucket List

Lie in a hammock

Read a children’s book

Read poetry out loud to yourself

Visit a garden center

Drive aimlessly

Give yourself $5.00 to spend on an art project from the dollar store

Walk through a historical part of your town. Don’t forget to take pictures

Picnic in the park

Read an old journal of yours

Watch a documentary of your favorite artist

Finger paint

Buy a box of 64 crayons and a coloring book

Visit an old cemetery

Play at the park

Be a tourist in your own town

Visit a pet store

Try your hand at a new kind of art- YouTube

Visit a local farmer’s market

Spend a couple of hours at a local coffee shop

Visit a second-hand bookstore

Write down 10 things you’d like to experience before your next birthday

Have a paint and sip night-YouTube

Listen to a favorite album

Watch a TED Talk

Go through old photos 

Paint Rocks

Start a journal of favorite quotes

Hone your photography skills

Create a bullet journal

Start a blog

Live like a fictional character

Stretch or try yoga or tai chi

Visit a State Park

Stargaze with a telescope

Create an Ideas journal

Spend time around the fire pit- make s’mores 

Watch a sunrise or sunset

Walk barefoot in the grass

Try a new cafe

Read an inspirational book

Dance in the rain

Visit a new library or independent bookstore

Learn hand-lettering

Sit on the porch while it rains

Do a directed drawing on YouTube

Your Brain on Art- Day 7

 

When you think of a successful life, what comes to mind?

According to the author, Kurt Vonnegut, it is defined as follows:

“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”

In Your Brain on Art, the authors teach that creating is the very core of how we learn. The brain makes new connections which contribute to this. 

Our brain is actually designed to make these connections and continually evolve. We are a curious species by nature, ready to learn. Sadly, this innate drive can be hindered during childhood due to strict educational expectations. Teaching for the correct answer vs teaching how to think critically, can diminish our love of learning.

Magsamen and Ross believe, “The best kind of learning sparks curiosity, and in return, endless discovery.” If you haven’t had an opportunity to spend time with a young child lately, I highly recommend doing so. Beyond the laughter it will bring, it will also be a study in the natural curiosity we are all born with. 

Whenever learning involves “novelty, humor, curiosity, creativity, and motivation,” it makes the learning experience richer. The arts naturally lend themselves to all of these. Because of this, they trigger “plasticity, neural connections, and greater understanding.”

If we incorporate arts and aesthetics into all aspects of our lives we can be better learners. 

Take Vonnegut’s words to heart and see which aspect of the arts feels right for you. Then, like a child, begin. Remember it is the process, not the product that matters here. 

Your Brain on Art- Day 6

 “We may believe that we are thinking beings who feel, but it’s actually the opposite. We are feeling beings who think.” Your Brain on Art

Authors Magsamen and Ross point out that the arts enhance positive emotions. Things like joy and contentment contribute to an over-all feeling of well-being. 

Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by stress and may look for ways to feel less anxious. 

Interestingly stress isn’t actually an emotion. It is a response to emotions. Stress itself, can be helpful by initiating a fight or flight response. It’s when it becomes a chronic condition of every day life that it crosses over into the negative realm. 

According to the authors, “Being stuck in stress results in feeling tired, depleted and possibly depressed.”

Turning to unhealthy habits for relief. might work in the short term, but are not really the best way to amp down the effects of chronic stress.

Turning to something like relaxing music or even coloring can be a way to reduce anxiety. 

Believe it or not, coloring can have a similar effect as meditation on the brain. It helps to reduce anxiety in the amygdala. This is the the part of the brain that detects danger and causes us to respond instantly. 

Tamlin Conner, who has researched the mental attributes of creativity calls coloring a “little-c” type of creativity. In other words, “an everyday activity that we may not think of as “art” but which reduces depressive symptoms and anxiety.”

Remember, just observing art can help reduce anxiety. Look for something you might enjoy doing that can bring a calming feeling to your day. 

Your Brain on Art- Day 5

 According to Your Brain on Art, “The arts trigger the release of neurochemicals, hormones, and endorphins that offer an emotional release.”

This is similar to what Aristotle calls catharsis, a surge of emotions that brings a sense of connection and well-being. 

 Participating in the arts has been shown to rewire neural pathways. 

Incorporating them into your daily life is just as important as good nutrition, exercise, sleep, and social interactions. The best thing of all is that you don’t even have to be good at it. 

Many of us lost interest in drawing during our mid-elementary years when we realized our horse didn’t really look like a horse. We quickly convinced ourselves that we weren’t good at art, and gave it up. 

Remember, though, the arts encompass activities such as visiting art galleries, listening to music, and attending the theater. None of these requires you to pick up a paintbrush or learn a new instrument to be beneficial. 

Of course, actually participating in the creation of art is beneficial, as well as fun. Each night while I’m watching TV, I’m usually coloring with my colored pencils and my favorite series of coloring books entitled Zendoodlecoloring. 

The authors, Magsamen and Ross, state, “The arts help us amplify the positive emotions, like joy and happiness, helping to usher in an overall sense of well-being.”

What could you do to be an observer of the arts? This is an easy way to start cultivating an aesthetic mindset. 

Your Brain On Art- Day 4

 Your Brain on Art- Day 4

Nature is one of the best enriched environment. The Japanese know this well and practice shinrin-yoku or forest bathing. They immerse themselves in nature using their senses. Just the act of slowing down and remaining present has shown to be restorative and can promote better physical and mental well-being. 

A couple of weeks ago I traveled to Las Colinas to attend several retirement events for my husband and one of his co-workers. I took advantage of being in the area and returned to our old apartment complex to walk. . One of my favorite things about the apartment is the lake and the walking path that surrounds it. Spending time in the beauty of the lake watching the wildlife on the water really lifted my spirits. 

At our current home, sitting on the back porch in the morning, watching the hummingbirds, has become one of our favorite pastimes. When we can, we enjoy eating our breakfast outside enjoying the cool morning breeze. Even opening the blinds to let in the natural light makes a difference in my mood. 

Another way to make your home environment more enjoyable is to bring the outdoors in. You can accomplish this by trying to “incorporate elements of the natural world,” in your decorating. 

Spending time surrounded by the beauty of nature is the most natural form of art. God has really outdone Himself when you consider the beauty of a sunset, or wildflowers blooming in the spring. He truly is the first artist, and He shares that art with us daily. 

Find time within your day to reconnect with the outdoor world. 

Your Brain on Art-Day 3

 

Did you know according to Your Brain on Art, “Arts and aesthetics can literally rewire your brain. They are the secret sauce that helps build new synaptic connections.”

Spending an hour at the gym or eating a plate of kale may be ways to stay healthy. However,  spending an afternoon at an art gallery or attending a concert in the park might be more fun. 

Your brain uses neuroplasticity (where one cell sends a signal to the next) like a gardener uses shears to prune away dead limbs. By doing so the brain builds stronger synapses and removes weaker connections. 

The environment is the key, here. As it changes, opportunities arise for the neural circuits in your brain to change. That’s why an enriched environment is so much better for your brain. 

In fact, Magsamen and Ross state, “Our environment has the potential to dramatically alter the brain-for better or worse.”

Not only does an enriched environment work in our favor, but an impoverished environment has been shown to cause, “a slow, corrosive effect on health and well-being.”

I can’t help but wonder about the trend of minimalism and a neutral palette. Have we altered our environment in such a way that it may be affecting our well-being?

I’m noticing a new trend, full of color and curated stuff, that is hitting my Instagram feed. Generation Z is embracing a cozy cottage vibe, and are raiding their grandmother’s hutch cabinet for treasures. In a recent visit to a local antique shop, the owner shared with me that two college girls had just left looking for stuff to decorate their dorm room. 

Give some thought to the environment you surround yourself with each day. Does it “Spark Joy” as Marie Kondo likes to say? If not, what could you do to make a few changes?