Your Brain on Art- Day 10

“Music is the only thing we can engage with that activates every part of the brain.” Dr. Annie Heiderscheit

I remember as a young teen falling in love with music. I spent many hours listening to my beloved 45s on the record player in my bedroom. In fact, two of my neighborhood friends and I shared our collection with each other and rotated them between the three of us. 

Carole Kings’s Tapestry was the first album I bought with my own money. For my thirteenth birthday I delved into hard rock with albums by Iron Butterfly and Led Zeppelin. It didn’t take me long to realize that Best of Bread was more my cup of tea. 

Sadly, around the early 90s music began to change and I stopped listening to it as often. Today it’s been replaced by talk radio when I’m driving in the car. 

As I began to investigate more about the brain and the arts I was curious to learn about the effects of music on the aging brain. 

I found that engagement like listening to music, singing or playing instruments all contribute to an improved quality of life. 

Music can help relaxation and improve mood. I’m looking forward to the Christmas season so I can listen and sing along to my favorite Christmas songs. I’ll probably get an early start come November. 

Playing musical instruments can improve cognitive functions. If you are adventurous you might consider investing in a keyboard and learning how to play. 

Movement, such as dancing and stretching, can be more enjoyable if done to music. Believe it or not, research has shown that music can help improve our immune system. 

Here is a list of ways to include more music in your life:

Join a church or community choir.

Participate in a karaoke night.

Make your own playlist. 

Listen to a 70s station in the car and take a walk down memory lane. 

Learn to play an instrument. 

Dance around your living room. 

Attend a concert. 

How do you incorporate music in your life?

Your Brain on Art- Day 9

 

The other day, I drove by a mural being painted on the main street of my little town. The week before, another mural depicting the town's name had been completed.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw both of these pieces of artwork. It made me realize how just observing art can make a difference in your mood. 

Also, I looked forward to observing the new mural being painted. It was much larger and I could see how the artist had sketched out the masterpiece. I found enjoyment in watching the new mural evolve. 

Several months ago, a new shop, Seasons 42, opened in the adjoining town. The outside had been painted with large, colorful flowers. Today, I find myself driving past just to enjoy the aesthetics it brings to the town square. 

I feel this same way about architecture. Two favorite houses in my town sit across from each other. One is a Craftsman style and the other is a stone house, popular from the 1930s. I play a little game where I try to decide which house I would live in. Up to this point I’ve been unable to make up my mind. I love them both. 

Another type of architecture that brings me enjoyment are old, Catholic Churches and cathedrals. I’ve never been to Rome, but I can only imagine how breathtaking the Sistine Chapel must be. 

If you need a little pick-me-up drive around a historic neighborhood in your area. Take the time to breathe in the beauty.  This is another way to experience an aesthetic mindset. 

“Architecture is inhabited sculpture.”

Constantin Brancusi

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.