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Creating art for mental health: Screaming into the void


black and white cartoon drawing of a girl dressed as an artist in a beret standing at an easel painting herself screaming into the void

There's no doubt that being creative and practicing mindful activities that bring you peace and joy help you feel grounded and more balanced, so that you can face the more stressful parts of life better. I don't know what I'd do without my many creative interests.


The Mental Health Foundation says, "Getting involved with the arts can have powerful and lasting effects on health. It can help to protect against a range of mental health conditions, help manage mental ill-health and support recovery."


Who needs meds if you have a paintbrush?


I'm just kidding, please don't go cold turkey on your meds.


The mental health benefits of creating art


The great thing about this is that you don't have to be a professional artist to be artistic or creative.


Some people express their creativity by visiting the Theatre, taking a practical workshop or learning how to cook. There are so many ways to express your creativity and see the mental health benefits.

Watching how artists and other creatives practice their craft can be really inspiring!


I read a lovely blog by Jackson's Art Supplies about “The Mental Health Benefits of Creating Art”, in which “six artists working across various mediums describe how they use art to improve their everyday outlook and inform their practice.”


I found it very inspiring, but something was missing, and then I realised what it was...


I belonged in the article!


When art and mental health comes together


I think that everybody should think of themselves as an artist - even you! To demonstrate this, I thought I’d share how I use art to benefit my mental health, as if I were being interviewed by Jackson’s Art to be included in the roundup - just for fun - here it is:


Zara M.


My artistic practice is very important to me and an essential tool for keeping my mental health intact, as I primarily use my art - to vent.


My process involves me waiting until something in real-life has triggered symptoms of my mental health disorder, and when I’m nearing crisis point and can’t keep it to myself any longer, I get out my iPad and throw up all over it, artistically speaking, of course, assisted by my apple pencil.


This results in me personifying myself as an awkward cartoon character with wonky boobs and a flat bum, and placing myself in (not made up) scenarios where my sole purpose is to make it look like the worst thing in the world is happening to me, because that is what it feels like.


I do this by painting a very convincing pained look on my face, or one of definite vulnerable uncertainty, and my skinny limbs usually do the rest of the talking.


I find my art practice to be a therapeutic way of screaming into the void, whilst ensuring that nobody really hears what I’m saying because they’re far too distracted by the absurdity presented in the masterpiece, or just the fact that it's a silly sketch, to take me seriously - which suits me just fine, because aside from creative genius, I'm also an introvert.


My sporadic artistic urges and mental health need each other, so while I’d certainly agree that there are mental health benefits to creating art, in my case, the art also benefits from the fact that I’m bonkers. After all, without my mental pain, it might not exist.


About Zara M.


Zara isn’t an artist at all, she’s a writer. She aspires to be a cartoonist, but knows she’ll never make it, because the only character she ever feels compelled to draw, is herself. She lives in the countryside in a cold, damp cottage with her dog, cat, some hardy water snails and quite a few dying monstera houseplants.


I'd love you to think about how you might find a creative outlet to help you express your issues. How about rock-climbing, where you could make the internal struggle a physical one? I imagine that clinging onto the edge of a vertical surface would give you some perspective on any inner torment.



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