Whether it’s the tip of a pencil dancing on paper, the bristles of a paintbrush gliding across a canvas or the gentle movement of a pen placing words on paper – creating art can be therapeutic.
Matty Heimgartner, an SJSU creative writing master’s student, said art along with sobriety from previous substance abuse reconnected him with his emotions.
He considers himself an emotional person, something he often conveys through his art.
“In the morning, I can be totally chill and just really peaceful and if I were painting, maybe [I would] paint some flowers and a fairy or, you know, something cheesy and happy,” Heimgartner said in a phone call. “But then by the end of the day, if something triggered me, then I can be completely on the other side, like painting, I don’t know, expressionistic demons or something.”
He also said the therapeutic qualities he finds through art aren’t about the final product, but rather the process of creating his work.
With the help of music, Heimgartner said he’d let his guard down and channel whatever emotion a certain song portrayed in his work.
“You’re kind of expected to be, you know, present and listen and engage [during day-to-day life],” Heimgartner said. “But when I’m with my paintings I literally can do whatever I want, it’s kind of my way to check out of this world.”
San Jose clinical psychologist Ayelet Hirshfeld said creating art can increase serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter that elevates mood and increases neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt and change in response to an experience, according to an Oct. 4, 2017 article in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Hirshfeld also said producing art can help people understand their feelings and relieve emotions associated with depression including anguish.
“Creative process in any form allows for the release of emotions and unconscious material in a sublimated way,” Hirshfeld said in a phone interview. “[Art] allows one to immerse oneself in the process.”
She said this can especially help those who’ve experienced traumatic events because it allows them to process and understand what occurred.
“[Creating art] allows for less repression and disintegration or fragmentation and more integration of these different facets of the traumatic memory that were stored as bits and pieces before,” Hirshfeld said.
While some may be addressing emotions while creating art, others might use art to do the opposite.
An SJSU sophomore, who prefers to go by the alias Donald Blake for privacy reasons, said he draws when he’s stressed to take his mind off his feelings.
“My favorite de-stress thing is doodling because I’m never going to show them to anybody,” Blake said. “And then it’s just whatever characters [I draw] from TV or comics, something that I’m thinking about . . . I guess familiarity is key.”
He also said some art styles can be indicative of someone’s mental state and changes in their art style should
be addressed.
“You know to look for what’s going on [with someone’s art style],” Blake said. “Every once in a while someone will do something that’s not characteristic of what they [usually] do and it’s kind of like a code.”
Hirshfeld encourages people to try using art as a therapeutic experience, especially by setting up a time and confronting a blank page or empty canvas.
“Then try to notice what emotion is evoked by their creation,” Hirshfeld said. “What comes to mind about the art, what does it say, what story does it tell and what memories does it resurrect?”
