3 Ways Art Can Support Your Mental Health: The healing power of creative expression
Holly pictured with a commissioned painting “Sanctuary”. “I could not have imagined 5 years ago where I would end up today – painting personal commissions to help my clients tell their stories.”
Last week, fine artist Holly Moeller shared her story with us. When she hit rock bottom and received a PTSD diagnosis, she turned to painting as a form of escape. It turned into a path way to healing, and today Holly is a professional artist who runs Kettle & Quill.
This week, she shares three tips with us on how we can use art to support our own healing. Grab a coffee and put your feet up, then get ready to grab some paints or crayons and start drawing!
3 Ways Art Can Support Your Mental Health
Creativity is, as Amie McNee writes, “the missing pillar in self-development.” I think I would add, “and in mental health support.”
Here are three ways art can help you heal when you’re climbing out from rock bottom.
Holly Moeller used art in her therapeutic journey, now she shares her story and skills to help people on their own journey of healing (Supplied).
Art as agency when things are spiralling
In a time when many factors in my life were out of my control, it was incredibly empowering to sit with a blank page and make decisions. As the artist, you are the one in charge. You can choose whether to paint this tree on the left or the right-hand side of the page. I found such freedom and agency in the creative process.
2. Art as a place to experiment with self-expression
When I was unwell, all the narratives I’d grown up with were lying broken and jagged on the ground. In counselling, I was standing in the rubble searching for new meaning and new stories to replace the ones that no longer worked.
During that transition phase and in the emptiness, there was something wonderful about painting as a vehicle for self-expression. I had the ability to experiment and try things out in a safe context. Art helped me alongside my counselling work to develop my sense of self and create new stories that felt aligned with the person I was becoming.
3. The physicality of art promotes a healthier relationship with your body
Back then, I was not in a good place with my body. I was in acute physical pain and experiencing severe chronic fatigue. I chose watercolours as my main medium precisely because they were simple to get out and clear away; I found it a disability-friendly art form.
Nevertheless, there is still a physicality to watercolour painting . Moving your hand across the rough surface of the paper, feeling the weight and texture of the paintbrush in your hand, getting mesmerised by the way the pigment dances with the water.
It was healing to find a place where my body was helping me make something beautiful, rather than being frustrated at what it could no longer do.
White poppies are a beautiful symbol of peace. "Finding Peace" See more here
How to incorporate art into your healing journey
Does this resonate with you? Here are three suggestions to try out:
Copy a painting from an artist you like (or follow a tutorial from YouTube).
Try painting the emotions you feel in your journal. What colour is your sadness? Your happiness? What shape best describes your feelings right now?
Take an art class – a place to make friends and get mentorship from an art teacher if you’re a little nervous on where to start.
Did you enjoy this blog from Holly? Make sure you read part 1 here, where she shares her incredible recovery journey with us. For more information on her art and how to purchase pieces, visit her website here. Then join her Studio Insiders list at www.kettleandquill.co.uk/studioinsider.
