How Art Heals

I’ve always believed that art was healing. Throughout my life, beginning with the waxy smell of crayons on construction paper, continuing on through all sorts of media—paints and clay and paper and fabric and thread—playing with shapes and line and color has soothed and calmed and healed me in ways I could never truly explain.

But now, through research into the neuroscience of healing, we are learning why. This summer, I read a book called Your Brain on Art, by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, which goes into detail about how art helps us heal. Engaging in an art project for as little as forty-five minutes reduces the stress hormone cortisol, no matter your skill level, and just one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years.

Art matters.

Because of this, therapeutic art is included as one of the evidence-based Pillars of Healing that we incorporate into all of our Paisley Project activities and programing.

Which is why, when we hosted a Paisley Project picnic in July, we included art activities. We had watercolors to paint wildflowers, we had pens and thick paper for Zentangle activities.

Paisley Project picnic, July 2024

We also had an activity called “So I Gather,” in which we collected items from nature—rocks, pinecones, flowers, tree bark, leaves—and arranged them on a black piece of paper.

Here are a couple of beautiful arrangements of items taken from the property in Colorado where we had the picnic.

“So I Gather”

by Suzanne Milani

“So I Gather”

by Pam Zaeske

One of the women at the picnic, Diane Farris, chose to do the Zentangle activity. Or that’s what we thought she was doing. It was clear that Diane wasn’t new to the healing power of art, and armed with a 5x7 piece of paper, a black pen and some paints, she made this:

Ride the Wave, by Diane Farris

The next day, we received a photo of this image in an email, along with this message:

I was contemplating waves yesterday with the Zentangle art time. Today I penned my thinking around what it means to “Ride the Waves.” The Paisley Raft or Tall Ship is a beautiful place to find amongst the continuing waves of life. Widows will find help to climb up. The Paisley Raft or Tall Ship is large enough for everyone experiencing Loss, everyone who doesn’t know who or what or where or even why as far as Identity. Side by side with support for and from each other we search for our Vision for the future and we Engage, and as we engage, we continue to “Ride the Waves” one by one.

Diane also spent some time free writing about her “Ride the Wave” drawing, creating another art activity in the process. She shared a copy of that too. Enjoy Diane’s drawings and sense the power in her words. All compacted on a small piece of paper.

Ride the Wave Free-writing, by Diane Farris

Putting some color or pencil marks on paper can be soothing and peaceful, which is healing enough all by itself. Selecting some leaves or sticks and arranging them in a lovely way is a good way to recognize the beauty in the world. I will take it any day of the week.

But I am awed and honored to see when art turns itself into something else. It can start to look like wisdom, or beauty, or even courage. It can give someone strength to ride the next wave.