How does creativity and making art help with body symptoms?
On a first look they don’t; symptoms and creativity are unrelated. Our bodies react to aging, viruses and other bugs in our environments, our life style, diet and exercise habits etc…
Where does creativity and art come in?
First we want to go the medical route and get our symptoms checked and treated using medication, massage, surgery, acupuncture, herbs etc…
Once we have addressed our symptom from a medical point of view we can explore art and creativity as a way to learn more about ourselves and the symptoms that bug us.
Being creative and making art adds safe ways to express ourselves. Often we don’t know what it is we are feeling, or we are really angry. We are shy about who we are and feel unsafe to say anything. Maybe we fear being shamed. When making art in an atmosphere of exploration we don’t have to identify with the art. It comes from somewhere else. Its not us somehow, and paradoxically it is us. Art helps us to know more about ourselves.
Art and creativity help us gain awareness of what we feel about something and get to know ourselves through that. This is a well known fact. There are many programs in hospitals that give people a place to express themselves creatively. It is a way of being seen in all our pain and suffering. And even doctors who do it themselves get a lot out of it.
But what is it that makes it so useful?
I mean isn’t medicine enough and rest, why do we want to make people do more work? Well for some it isn’t work it is fun. Having fun is healing. We know a lot about laughter and humor and how it helps the self-healing process. Being creative is a way to balance the way the world tries to do everything for you. TV etc.
Not everyone wants to grow or know more about themselves. There is already too much we have to know. Information can be overwhelming. Through art and creativity we can learn to look for patterns and gain awareness about ourselves and our bodies. We have to keep making art even if we don’t understand it, because we get a lot of pleasure just by looking at something. One of the best ways to do it is with someone else or with a group. It helps us get inspiration and we can be a source of inspiration too. Often it is surprising what comes out both to ourselves and others. Our partners in art are often much more positive and less critical which helps us to fight our own inner critic.
How can we make time for it?
I know I struggle with that one. Especially if you are in a nine to five job and not already an artist or self employed. You can check Artist in the Office for ideas about making you office life more creative. Like anything you can make it a habit if you want. Think of it as doing your bit for the world. Art making can create an inner ecology that is warm and tropical not warlike and cold. Include art as you do your exercise, eat healthy for your bodies needs, find a way to make a living, have a career. I don’t know how you add it to your life. Just do it if you want or don’t if you don’t but find some way to express yourself that doesn’t involve abusing alcohol or drugs or fighting in your relationship.
Start with all those feelings there is no time for.
What’s bothering you. Take a minute to describe it. As I am struggling with a leaky basement, I imagine what it would say: “Fill up and float away”. I make a sketch and write a note or two about it. My sketch has a floating basement, sailing away, up and down, along the way….
How to use art and creativity as medicine?
What is medicine? Medicine is a substance that helps cure, alleviate or prevent illness; so medicine is so much more than taking a pill. It is about solving health problems. How does making art solve health problems? It is not hard to do but takes practice. It is like a meditation and helps you find solutions to difficult problems. Focus on your body and draw how it feels. Feel your symptom or body problem and let an image come up that represent that body feeling. Make a sketch or picture of that image and then have a conversation with it. Let the image/picture speak to you. This will give you a temporary break from your problems and increase your imagination. It will give you new ways of looking at the symptom and help you find more options and figure out ways to relate to your symptoms. Have the art facilitate and guide you in addressing the symptoms.
Making art can help alleviate the suffering we have around pain and body symptoms as we find new ways to express the feelings and engage in a dialogue with them. Making art can prevent things from happening by making it so we take notice of ourselves and our needs.
Processwork calls this inner work. A way of becoming aware of what is going on inside and checking up with ourselves. It is like meditation. Noticing how we feel, noticing what we notice. We can combine it with making art and have fun.
Have a look at Amy Mindell’s book for ideas The Dreaming Source of Creativity: 30 Creative and Magical Ways to work on yourself .
Tips on how to use art and creativity as medicine.
- have your symptom sing a song
- have your symptom make a drawing
- have your symptom write a poem.
Go to the Art of You Process Facebook page to see some examples of working with Art making.