Hello to everyone out there in the Do Art Nation! Hopefully your creative projects are going well, bringing joy to you and others!
Last year I listened to an audiobook on Jerry’s recommendation: Your Brain on Art. It was such an amazing experience that I decided to buy a paper copy and reread it. The book, by Johns Hopkins researcher Susan Magsamen and designer Ivy Ross (the VP for Hardware development at Google), discusses the emerging field of neuroarts, which seeks to both study the impact of art and sensory experience on consciousness, and to use art to improve well-being and encourage human flourishing. The book discusses how our brains process aesthetic experiences, and the many ways art can heal, educate, and bring meaning to our lives.
One of the core concepts, mentioned in the beginning of the book, is the “enriched environment.” The concept refers to the stimulation of the brain by its surroundings, and is deeply tied to studies on neuroplasticity–the ability of the brain to change and make new connections throughout its lifespan.
Simply put, test subjects exposed to a more stimulating, “enriched” environment–one that excites our senses and challenges our cognitive abilities in a positive way–allows the brain to make new connections more easily, and improve resilience to trauma and the aging process.
Art provides this stimulation in two ways. In the act of making art, we are able to challenge our problem solving capabilities and stimulate our senses. And the act of witnessing art, whether attending a play, looking at a painting, or reading a poem, engages our senses and allows us to approach the world around us in a new way.
Anyone who has looked at a painting they deem a “masterpiece,” understands that time seems to slow down when they are around it, that new ways of looking at the world seem to unfold within its colors and brushstrokes. Anyone who has engaged deeply in the act of making art, or crafting, or finding their “flow state,” understands the feeling of something that “comes out” of us, something learned but also seemingly unveiled, hiding until its moment to shine.
The more I do these workshops, the more I see the power, not only of making art, but also witnessing it, to enrich the world around us. I see what wacky, amazing things the human imagination can conjure–I see new ideas light up behind the eyes of kids at our workshops. And I see how much looking at the art of others can intrigue and inspire people of all ages as they make their own original, yet also collaborative, creations.
So remember to get in your positive stimulation for the week, Do Art Nation. You deserve it! Read a book, paint a picture, go to a library or a museum–and let us know how it goes!
