What does painting mean to me? Painting has been a passion of mine that started at school and it is something I do almost everyday. I find it peaceful yet exciting at the same time. When I have finished it gives me a sense of accomplishment and something new to hang on my wall. Painting isn't something I have to force myself to do. For me painting gives me an escape from the real world and just for a moment I can forget all about the other stressors in my life. When I paint I get to express my creative side and further develop my artistic skills. I love mixing the different colors, experimenting with different types of paints like oil, acrylic, water colored etc. I particularly like painting landscapes or a pretty flower or butterfly, basically anything outside where I can add texture to the painting. However I also like painting famous quotes and then hanging them up on my wall to help motivate me to achieve my best. Painting is something I love and I will happily continue doing this throughout the course of this paper. It will be very beneficial for me to set aside some time to paint as it is simply for the purpose of self-enjoyment and will help me to relax and reduce the stress in my life.
Practical considerations: I definitely will be able to paint for two hours a week, in fact once I get started it is hard for me to put the paint brush down. All I will have to do is stay organized and on top of my study and then I will easily find time to paint. Other considerations I will need to take into account are money and where I am going to paint. Being a student and constantly on a budget I definitely have found it hard to afford all the different types of paints, varying sized brushes, canvases and paint pallets that painting generally requires. However I have found buying things online and in bulk can be a lot cheaper, also birthdays and Christmas’s are always a good opportunity to ask for new paints and brushes. Currently I have enough supplies to paint for the rest of the semester however I will have to purchase some canvases from the warehouse, as I prefer painting on these. I will be using acrylic paint as it is cheaper, versatile and can be mixed with water to look very much like watercolor paints. I have decided to paint in my room or outside our flat when it is a nice day. I will have to put down plenty of newspaper otherwise I am not sure how happy my landlord will be if he finds paint all over the carpet.
Used in OT? Occupational therapy practitioners have been using expressive arts as therapeutic modali- ties since the turn of the twentieth century. (Lynch, 1996). Such modalities have been used for the “management of pain during recuper- ation, the redirection of the wandering minds of elders, and the diversion of self indulgent thoughts of depressives”(Levine, 1987). The main purpose of expressive art therapy is to contain the client’s self-identity in the product, as well as, “help individuals interpret images for insight, problem solving, and conflict resolution”(Malchiodi, 1999). Studies have shown there can be a direct connection between painting and a reduction of stress levels. Clinical art therapy is commonly used by therapists to encourage self-expression and improve communication between the therapist and a patient who is suffering from a severe mental health condition. Similar benefits can also be gained by individuals affected by anxiety or stress by expressing their creative side and developing painting skills.
The Positive Effects of Painting
One of the main reasons that art therapy has proved to be successful is due to the accumulative effects of several well known key benefits associated with the act of painting. These benefits include self-care, distraction and flow: Self-care means taking care of yourself and taking part in activities purely or partly for the benefit or your own well-being. Merely the act of finding new a hobby can make a person feel more well-balanced in their lifestyle. It is sometimes easy to forget – with all of the responsibilities in life – that most people need and should have some ‘me time’. Dedicating some time on a regular basis to painting can help this to be achieved. Painting and creating art is a good way of distracting your thoughts from whatever is causing your stressing or anxiety. The distraction is of course only a momentary effect, but many people find that the relaxation gained during a painting session enables them to have a clearer line of thought, which later helps them deal with problems and help put them into perspective. One further benefit of painting to relieve stress, as it can often enable a person to achieve a positive state of mind known as “Flow”. This is a state of mind, which occurs when an individual involved in an activity is totally immersed with strong feelings of involvement and focus. (Reso, 2009)
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
Lynch, R.T., Chosa, D. (1996). Group oriented community-based expressive arts program- ming for individuals with disabilities: participant satisfaction and perceptions of psychosocial impact. Journal of Rehabilitation. 62, 75.
Levine, R.E. (1987). The influence of the arts-and-crafts movement on the professional status of occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 41, 248-254.
Malchiodi, Cathy, A. (1999). Art Therapy, Arts Medicine, and Arts in Healthcare: A Vision for Collaboration in the Next Millennium. International Journal of Arts Medicine. 6, 1316.
Reso, K. (2009).
Relaxation Haven: Painting to Relieve stress. Retrieved from: http://www.relaxationhaven.com/tips/painting-to-relieve-stress/
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