Making Art Makes You Happier

Maybe art helps people heal because there’s no right answer.

It's officially October and I'm sitting outside at sunset. Geese flock and squawk overhead. Vermont's blue, grey, and purple silhouetted mountains are backlit by soft pinks and vibrant oranges.

It smells like shit.

I should probably clarify that I'm watching this particular sunset on farmland, and that this time of year is known as "spreading season." Which means covering swaths of land with compost (aka the artist formerly known as manure). Even so, this scene is a beautiful one, no matter how you slice it. But looking out over the cascading colors, I find myself disappointed. And not (entirely) because of the smell.

I want deeply to feel some sort of stunned admiration—to experience an idyllic "ah-ha" moment, like that of a main character from a blockbuster hit. But I don't. What I do feel is appreciation, though. I'm grateful. Proud of myself, even. Stopping and observing the world around me is something I've worked on so it's cool to notice it paying off.

I think art has a lot to do with it.

Creating stuff just offers a way to exist—visibly— for those of us who were taught to hide. It exposes your sense of self by expressing your point of view. It seems silly now, but I used to be pretty anti-art. I loved it, but told myself I couldn't. So I dreamed of it secret instead. But when I think of what people say about embracing art, I hear a lot of far-away-sounding intangibles. Think the "woo-woo" stuff that repels finance bros better than garlic with vampires during spooky season.

Anyway. Art evangelists say things like "anything's possible! You make the rules! Form any opinions and draw any conclusions you'd like. Play an endless round of 'what if?' based on all you know of 'what is.'" And, to their credit, they're right. But what I don't hear much of at all is how art will change you.

Nobody says things like "you'll feel less tired" or "art helps you empty your brain so you don't have to hold all that stuff." They don't say much about replaying something in your head for the sake of description rather than deconstruction. Or how art forces you to pay attention. Like, full attention. Creating art will make you care more about noticing things than about proving the things you know. And that feels fantastic.

When I was in elementary school, our band teacher gave out stickers that said "making music makes you smarter." I believe that. But I've also discovered since that making art will make you happier.

Our Daily MAP Year Prompt 
32/365

What kind of art do you do?

If you don't, could you?

onward.

-dmac