Everyday creative engagement matters

Most adults have grown up seeing or believing that art is product-based (everyone creates the same product following step-by-step instructions) and/or requires extensive training and expertise. Throughout life, the message is “don’t do art unless you’re ‘good’ at it”. However, there is robust scientific research that highlights the importance of creative pursuits and creativity on mental health, life satisfaction, general well-being and even disease prevention. When you think of the many reasons that so few children grow up to create art regularly as adults, much of this can be ‘blamed’ on the over reliance on product-focused art education over process-based. In fact, process-based art is accessible to all ages and populations. So, one way to encourage children, teens and adults to continue some pursuit of creativity and art is building a strong foundation in process-based art and exploration with art supplies.

If you are interested in reading more about the research surround this idea, consider the following peer-reviewed articles:

“Creative pursuits for mental health and well-being” (cultural/contextual origin in Indian and UK)

Article review: “The arts for disease prevention and health promotion: a systematic review” (framed for a global audience, original article only available by subscription)

“How Self‑Belief in Creativity and Well‑Being Is Associated with Life Satisfaction, Meaning in Life, and Psychological Richness: The Mediating Effect of Creative Self‑Efficacy” (based on sample of Chinese young adults)

“The art of being mentally healthy: a study to quantify the relationship between recreational arts engagement and mental well-being in the general population” (based on Western Australian adult sample)