The Science

What we do is often described as therapeutic, but you may be surprised to learn it's not Art Therapy (which is provided by people whose training and specialization is a little different from ours). We're not here to dig deep, therapize, or provide medical treatment-- that's outside our scope. Our theoretical framework, Arts in Health, focuses on the power of art to transport us to a more relaxed state.

Arts in Health is a growing professional field that uses science to help prove what we feel intuitively: participating in art is a great way to help people relieve stress and enhance wellbeing! The principles apply to everyone, not just people in healthcare settings. Individuals, workplaces, and other types of organizations are beginning to see the benefits of integrating art practices within their communities.

By choosing to make art, or by integrating arts programming at our institution, workplace, or within our community, we see

• Increased socialization and communication among participants
• Decreased feelings of isolation and loneliness
• Decreased feelings of stress and burden
• Increases in personal resilience
• Feelings of empowerment, and increased self-efficacy
• Diverse groups of people appreciating the abilities and perspectives of others
• Reduction of workforce burnout 
• Increased wellbeing

Some people believe they aren't artistic, that they can't draw, that they are bad at painting. Arts in Health Professionals help gently guide people to a place where none of that matters.

Following are some concepts we like to highlight.

Comparison is the thief of joy. Many of us have grown up participating in art contests, doing art as part of a school assignment, art with requirements or rules attached, or maybe with family members who criticized or tried to direct our creative endeavors. This is nothing like that! 

Let your art be for YOU, not for anyone else. It can be difficult to give yourself permission to spend time doing something that seems low on the priority list, or maybe like a waste of time... that's why it's important to have people like us! We give you the permission, the time, the space, and the support you need. Art is a wonderful form of self-care when you're allowed to enjoy the process.

Zero babies are born with artistic talent. Think of people you believe to be good artists. How did they get that way? It's likely they engaged in creative practice-- the more we practice, learn, observe, "fail", and try new things, the better we get!

Starting is hard. We know. We also know that with guidance, starting is much simpler, and that's exactly why our activities are designed to help you get going. With most of the activities, we use easily accessible art supplies or things you likely have in your home or office.

Excerpted from Kasey Marsh's Capstone Paper

 Important theoretical concepts related to creative engagement include flow (Csizksentmihalyi, 1996) and relaxation response (Benson, 1975). People taking part in art activities often experience feelings of “flow”, where they are “in the zone”, able to focus and create without worry or any real concept of time, on a challenging and enjoyable task  (Csizksentmihalyi, 1996). 

Benson describes the relaxation response, wherein a person experiences a physically restful state with several slowed metabolic measures (heart rate, blood pressure, breathing), which changes their reaction to stressors. Engaging creatively with an art activity can be a means for the artist to find both flow and relaxation, experiencing the physical and mental stress-relieving benefits.

Arts in Health emerged as a discipline in the late twentieth century, and its practitioners facilitate many different types of creative art experiences, with the goals of positive distraction and enjoyment; separate from diagnosis, disability, clinical treatment, or therapeutic interventions (Sonke, 2018, NOAH, 2017.). The field advocates for the use of many modalities to enhance the experience of patients, caregivers, staff, and the public (Lambert, 2016). 

Different from the training, credentialing, scope, and role of art therapist (who may focus on guided personal reflection, psychoeducation, or behavioral health outcomes), the artist in healthcare provides recreational engagement in the creative process, empowering participants to support their own well-being in a self-directed manner (Van Lith & Spooner, 2018, NOAH, 2018, Yoeli & McLusky, 2020, Sonke, 2018).

 A 2017 study by Ennis, comparing programs facilitated by art therapists and non-art therapists, concluded that anxiety reduction was strongest in those programs led by non-art therapists, highlighting the value of art-making itself. Art’s effectiveness as a means of relaxation and distraction, art for art’s sake, is different from art activities intended as treatment or therapy (Yoeli & McLusky, 2020). Other disciplines coexist alongside arts in health, for example the creative and expressive arts therapies, recreational and occupational therapies, and humanities (Sonke, 2018). The artist seeks to offer a broadly improved, holistic experience (Sonke, et al., 2009), and is the catalyst for a person’s enjoyment of the artistic process and all the benefits that brings.

Through the process of arts engagement, people form meaningful relationships, finding importance in doing something of value for themselves and others, gaining confidence (Stickley, et al., 2018, Van Lith & Spooner, 2018, NOAH, 2017).  That sense of community is fostered by the intrinsic nature of group art activity, as significant relationships are developed among participants, and between participants and the artists (Stickley, et al., 2018). In times of personal crises, art can serve as a tether to humanity, a means of expression, of social engagement, a source of empowerment, and a way to enhance well-being, all of which contribute to an overall improvement in quality of life (Van Lith & Spooner, 2018).

Studies have linked art participation to improved health outcomes, including physiological changes. Kaimal, Ray & Muniz found in a 2016 study that levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, were significantly reduced during art-making sessions. Their research subjects conveyed experiences of relaxation, enjoyment, self-exploration, and the phenomenon of flow (Csizksentmihalyi, 1996), happily engaging in the work of creativity.

Bolwerk, et al. found that the production of visual art showed, through brain imaging (pre- and post- activity), a positive physiological change in resilience indicators, attributed to the “development of personal expression and attentional focus on self-related experience” required to complete the activity (2014). Participants in a study by Sapouna & Pamer voiced appreciation for the opportunity to hone their abilities to concentrate and focus on problem-solving skills during art participation (2016). This creative escape, flow, and burst of confidence can bridge gaps and enhance one’s sense of motivation. 

Hop on over to our Resources page and journey down the Arts in Health rabbit hole.