Make art your new year’s resolution!
Making art a part of your new year’s resolution can be more beneficial than you think.
A new year usually comes with people making new year’s resolutions to better themselves. Have you ever thought about how the arts can help better yourself in a way that is more enjoyable than hitting the gym everyday? A scrippsamg.com article about art and mental health says “Art can be tremendously beneficial to your health and contribute to overall happiness and mental well-being…spend a day doing something fun while improving health and quality of life for you and your loved ones.” Here are a few art ideas that might catch your eye that you might want to try this new year!
Painting
It sounds intimidating at first but painting is so relaxing and it can be a lot of fun! Depending on the type of paint that you like to use, the experience is so different but either way it’s enjoyable. Watercolors are some of the easiest to find at a cheap price but using watercolor paper makes a world of difference. Acrylic and oil paints are also fun but some find them intimidating. If you want to try painting but don’t know where to start, going to a painting class can be beneficial. Plus, painting with others is always a blast, just remember not to take it seriously and enjoy the process!
Coloring
It sounds simple but it is also very stress relieving. Having that nostalgia of finding that perfect coloring book and finding that inspirational picture to color with crayons, pens, pencils or markers can help take your mind off of something that is stressing you out and give your brain a rest. Plus, now looking at it from a different perspective, you can really make the images cool with designs and shading. If that requires too much thought, then coloring in the lines works just as well!
Writing
A form of art that is more underappreciated but it can really help if you want it to. Journaling about your day with the good, bad, and ugly can help clear your head of all the negativity that could have happened throughout the day and also realize the positives that also happened. Releasing your stress in a creative way by writing what is bugging you as a poem will not only release those feelings but you’re doing it in a creative way which is also having your brain be actively thinking about something other than the stress.
Cooking and Baking
Yes, cooking and baking is an art, and it’s art that you get to make and then enjoy afterwards. There is just something about putting the work into something and watching it transform in front of your eyes into something that is delicious. Not only could you cook or bake for yourself, but you could also share with others. For all you know, the giving of a few home cooked goods could make their bad day into a good one.
Sewing and Embroidery
Again, something very intimidating at first but once you get the hang of what you are doing the reward is the best. Being in your own head space focusing so much on this one thing, can take away anything else that you were thinking about. It’s almost as if you are in your own little world and everything around you just isn’t there. Plus you get the satisfaction of seeing the end result of something that you made yourself.
There are so many other arts activities to explore, and that is part of the fun of art trying different things until you find the things that work for you. Do something that will benefit you and your mental health in the new year, never know you could just find the hobby that you have been looking for.
