DARA DODSON FINE ART

May 03, 2019

KEEP CREATING ART EVEN IF YOU THINK IT'S NOT GOOD

An artist friend of mine shared a link on Facebook with a similar title, and of course I had to read it. It gave sound reasons why we keep painting, etc. and I will share them with you.

It said that "painting, sculpting, dancing, making music, and all other artistic pursuits have benefits that go far beyond pure enjoyment or cultural creation," They can "strengthen your brain and improve your mood."

This is from an article published in the journal ART THERAPY. Researchers found that after just 45 minutes of creating art, levels of the hormone cortisol, associated with stress, were reduced regardless of their prior art skills. Now that alone is enough reason for me to continue to paint! But, wait, there's more! Haha.. Below are the seven reasons:

" Making art may reduce stress and anxiety." The article said that Art is intrinsically linked to humanity. We don't see animals creating art, consciously anyway. Just looking at art is calming it said, but for me anyway, SOME abstract art is not calming at all. Another small study found that spending 30 minutes creating art, especially free-form painting was associated with reducing anxiety levels in college students before their final exams. AND, art classes are known to reduce stress and anxiety in caretakers. Now, it's a logical step for me to assume it reduces levels of stress in anyone. In some people they said, as few as five minutes of painting reduced the levels of stress.
"Creating visual art improves connections in the brain".
"Art-making can help us get over sadness"
"Mindless sketching can help us focus"
"Turning our problems into narratives can help us work through them"
"Playing music is associated with cognitive gains"
"Making art can help you achieve 'flow'"

Lately, I have been "running around like a chicken with it's head cut off" (if you've ever seen that, haha) keeping everything supplied for Poured Paint workshops. I had 10 people in my first one. The second had over 30, and now OCEAN ART GALLERY in Ormond Beach, FL has started scheduling classes. It's nice to watch people get excited when they realize they can create beautiful art without hours of work. It never ceases to amaze and delight me to see their smiling faces and happy laughter! So, I guess I will keep doing these workshops. I asked for feedback from students and have received some very nice comments! Be sure to ask for feedback if you ever teach a class it is very good for advertising. OCEAN ART GALLERY used those comments to advertise my classes! Some of the comments are below:

"You are a great teacher!" "Fantastic class" "It was so much fun" "It was informative, enlightening, and encouraged creativity at every level" one comment was quite long, but outstanding. I felt awed by it and this is just part of it: "We found Dara to be an excellent instructor who was well prepared and presented the workshop in a very professional way. She is that rare blend of excellent artist and excellent instructor. The presentation exceeded our expectations and was superior to the tutorials given by national professionals online." I felt very humbled and wonderful at the same time!

I have a few of photos of commissioned paintings. Some are shown in their new homes. Enjoy, and please let me know if there is any topic you would like to see a post on, ok?

BTW, be sure to check out my online store! It is the page called " AVAILABLE PAINTINGS".

Oh, and one more thing, I now post a new blog each Friday. Thank you for your patience, and Enjoy!