I remember a time when art was my favorite class of the day, but the availability of art in public schools has drastically decreased. Although it is important to provide education in the STEM fields, art can mean something more to those who connect with it.
At my high school, art was not an option as an elective. It was a lower-budget school, but none of the schools in my county had art electives, and there were a lot of people that I knew who enjoyed art. We just didn’t have an outlet or a place to learn more and immerse ourselves in the world of art.
The lack of art in schools, especially in formative teen years, got me thinking. Sure, everyone should identify their demons and learn to deal with them in a civilized way. There is nothing wrong with talking it out with someone, especially during confusing teenage years when even your thoughts have thoughts.
For those who don’t like talking or who are better with something like art or writing, art therapy is the way to go.
My teenage sister has always had trouble communicating her emotions to people, so she started doing art therapy, which she endearingly calls art class to avoid the stigma that comes with therapy (which I think is dumb, but that’s another topic for another time.)
She enjoyed it, and for the first time she felt like she could express everything she was feeling to this person who sat across the room and drew with her. Her drawing and painting skills were impressive to begin with, but her art became cleaner and less scattered. She wants to be some sort of artist when she is older.
Recently, she has begun to seem more calm and organized. Her maturity, attitude and outlook paralleled the improvement in her art. She takes part in the art elective available at her high school, but she credits the improvement in her six months of quality of life to her art therapy sessions.
She said she no longer goes to “art class” each week because she hasn’t needed it lately. She said her casual art has been able to let her express herself and have the freedom she so longed for before.
It’s like if you went to a therapy session and learned breathing methods to calm daily anxieties, except paint is involved.
According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapy benefits those who have been through emotional and physical trauma as well as those with social disorders and terminal illnesses.
The AATA says that, “Art therapy helps people resolve conflicts, improve interpersonal skills, manage problematic behaviors, reduce negative stress and achieve personal insight. Art therapy also provides an opportunity to enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of art making.”
With this different approach to therapy, perhaps people can take that step to get help or find an outlet. Creating is good for us as people, so partaking in and supporting art therapy is a no-brainer.
If art was more available at a young age, maybe more kids could grow into art-loving adults who have somewhere productive to release their angst. There would be something for them to find meaning in, especially if they are not STEM-inclined.
If you want to get into art therapy, there are many organizations and websites out there like AATA that can get you started. It only takes a little creativity.
Myia Hambrick is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Temple, Georgia.