Many people view and appreciate artwork in different ways and for different reasons. For most, art serves its purpose as providing a piece of beauty to decorate homes, offices or public environments. As well as being aesthetically pleasing, some people buy original art to form a social centrepiece, providing a talking point for guests and visitors when visiting a home.
Some people consciously seek out art to challenge their existing ideas and norms, with many creatives using contemporary art as a way of expression, rather than creating something that is pleasing to the eye.
It is interesting then to think of art as being anything other than an item that is appreciated for its beauty, but recently a worldwide trend has seen art and creativity used for another purpose – for stress relief.
Everyone making art
Starting out originally as a niche product, adult colouring books soon became commonplace on the shelves of mainstream bookstores, magazine shops and many other lifestyle stores far and wide. More and more, adults have been embracing their creativity and spending their free time picking up a pencil and creating their own pieces of therapeutic art. So many pencils have been picked up, that leading pencil manufacturers have warned of a global pencil shortage!
Many contemporary artists who create intricate line drawings have also released their own colouring books for the older generation. Recently, Illustrator Jessie Kanelos Weiner created colour ready line drawings using visual inspiration from singer Beyonce’s new album ‘Lemonade’. If that wasn’t enough, iconic fashion magazine Vogue have even released their own version, awarding colouring books with the ultimate chic status.
Why the colouring craze?
Any creative process can have great therapeutic effects, allowing the mind to be stretched in different ways to normal and creating a form of expression like never before. Many of the creative minds who sell their artwork online via Art2Arts also use their specialism to express themselves, and it is this which inspires their work! Colouring books in particular, due to high levels of concentration on one simple task, have taken off because worldwide of their noted calming effect.
Art used in therapy
Perhaps the mainstream craze for adult colouring books is an insight into the increased stresses and pressures of modern life, and is a way for the general public to ‘self-medicate’ and cope with troublesome times.
Beyond this however, the positive effects of engaging in creative practices and the production of artwork is commonly used as therapy for people experiencing trauma or illness, and equally as successful with patients old and young.
Through the act of creating art, considering medium and planning the production process, people can increase awareness or the self and others, as well as improving their cognitive skills greatly.
Next time you head to Art2Arts to buy original artwork online, take a moment to consider the possibilities of fine art, and the positive impact creativity can have!
