Art as Therapy: How Creativity Healed During Lockdown

The Unforeseen Comfort in Art During Trying Times, Art as Therapy: How Creativity Healed During Lockdown

Lockdown in 2020 was like stepping into an unknown realm where everything we knew was upended. As routines dissolved into the chaos, and an omnipresent fear took hold, many found their mental health plummeting.

I was among them, navigating the storm with words as my compass—poetry and stories were my go-to since my daughter’s infancy. Yet, lockdown severed the ties to my creative sanctuaries.

The Accidental Discovery of Artistic Solace

It was a project I started when in some bizarre way I had 10 mannequins in various forms from full torsos with heads to just half torsos both male and female.  I had no idea what I was going to do with them.  I bought some acrylic paints and lamps.  I had seen mannequins turned into lamps online but still had very little idea what I was going to do.  One evening with a glass of wine and nothing to do I mixed up some paints and got a half mannequin male torso, I poured the paints in random places and let the paint do its thing.  I have since created over a dozen of these mannequin art lamps and light installations much like the pieces shown here. Crafting these mannequin art lights became a tranquil ritual, each stroke a conversation with my younger self, drawing me fully into the now.

This serenity blossomed into a full-fledged art pursuit—acrylic pour painting on canvas. The methodical mix of hues, the canvas tilting to guide the flow, the techniques like ‘dirty pours’—all of it held me in a meditative embrace, a sanctuary amidst the chaos.

With each piece, a sense of healing took root. Art was my anchor in the roiling sea of the pandemic.

The Healing Power of Art: A Scientific Perspective

My foray into art for comfort mirrors research that illustrates the mental health benefits of creative expression. Art therapy has been shown to aid in managing conditions such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD, while artistic activities are increasingly used in treatments for Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The science is becoming clear: art has a remarkable ability to mend the mind.

The process is transformative; creating from nothing, achieving a flow state, engaging the emotion-centric frontal lobe, and the balance of logic and creativity—all foster a therapeutic harmony of mind.

Artmaking is a rhythmic, meditative act; it’s about turning the intangible into something concrete—a journey that builds self-assurance and emotional clarity.

The Consoling Verse: Poetry in Hard Times

Parallel to the visual arts, poetry has been my steady companion through life’s tumult. It’s been a conduit for the intense emotional landscape of parenthood, a way to digest and gain perspective on complex feelings.

The art of verse—its metaphors, its rhythm, its voice—is grounding. During lockdown, it offered a connection to others through shared experience, be it through timeless classics or contemporary works.  I have now published three books of poetry, one children’s short story as well as a cookbook.  I write every day in one way or another.

Advocating for Art in Mental Wellness

Art is not just an act of creation—it’s a means for humans to decode the chaos of existence. My pandemic journey reaffirmed the notion that mental health is an integral part of our identity.

Art supplies, just like healthy food and exercise, should be staples in our wellbeing arsenal. Art is a sanctuary for empathy, for exploration, for being truly present.

Post-lockdown, I persisted with the practices that became my solace. The vibrant mannequin art lights, reminiscent of my journey, remain a testament to this period. And I continue to spill my thoughts onto pages, a reliable companion through life’s ebb and flow.

With all its trials, this era has reinforced art’s essential role in our well-being. May we all come out of this with a deeper appreciation for the creative spirit—a cornerstone, not just for pleasure, but for our very survival.

So, embrace that paintbrush, that pen, that instrument. Allow art into your life, and you may just uncover new avenues of healing and fulfilment.