Art For Healing: How art can help you cope with anxiety and depression— Shalini P. Sawkar

Is there something you’re itching to get your hands on, but it isn’t coming to you despite your repeated efforts? Are feelings of despair and worry bogging you down? Has the monotony of life got the better of you? Do you feel as if you’re living the same day over and over again, and now you don’t even have the energy to change it?

In today’s world, we all move through uncertainty and change, sometimes on a day-to-day basis. Often, without our knowledge, a variety of unhealthy feelings seep into our system and threaten to leave us with drained hopes and energies. And before you know it, it could lead to anxiety and depression.

One of the best means to combat this or allow this feeling to pass and create a healthy shift in our mood is to tingle the creative part of our mind. Art is one of the easiest methods to let our creative essences emanate. It has a sort of calming effect on us. Therapeutic for sore eyes, art replaces anxiety, depression, or any unhealthy feeling with bliss.

Perhaps you’re an artist and already know this, or you’re dabbling with paints for very the first time, art will uplift your mood. And it’s got nothing to do with how good or bad the piece of art has turned out to be. Art isn’t about painting the perfect landscape or portrait; it is about embracing your uniqueness and to some extent going with the flow. And that’s why there are so many different ways of creating an artwork. You could try colour pencils, crayons, oil paints, oil pastels, poster paints, acrylic paints, charcoal, and if you want something unconventional you could go for alcoholic inks. Just applying a coat of base paint on a large canvas can help you feel better. As you complete the coat, you will realize that you’re in a better frame of mind than when you started, and thus you can go back to your day with a new perspective. In a way, it helps us make peace with our thoughts.

One of the most effortless painting techniques that I have tried until now is a technique called ‘Pour Painting.’ In this technique, you mix two or more colours in a small glass and pour it over the canvas. It really is that simple! And I wouldn’t have learnt it, if not for my sister, Soumya P. Sawkar. She makes landscape and abstract arts using oil, acrylic and alcohol ink paints. If you want to learn such easy and fun painting techniques, you can follow Soumya P. Sawkar (Artizire) on Instagram or watch her Youtube Channel.

Instagram: @artizire

https://www.instagram.com/artizire/

Youtube Channel: Artizire – Soumya P. Sawkar

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbCLHSYa3T6TdJtX_1ZI9yg

Below is an acrylic pour painting on canvas that my sister helped me create. I call it ‘The Swirling Skies.’