How Art Can Make You Happy

Works of art can give as much joy as being head over heels in love, according to a scientific study. So whether you’re creating your own art, or enjoying someone else’s, here’s how it may actually improve your outlook.

“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life” – Pablo Picasso

Art distracts you from other worries – it has the power to engage you so fully, bringing you into the present moment. When you get totally immersed in a creative endeavor, you may find yourself in what’s known as “the zone”. This meditative-like state focuses your mind and temporarily pushes aside all your worries.

Two Dancers On Stage 1877 by Edgar Degas 

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see” – Edgar Degas

Art builds self-esteem – Painting provides a challenge and opportunity to build skills. It is an activity with a tangible result and the more you practice, the more you can see improvement and feel a sense of achievement.

“I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” – Vincent Van Gogh

Art encourages creative thinking – it lets you come up with your own unique solutions and there’s a correlation between creative expression and positivity.

“I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint” – Frida Kahlo

Art reduces stress – studies show that both creating and observing art can reduce cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’. Doing something you love also releases endorphins – feel-good chemicals that combat stress and reduce pain.

“What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing. You wouldn’t be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought” – David Hockney

In Wimbledon, you’ll find exquisite fine art by world-renowned artists at Clarendon Fine Art, browse works by local artists at South Park Gardens pavilion, capture our artists at work in Cannizaro studios, spot emerging talent at Wimbledon College of Arts, zone in on your favourite artists with books from Wimbledon Books, or simply work on your own creative projects with art supplies from Wimbledon art shop Fielders.

So whether you choose to float amongst Monet’s Water Lillies, pirouette with Degas’s ballet dancers, or absorb the landscape with Hockney; exploring the styles, eras, and artists that evoke the best responses for you may just lead you to the discovery of a more content, positive and happier version of yourself.

Written by Flora Firth
Instagram: @feelgoodflora
Twitter: @feelgoodflora
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