Kaimal says modeling clay, for example, is wonderful to play around with. “It engages both your hands and many parts of your brain in sensory experiences,” she says. “Your sense of touch, your sense of three-dimensional space, sight, maybe a little bit of sound — all of these are engaged in using several parts of yourself for self-expression, and likely to be more beneficial.”
Feeling Artsy? Here’s How Making Art Helps Your Brain
A lot of my free time is spent doodling. I’m a journalist on NPR’s science desk by day. But all the time in between, I am an artist — specifically, a cartoonist.
I draw in between tasks. I sketch at the coffee shop before work. And I like challenging myself to complete a zine — a little magazine — on my 20-minute bus commute.
I do these things partly because it’s fun and entertaining. But I suspect there’s something deeper going on. Because when I create, I feel like it clears my head. It helps me make sense of my emotions. And it somehow, it makes me feel calmer and more relaxed.
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That made me wonder: What is going on in my brain when I draw? Why does it feel so nice? And how can I get other people — even if they don’t consider themselves artists — on the creativity train?
It turns out there’s a lot happening in our minds and bodies when we make art.
“Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy, remaining connected to yourself and connected to the world,” says Christianne Strang, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Alabama Birmingham and the former president of the American Art Therapy Association.
This idea extends to any type of visual creative expression: drawing, painting, collaging, sculpting clay, writing poetry, cake decorating, knitting, scrapbooking — the sky’s the limit.
“Anything that engages your creative mind — the ability to make connections between unrelated things and imagine new ways to communicate — is good for you,” says Girija Kaimal. She is a professor at Drexel University and a researcher in art therapy, leading art sessions with members of the military suffering from traumatic brain injury and caregivers of cancer patients.
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But she’s a big believer that art is for everybody — and no matter what your skill level, it’s something you should try to do on a regular basis. Here’s why:
It helps you imagine a more hopeful future
Art’s ability to flex our imaginations may be one of the reasons why we’ve been making art since we were cave-dwellers, says Kaimal. It might serve an evolutionary purpose. She has a theory that art-making helps us navigate problems that might arise in the future. She wrote about this in October in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.
Her theory builds off of an idea developed in the last few years — that our brain is a predictive machine. The brain uses “information to make predictions about we might do next — and more importantly what we need to do next to survive and thrive,” says Kaimal.
When you make art, you’re making a series of decisions — what kind of drawing utensil to use, what color, how to translate what you’re seeing onto the paper. And ultimately, interpreting the images — figuring out what it means.
Artistic Process
To create his signature collages, Carle painted acrylic on white tissue paper to achieve vibrant colors and patterns. Each piece was an abstract work of art that he could cut and use in a collage.
Prior to the mid-1980s, Carle used commercially available, pre-dyed papers, the colors of which quickly faded. Later he employed acid-free paper and methyl cellulose adhesive, rather than rubber cement, to ensure the longevity of his art.
Carle kept his painted tissue papers in flat file drawers, arranged by color.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Carle’s two versions of the purple cat from Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? demonstrate how his illustrative style evolved over time. His 1992 cat, constructed with vivid hand-painted tissue papers, has richer color variations and a more active pose.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? illustrated by Eric Carle and written by Bill Martin Jr. Illustrations © 1967, 1992 Penguin Random House LLC and text © 1967, 2007 Estate of Bill Martin Jr.
Purple cat illustration from 1967 edition of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Purple cat illustration from 1967 edition of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? illustrated by Eric Carle and written by Bill Martin Jr. Illustrations © 1967, 1992 Penguin Random House LLC and text © 1967, 2007 Estate of Bill Martin Jr.
Purple cat illustration from 1992 edition of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Purple cat illustration from 1992 edition of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Carle painted his tissue papers in bright acrylic colors. In the sequence below, he first made bold red strokes on a sheet of white tissue paper. Once dry, he added blue wavy brushstrokes, then yellow dots. In the final step, he applied black paint to a piece of carpet and printed patterns on the design.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
The images below demonstrate how Carle made a caterpillar collage. He used tracing paper, a utility blade, adhesive, and his painted tissue papers. With a crayon, he added the final touches.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Image courtesy of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
“There are many different media to work in. I just happen to like collage. I enjoy the process of gluing the pieces down in a picture,” said Carle. “I am very interested in details, brushstrokes in a painting, and textures. So the process of painting my tissue papers is very satisfying to me.”
