(VNF) - Painting and drawing are very accessible and interesting tasks to perform, many people choose to paint or draw during their free time. More than just being a leisure activity or a hobby, painting and drawing can benefit you in more ways than you can imagine.

1. Increase creativity

Painting and drawing would obviously trigger one’s imagination. They would create vivid images of houses, people, and places. People can even choose to portray their emotions and produce abstract art. As these would entail the creation of personal works, one would have to use his artistic skills. These activities would then play a beneficial role in the development of one’s brain.

Painting and drawing are very accessible and interesting tasks to perform. (Photos: Phi Yen)

For right-brained or artistic people, painting and drawing would be healthy ways of enhancing the creative skills that they already manifest. On the other hand, left-brained or analytical people can also stimulate their creativity and improve it.

The more analytical left-brainers can stimulate and nurture their creative growth by practicing painting as well. Practice and focus, two skills inherent in left-brain inpiduals, allow these people to learn creative skills at their own pace.

2. Better memory

Painting boosts memory recollection skills and works to sharpen the mind through conceptual visualization and implementation. People who frequently use creative outlets such as writing, painting, and drawing have less chance of developing memory loss illnesses when they get older.

Painting allows people to express their feelings and emotions without words.

On the other hand, the health benefits of painting and drawing are also enjoyed by those who experience illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease. Although they may have problems with their memory, enabling them to engage in painting and drawing can help boost their recalling skills. As they sharpen their minds through imagination and thinking, they may experience less complicated conditions of their illnesses. Thus, they may still enjoy a lot of activities in their lives in spite of their condition.

3. Nurture emotional intelligence

Artists pour out their emotions through the process of painting. This practice encourages artists to look at their own emotional state and take stock of emotions they may not even realize they have. Releasing emotions through artwork is a cathartic experience for many painters. In fact, even therapists suggest painting or drawing as a treatment path for patients who have suffered psychologically painful encounters. Letting out emotions by painting promotes healing through abstract emotional expression.

Taking up painting promotes a happy mood not only in the artist, but also in people around them.

Experimenting with different painting forms helps you understand what triggers feelings such as happiness, sadness, love, or anger. Often, the emotions you feel when creating this work project onto the people that view your paintings. Painters have the ability to bring others happiness, sharing their positive mindset with viewers. This skill makes painters better company for themselves and those around them.

While painting may not contribute much to physical fitness, the benefits to overall health are incredibly valuable. Given all the beneficial attributes to this artistic hobby, it is clear that painting builds strong mental health in inpiduals of every age. Taking up painting promotes a happy mood not only in the artist, but also in people around them.

Given these various health benefits of painting and drawing, it is clear that these activities can cause an increase in an inpidual’s emotional intelligence. In enabling one’s emotions to flow through art, one can create a better grasp of his varying feelings. One can experiment on feelings of joy, peace, love, and happiness while performing these tasks.

4. Enhancing interpersonal/ communication skills

Through the improvements in one’s personality and emotional stability, painting and drawing do not benefit a single inpidual but even the people around him. As the inpidual would be able to respond to the emotions felt by others, these people would also share the positive effects of art.

The inpidual who engages in doing such art can brighten other people’s days and help them cope with whatever difficulties they may experience. As he has more control of his emotions, he would be an excellent companion for the people with whom he interacts.

Another point in the long list of health benefits of painting and drawing would involve the opportunity to improve one’s communication with other people.

As art involves expressing one’s inner thoughts and feelings, he may project all these indescribable emotions through paintings and drawings. In using art to break free from personal limitations, inpiduals can surpass their weaknesses. These can include shyness, autism, and other disabilities.

5. Better problem solving skills

Aside from these benefits, people may actually be surprised that painting and drawing can also instigate the development of critical thinking and problem solving. In fact, painting and drawing enables an inpidual to realize that there can be more than one solution to a single problem. As they discover the artworks they can produce from a blank sketch pad, they develop the technique of thinking outside the box.

As they discover the artworks they can produce from a blank sketch pad, they develop the technique of thinking outside the box.

Painting and drawing would widen their perspectives on various situations. In effect, they would be able to address various tasks in a creative and very effective way.

In addition, motor skills improve when a person picks up painting as a hobby. Dexterously handling a paintbrush increases mobility in the hands and fingers. The fine motor skills that a painter develops eventually become mental shortcuts that the brain implements in everyday life.

6. Stress relief

When people create something beautiful through painting, they stimulate the creative mind while relieving mental strain. Releasing anxiety in the form of painting helps a person unwind and let go of all the pressures that plague the mind. A low stress level leads to a happier, healthier lifestyle and helps improve overall mental health.

Releasing one's stress can be very beneficial to reduce their risk of other physiological illnesses.

With the body and mind becoming more relaxed while painting, one can function better.

Additionally, creating these paintings and drawings would obviously lessen the negative emotions within an inpidual. This would be replaced by the positive thoughts and feelings as color and drawings would be exemplified. Of course, as one develops his skills in painting and drawing, these would produce very good results. Hence, this may make an inpidual feel good about his capabilities. These activities would boost his self-esteem and would inspire him to believe in what he can do.

Through these health benefits of painting and drawing, an inpidual may also develop optimism and feel happier through painting and drawing. With the body and mind becoming more relaxed, one can function better.

Knowing these benefits, it isn’t surprising to know that painting and drawing are highly recommended for an inpidual’s recuperation from painful events such as war and abuse (e.g. rape). In fact, many therapists include these activities in the schedules of their patients. They would encourage their patients to release their feelings./.

( VNF )