Art Therapy: How Being Creative Helps Treat Mental Health

 by Brian Warriner

            I can speak from my experience that being a creative is healing. Whatever your medium is, you feel something when you are working with your hands or creating something. For me, when I was going through a dark time in my life, I turned to creative therapy. I had lost my job and was collecting unemployment, but I did not receive much. I was in school for massage therapy. I started making yarn wreaths, ornaments, and God’s eyes, and I was enjoying creating art. I gave these away as Christmas gifts because I could not afford to buy gifts. The fact that I did not have space for them.

            Years later, I wanted to learn to crochet and knit. I was given kits that taught me. I struggled with crochet because of the tremors I live with. Knitting has become an issue for me because of the tremors. I started to knit scarves, and I donated them to those who are less fortunate. I currently have over twenty-five scarves that I made last year in a vacuum-sealed bag that I am donating to Knit the Rainbow. An organization based in NYC that provides homemade knitwear to LGBTQIA+ Homeless Youth. This was an organization that came to me when I heard about it on social media. I wanted to knit more for them, but I have limited space, and these tremors make it difficult to hold the needles or the loom to knit. Donating my knitwear fills me with joy and purpose. I shared pictures of them on social media. I was also given an opportunity to knit baby blankets for babies born asleep. I researched the sizes that are needed. It was confusing because I could not figure out what was what. Then I had family members become pregnant, and I wanted to make baby blankets for them. However, I struggled to figure out the size and a suitable pattern. However, things happened, and I was unable to complete the blankets, struggling with the beginning.

            My mental health and being creative were something I found peace in. I would sit in my chair or in my bed, and I would knit, listening to my iPod. I would watch something on YouTube or another platform. I would knit and zone out, and it was just funny how the time would pass. Sometimes I would knit and feel myself fall asleep.

What is Art Therapy

            Now you might be thinking, What is Art Therapy, and why should I care about this?

            Art therapy is a mental health profession that includes art and creative making mixed with applied psychological theory, human experience, within the therapeutic relationship between the client and the art therapist. Art therapy is meant to enrich and treat their mental health issues (AATA, 2022). You create art and are given tools to allow your creativity to take you to that space. It is a space that those who are artists and creatives enter when they create. You cannot break them out of it. I call it the zone.

            When you are in the zone, time flies by, and you have created something awesome, whether it is painting, pottery, knitting, making soap, or whatever your heart's desire. The project may take some time to complete, but it is something worthwhile. Then you move on to the next project and so on. My closet is filled with the work that I created. I would like to have it professionally photographed for a collection of my work. When I can sell my artwork, then there will be a record of what I have created. However, I have in my will that some of my artwork, journals, writings, and copies of my books will go to the John A. Wilcox Archive at the William Way Center. I am doing my part to preserve my work for future generations. That is for when I am long gone from this world.

Benefits

            The benefits of art therapy are amazing. In the sense that it engages your mind to be creative, it allows you to tap into that space within that can cause an emotional response or expression. You look at the blank canvas and ask yourself, what do I need to release from this situation. Even pick out a color and use different shades of that color. Moreover, just let yourself go. When you are done, look at what you have created. You may feel many things at once; that is okay. However, you may feel stress relief, improved self-awareness, enhanced communication, and you will have support for your mental health (Scott, 2024).

            Art Therapy can also promote healing. It promotes healing by giving expression to emotions that are difficult to express in words (Himas, 2024) as you allow your art to be the words that you could not express. You create the art that represents what you are going through, your mental state, whether you are dealing with depression, anxiety, or your emotional state, whatever that state might be, it can reflect in your art. Is that what artists are striving for? The mirror in which we have experienced and lived our lives.

Connection Between Creativity and Mental Health

            When an individual engages in a creative activity, their cognitive flexibility starts to work. They engage in their problem-solving skills, experiment with the tools, take different approaches in their work, and take risks. As such, it enhances their general self-efficacy and contributes to their positive mental health outcomes. Being creative encourages the individual to think outside the box. When you explore innovative solutions to their problems and situations in life (Jean-Berluche, 2024). The tools you learn in your art therapy are transferable to your everyday life.

            Being creative gives you a new set of tools that allow you to move the pieces around and see how they fit differently. You learn the process and then make it yours by exploring from different angles. If you were not a risk-taker before, you will learn that a little risk is like taking a leap of faith. That may be the leap we need to create change in our lives, as well as with mental illness.

            Incorporating creativity into your life is relatively easy. There are many ways you can engage in art therapy or creative therapy. You can start a new hobby, such as diamond painting or knitting, express yourself through writing, listening to music, dance, or engage in crafting. However, you can also bake or cook (Center, 2025). If you do not want the treats to go to waste, consider donating them to first responders, schools, the elderly, or local churches. It is beneficial if you know the church is having a bake sale, you bake whatever and then donate to the bake sale. I do that with my knitting. The best thing is, if you are doing it for fun and you do not sell your items. Then, donate them to a cause, such as making hats and gloves for cancer patients or the homeless. There are many organizations out there that will benefit from your art and creative therapy.

 

 

References

Scott, F. (2024, January 12). How to Release Stress with Art Therapy. Very Well Mind.

            https://www.verywellmind.com/art-therapy-relieve-stress-by-being-creative-3144581

Himas, R. (2024, September 25). The Role of Art Therapy in Emotional Healing. Mental Health Centers.

            https://www.mentalhealthcenters.org/the-role-of-art-therapy-in-emotional-health/

American Art Therapy Association. (2022). What is Art Therapy? American Art Therapy Association.

            https://arttherapy.org/what-is-art-therapy

Jean-Berluche, D. (2024). Creative Expression and Mental Health. Journal of Creativity. 34(2), 1-6.

            https://doi.org/j.yjoc.2024.100083

Center, M.H. (2025, May 19). The Connection Between Creativity and Mental Health|

            Mental Health Center. https://www.mentalhealthctr.com/the-connection-between-creativity-and-mental-health/