Snehal Patil
Aug 25, 2017 · 4 min read

Art for everyone

Why is art important? One would say it’s because visual appeal or the fact it beautifies spaces. But whats beyond that? The creation of art is where the essence lies. Generally the focus is on art as the final output, it is the process of making it is what makes it so powerful.

Everyone has an opinion on all the other forms of art such as music, literature or theatre. The moment one talks about visual art, people freeze. The irony of it all is, that painting is probably the only medium that doesn’t need any formal education, it takes nothing to splatter paints on a canvas! Thanks to the great abstract master artists, anything that you do will fit in some legit form of art. There has been immense history to art & painting. Art is considered as a gift, a mystery & a magic that only a few posses. While some forms of art require a basic set of instructions, painting is a medium where a person has the liberty to follow one’s heart. Though training in any art form helps, there is nothing you can do wrong, everything you do is going to create something; it is always a start. I remember being away from art for the longest time, life does that to you doesn’t it? In the middle of building a career and moving cities, the paintbrushes took a backseat. The day I opened a bottle of color 4 years back, I realized what I was missing out on, a part of myself maybe!

Art is a tool for self-expression. It is a medium that allows an individual to discover themselves. Any form of art, be it music, poetry, movies, etc transport you to a different world. Art in the form for painting is liberating & meditative. It makes you mindful. Grounds you in the present. The colors splashing, brushes swirling in paints on a canvas is a cathartic experience. Art has the power to heal; the power to fill the void in one’s soul.

Urban life is busy and chaotic, seldom leaving anytime for an individual to recover what is lost in the race for promotions and an insta-worthy social life. The ever increasing stress leads to decrease in our daily productivity that leads to more stress. Art helps to break this cycle, it allows the mind to relax and rejuvenate. The colors stimulate the brain to produce cortisol that increase productivity. Most importantly, it breaks away from the mundane life to refresh the mind.

Colours are a great tool to ace cognitive processes in children too. Each colour corresponds to a human emotion that can help develop a child’s emotional intelligence.Children often find it difficult to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary, art serves as an aid to allow children to express themselves. Painting largely helps develop the thinking ability in a child. It pushes them to experiment and not be afraid to try something new.

Art also aids to self confidence and building self-morale. The joy of creation helps with this. The process of painting has also been studies to reduce anxiety since it relaxes the nerves and helps the mind focus away from the triggering incidents. Even children with ADHD can benefit from painting and drawing on a daily basis. It also helps in building a positive self image for people who suffer from low confidence. Art also helps in bringing about behavioral changes. It makes it easy for an individual to work towards self reformation.

Having said this, how do we make art accessible? How do we get art out of classrooms? The module of Bombay Drawing Room works exactly towards it. It packages art into the most convenient form to make it available to people of all ages, of every section of the society and any educational background. Ideally workshops happen in cafes across the city to bring art to a more relaxed and familiar setting, to get the pressure out of creating something perfect and give you the start that you always needed!

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Written by

An Architect & Artist, the Founder of Bombay Drawing Room driven to make art accessible to the masses & believes that art is the only savior #artforeveryone

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