A few months ago, Neil Gaiman released a collection of essays and other works of non-fiction. This work, called The View From The Cheap Seats, was hotly anticipated by many fans, myself included. I was lucky enough to have a copy gifted to me, by a then-stranger (Steve Cleff, a kind human being and an amazing artist). The work is filled with insightful, interesting, and sometimes humours essays and observations on the world. However, the main draw for me, and the work I re-read time and time again, is Make Good Art. Make Good Art is the text of a commencement speech given by Neil Gaiman in 2012. The whole speech/transcript is filled with quotable phrases, but one in particular stands out:
Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life an din love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do.
Make good art.
Gaiman continues to explain what many of us have learned, that making art is therapeutic. Making art is transformative and political and non-political and distracting and attention-calling. But above all else, making art is healing.
Making art doesn’t necessarily mean painting a canvas or writing fantastical works of fiction. The beauty of art is that it’s subjective: you get to decide what is art and what is not. For some making art is knitting a beautiful scarf or completing a complex cross stitch. For others it’s up-cycling comic books into jewelry and gift boxes. Others still find that they make art by coding or graphic design. The power of making art is in the creation of a Thing. It can be any Thing – a painting, a doll, a cat toy, a website, a program, a drone, or a mathematical formula – the healing, transformative factor is that only you could have created it. Without you, the Thing would not exist. That sense of pride is just one of the many benefits of creating.
Improve Your Mood
Crafting or creating has been scientifically proven to improve your mood. Being actively engaged in a creative act releases a chemical called dopamine, which stimulates the pleasure centre of your brain. Creating a Thing, regardless of what it is, inevitably makes you feel happier. The positive effects last beyond the initial act of creation and extends far into the future. Viewing your completed project and hearing feedback about will also result in the same release of chemicals.
Creation is also a fantastic way to distract yourself. Finding a way to break the cycle of negative thoughts that so many of us experience can be difficult. But when you introduce the idea of creation, it makes it a bit easier to distract yourself. For some people repetitive crafts such as knitting, crocheting, and weaving are the best way to avoid those negative thoughts. For others, focusing on a craft that involves a lot of attention such as mixed media art helps to avoid those negative thoughts.
Learn Mindfulness The Easy Way
YouTube
Creating a Thing involves concentration, planning, execution, and attention. It requires that we stay in the here and now, focused completely on the task at hand. This is the very definition of mindfulness. Staying present in the here and now, without letting yourself become distracted by worries about the future or regrets about the past can be a very hard skill to learn. However, engaging in a pleasurable hobby that incorporates elements of mindfulness can trick your brain into acquiring that skill.
Mindfulness is an important aspect of mental health. It reminds us to remain present and to enjoy our lives as they happen. Individuals who are skilled at practicing mindfulness are happier and feel more engaged in everyday life. It can be hard to push out fears for the future and worries about the past, but with enough practice, it can be done. Using a pleasurable hobby to trick your brain into being mindful is an excellent approach. Not only does it make staying present that much easier, but it also helps you associate being mindful with an enjoyable activity.
Keep Your Brain Sharp
Marvel
Engaging in any type of creative activity is fantastic for your brain. Artistic or creative tasks have been shown to help individuals recover after trauma, stress, or brain injury. Creating a Thing stimulates the part of your brain that produces neurons, which keeps your central nervous system healthy. Research has also shown that creation-based projects can help prevent or delay the development of cognitive issues.
Creation-based activities can boost your brainpower in other, smaller ways as well. Regardless of the final product, making a Thing involves planning, following directions, and processing information. When repeated often enough, these skills can become second nature. Making art, however you choose to make it, also improves your problem solving skills.
Reduce Stress
Marvel
For many people, creation is one of the biggest stress relievers available. Making art involves some aspect of losing yourself to the project. Focusing all your attention and energy on an enjoyable task can help you face the world with a renewed energy. In turn, this makes anticipated and unanticipated stress so much easier to manage.
While this is true of any hobby, making art is particularly beneficial to those seeking stress relief. The final outcome of that hobby is a Thing that you can be proud of creating. Recognizing that you have a talent and that you are able to turn nothing into something can be a powerful way to reduce stress.
Inspire Yourself And Others
Geeky Hostess
Art inspires art. Creating a Thing and releasing it into the world will inspire others to do the same. A poem can inspire a song which can inspire a painting that could inspire someone to create a video game. Seeing others successfully create their own Things is sometimes the only push we need to start creating too.
Those actively engaged in crafts and other forms of art making will also find that they inspire themselves. Art does not exist in a solitary state – artists and creators are always finding new ways to challenge themselves and grow in their field. Rereading a poem you wrote years ago or revisiting an artistic work can inspire you to create something new. Knowing that you have the power to turn an idea into a tangible object is inspiring.
Do what only you do best. Make good art.
Watch Neil Gaiman deliver the speech below:
