Yes, more art, please!

Art is good for you. I didn’t need an article or government report to come to that conclusion – I already know this first hand. I think we all already know this. And for those who don’t, humour me for 60 seconds: please sit somewhere quiet, in an room void of any colour, any furniture except maybe a chair – I will give you that – void of any decorative objects, any music and any books. Tell me how you feel when you imagine what life would be like living in environments exactly like this. Empty, grey or white rooms.

I know the benefits first hand of making art – it’s positive for your mental health, sense of self and your self esteem, it helps makes connections and form communities, and it allows us to understand important social issues and share stories, as well as the proven physical benefit. “Going to an arts event or taking part in a cultural activity, even only occasionally such as every few months, confers an array of “significant” benefits that can include alleviating pain, frailty, depression and dependence on medication.” (From the article ‘Consuming arts and culture is good for health and wellbeing, research finds’, Denis Campbell, The Guardian, 17 Dec 2024).

Without art we would be living in grey boxes. No input to make life interesting, just doing. Mechanical and robotic.

I also know the benefits of not just making art but participating in art, and this 2024 report prepared by Frontier Economics for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, states just that. Participating in art – this could be going to a music concert, gallery or museum visit, reading a book, taking part in a creative workshop – can have huge benefits on your physical health and wellbeing. INSERT QUOTE.

I always remember reading a book at school which showed a photo of people in 1990s in the former East Berlin (the fall of the Berlin Wall being 1989, an event which connected the divided city of Berlin), painting old grey apartment blocks in vibrant colours and planting flowers on the rooves. (I’m sure I haven’t just imagined this photo. I wish I kept my secondary school German Studies text books.) Sometimes when I pass a grey, lifeless looking building, I imagine what it would look like painted and with nature growing from its surfaces. I instantly feel better.

Art is good for you. Being surrounded by art is good for your body, for your mind and for your outlook on how things could be. It creates possibilities. Surrounding yourself with art could even be pinning your kid’s drawings to your wall. Or your niece or nephew’s paintings. It could mean sticking your favourite postcard to the side of your computer monitor. Or listening to new or favourite music and imagine even dancing too. Eeesh! Creativity is available around us to take notice of and to transport us.

I hear some people try to say that art is a luxury and this is simply not true. Again, read the statistics in this report (though this is not the first report to find this. Look at these too https://ncch.org.uk/uploads/Introduction-to-Creative-Health-Extract.pdf and https://londonplus.org/creative-health-impact-framework/).

I think what people really mean when they say this is: art is something we should take for granted.

The mental and physical benefits of art tell us that art is essential for us as humans. It helps us make sense of the world and ourselves. I mean, we have discovered cave paintings, right? We’ve discovered hieroglyphics existed. We are natural born storytellers and story consumers. Art is they way we tell these stories.

The world is in a terrible state right now. We can’t ignore or deny this. But art can help tell important stories, it can disrupt the status quo and make change, it gives us a voice, it can help people see another perspective, it can connect people and it can give us some moments of joy and hope in the madness.

Though art doesn’t have to be serious or conceptual. You can like something because it makes you laugh or you simply like the colours used or because it makes you feel a certain way. You don’t need to be an art historian, a classical music expert or film critic to enjoy the thing. I always say: just think of looking at a picture when you were a kid and what would you as a kid say? Kids are pretty bad at lying, I have discovered.

In my own little corner of the earth, I am going to keep making art with a purpose of spreading some colour and joy, and sharing with people my observations of the world. Keep surrounding yourself with creativity in your own way.

In short: yes, more art, please.