Photo by Wokandapix at Pixabay (CC0 1.0)
Making art can bring you joy and entertainment for yourself and others. This can be any form of art – paintings, drawings, stories, poetry, music, dance and so on. However, it isn’t just fun! The act of creating can also strengthen your brain and bring some serenity to your daily life.
Getting creative is a form of escapism. It can have a calming effect on your mood, which can help if you are feeling stressed-out or anxious. Art can also help you work out your feelings. If you are faced with a problem or are even having a bad day, focusing on painting or drawing can clear your thoughts and distract you, whilst giving your mind time to process and reflect subconsciously.
Sometimes, a better way to think about worrying things through is to write down your problems in order to help put things into perspective. Sometimes this is best achieved through diary writing, but even if you just write down something that’s bothering you, it can make you feel better to get it down on paper or screen, as doing so can give you a sense of control. Every now and then, this can even help you find a solution or at least a starting point to make things better.
You can make art a part of your private life; a time for you to be alone and recharge. Alternatively, it is also a great thing to do as a group – you can help each other with the art process, socialise, and generally lift each other’s moods in a positive environment.
Even if you think you’re no good (which is probably not true), do it! You don’t need to show anyone what you make, it can just be something you do to make you feel good and relax.
If you want to have a go at creating more art, but are not sure where to start, why not have a look at Bangor’s arty societies, clubs and their Instagram pages. Here are a few to start you off:
Bangor Arts Society – @bangorartssociety
Bangor Craft Society – @bangorcraftsoc
BU Dance – @budancesquad
Bangor Film Society – @bufilmsoc, plus their YouTube account: ‘bufilmsoc’
Bangor Music Society – @bu_musoc
