‘I don’t know in advance what I am going to put on canvas, anymore than I decide beforehand what colors I am going to use. While I am working, I am not conscious of what I am putting on the canvas. Each time I undertake to paint a picture, I have a sensation of leaping into space. I never know whether I shall fall on my feet. It is only later that I begin to estimate more exactly the effect of my work.’ – Pablo Picasso.
Have you ever seen a three year-old kid play? The joyful and carefree expressions on her face make you want to be a child again. In fact, when it comes to art and creativity, being like a child should be your ultimate goal – fearless, colorful and candid.
Self-Expression and Emotions
Self-expression is a display of one’s individuality. It can be through words, painting, sculpting or even clothing. It means portraying your character in the truest of spirits. It is by expressing yourself fully that you can achieve true happiness and fulfillment.
We all have feelings and emotions. The best works in art and literature have been created by people who needed an emotional outlet – their creation served them with that outlet.
Not only in art form, emotional expression is also important in daily life. Alex Korb, a neuroscientist from the University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA) conducted an FMRI study to test if our brains benefitted when we expressed emotions.
Participants in the study viewed pictures of people with some kind of emotional expressions on their faces. The researchers wanted to check activity in amygdala – a part of the brain that deals primarily with emotional reactions.
When the participant named the emotion, it reduced reactivity in amygdala, minimizing the impact of the emotion. It was also found that suppressing negative emotions lead to greater stress and anxiety.
Creativity and Flow
Flow is the state of creation in which the person experiences an enhanced sense of focus, so much so that he does not have any sense of time and space. Whether it is reading an engrossing book or playing a piano, we have all experienced the state of flow at some point or another in our lives.
Self-expression in art bridges the gap between the conscious and unconscious mind. It is our way of converting our mental experiences in physical form. Although we do not know how to properly explain what we are feeling, we can try to do it by creating art.
Rekha Shrivastava, a hypnosis expert in Rochester, thoroughly understands the creative process. By employing effective hypnosis techniques, she helps people overcome their fear of expressing emotions. Contact her to learn more about her. She also offers Skype sessions for clients living outside of Rochester.
Sources
http://blog.smartrecovery.org/2016/06/07/self-expression-and-creativity-managing-feelings/
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