npr:

Whether it’s woodworking, sewing or sculpting teeny cupcakes out of bright purple clay, making art is good for your mind and body.

The act of creation can reduce stress and anxiety and improve your mood, says Girija Kaimal, a professor at Drexel University and a leading researcher in art therapy. And flexing our creative side can give us a stronger sense of agency — the ability to solve problems by imagining possible solutions.

Making art can also feel pretty awesome, she says. Engaging in any act of visual expression activates the reward pathway in your brain, “which is perceived as a pleasurable experience.”

Artists say they often feel those positive vibes when they work. Trinidad Escobar, a Filipino American graphic novelist and poet based in Oakland, Calif., says that drawing “feels like a superpower.” And Liana Finck, a cartoonist for The New Yorker, says sharing her art with an audience is “the most cathartic thing in the world.”

But you don’t have to be a full-time artist to get in on those health benefits, says Kaimal. All you need to do is just make art. And the more you do it, the better. 

Making Art Is Good For Your Health. Here’s How To Start A Habit

Image: Malaka Gharib/NPR