In these unprecedented times, the Coronavirus is causing panic, anxiety and uncertainty. Understandably, almost everyone is looking for ways to help calm their mind and improve their mental health and wellbeing. Perhaps, surprisingly, the art world is offering welcome salvation from the Coronavirus madness.
So, what benefits can art bring during an extraordinary time such as this?
Artists Are Less Likely To Catch The Coronavirus
If ever you needed an excuse to stay at home and paint, sculpt or create art in any other ways, it is this one. Statistically, being an artist is one of the safest occupations in terms of safety. Recent data has found that being an artist is the second safest occupation as artists are one of those least likely to catch the disease. Authors and writers come in third place, showing that creative jobs can help to keep your self-isolated and safe from exposure.
So, if ever you’ve dreamt of becoming a professional artist – now is the time to start.
Art Improves Your Health
Research has found that enjoying or creating art and fuelling our creative passions can actually improve our immunity. Those that enjoy being in the presence of art have the lowest levels of cytokine (a marker of inflammation) in their system. Consequently, low levels of cytokine mean the immune system can work harder to protect you from illness and inflammation.
Art can also help to improve your mental health while reducing stress and anxiety too. In fact, studies show that just 45 minutes of creative activity can help to reduce your cortisol levels (known as the stress hormones) in the body. Furthermore, this reduction of stress and anxiety will occur even if you have artistic talent or not. So, there really is no excuse not to start getting creative.
In this time of Coronavirus anxiety, many people are trying to absorb as much of the news as they can, which can lead to racing thoughts. These racing thoughts can lead to a spiral of anxiety and disrupt sleep patterns too. However, being creative puts you into a meditative and mindful state where you only focus on your creativity. This helps to control any racing or troublesome thoughts.
Just a few minutes of creative expression can help you to achieve a state of mental calmness and clarity.
Enjoy Art From Home
Just looking at art can help to normalise the heart rate, lower blood pressure and reduce stress levels that all improve our physical and mental wellbeing. Furthermore, it can help to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression. So, even if you don’t enjoy creating art, viewing art at home can really help.
Buy Art Online
If you find a piece of art you really like, your brain releases the neuro-chemical dopamine which triggers the same physical response as when we fall in love. So if you want to feel good while in lockdown, get browsing artists where you can buy art online. Now is the perfect time to fill your home with artwork which you really love, have a look at my current available works.
Use Social Media For Good
Instead of getting sucked into fake news about the Coronavirus, use social media as a space to relax and unwind. Following artists on Instagram, for example, will allow you to enjoy a snapshot of their artwork. By the end of the lockdown, you may find you’re a new fan of a particular artist and can then book trips to galleries which they feature at or upcoming exhibitions.
Enjoy Virtual Tours
As people are unable to visit museums and galleries at the moment, many museums and galleries are offering free virtual tours, so that you can get your art fix at home;
The Louvre – If you can’t make it to Paris, check out the three virtual tours that the prestigious Louvre is currently offering.
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art – This exciting gallery has plenty of virtual tours and online collections to enjoy. The Met 360 Project, for example, has six short videos that capture the iconic space of the Met in a brand new way. You can also listen to audio guides from the exhibitions too, so you can sit back and brush up on your art knowledge from the comfort of your own home.
The Dali Museum – Enjoy a virtual tour of the Dali Theatre-Museum in Catalonia. While it doesn’t showcase everything the museum has to offer, it does have serval rooms and exhibitions to enjoy through panoramic photographs.
The Google Art Project – This project offers a range of artwork to enjoy in high-resolution and detail. Google has partnered with thousands of cultural institutions to create this project and offers several virtual museum tours via Google Street View. Explore these important works of art and institutions today here.