19/05/2025
This week's class is a more focused look at the work of Pablo Picasso, and then having a go at using similar techniques to make our own pieces. If that sounds like fun, join me on Wednesday evening between 6:30PM and 8:30PM at Little Big Star, Anniesland. And, if it's your first time along, you'll be given a sketchbook that's yours to keep. More information in the photos!
According to a study by the University of Cambridge found that reflecting on the ‘beauty of art’ encourages “big picture thinking” - thinking abstractly - and what they called “transformative emotion” at an increase of 14%. In turn, this can help us process and escape from the ‘mental trappings’ of everyday human life.
Visiting a gallery or museum, and actually stopping to look at exhibitions, can boost the ‘ability to think in abstract ways and consider the “bigger picture” when it comes to our lives’* Looking at art and thinking about how beautiful it is helps us with anxiety, and induces what they call “psychological distancing” - which they describe as ‘zooming out on your thoughts to gain clarity.’
“Researchers found that study participants who focused on the beauty of objects in an exhibition of ceramics were more likely to experience elevated psychological states enabling them to think “beyond the here and now”, and more likely to report feeling enlightened, moved, or transformed.”*
“Visiting an art museum is not just a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, it may actually change how we think about our lives” - Professor Simone Schnall.
And for those participants who already had a creative hobby, the increase was 25% higher on average for abstract thinking. According to the study, “across all participants, those in the beauty group reported an average of 23% higher levels of “transformative and self-transcendent feelings” – such as feeling moved, enlightened and inspired – than the control group.”
And this is what can happen in a gallery (for example). But I think something similar is true for those who make art. And I mean all art - painting, printmaking, photography, making music, song-writing, poetry, storytelling, sculpture, dance, theatre, etc. As humans, we have the innate gift of expressing in abstract forms, but the problem is tapping into it in a society that has most people glued to their phones, laptops, and televisions.
Does art need to be “beautiful” to be ‘good art’? I don’t think so. Anyone who knows me in the regular world knows how I feel about art, and about how it doesn’t need to be ‘good’ right away. The beauty about making art, for me, is about practice and intention. The first time you make anything, it’ll probably not turn out the way you think! And that’s OK! It just needs to be fun. It can be better later.
If you want to try out making your own art - especially if you’ve never made art before - get in touch about my weekly art class at Anniesland on a Wednesday evening.
At the moment, this is my only class, but I can also offer a one-to-one session - and you can bring a friend along if you’d like - (for £25 per hour, with all materials provided if necessary) at a time that suits you. If that’s something you’d be interested in, please do get in touch. While the weekly class is more general, one-to-one sessions can be tailored to you and what you want to achieve.
I hope to see you soon.
(*Information and quotes from https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/artistic-beauty-abstract-thinking),
