The mental wellbeing impact of adding a little bit of art to your life

“You don’t have to be good at art for the arts to be good for you.”

That is the mantra of University of Western Australia’s groundbreaking new Good Arts, Good Mental Health campaign, encouraging us to embrace the arts to enhance our mental wellbeing.

The campaign also recognises that art can mean many different things to many different people, so providing we do the art that makes us feel good, it can help us feel better on a day-to-day basis.

“When you say ‘art’ people think of painting or drawing, but the arts are so much more, including reading books, listening to music, singing, dancing, colouring, craft, photography, film, sewing, woodwork, attending concerts and live performances,” says Dr Christina Davies, Director of the UWA Centre for Arts, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Chief Investigator on the initiative.

“As well as being something we do for fun, entertainment or as a hobby, arts engagement increases happiness, joy, relaxation, confidence, self-esteem, and connection to others.”

And so we’re here today to help spread the word about the arts and how doing an ‘arts dose’ of just two hours a week can have a significant impact on mental wellbeing.

Whether you like to paint, listen to music on headphones, go to concerts, read a great book, take photos… There are no “bad” arts and no artform is better than any other, it’s really down to what types of arts activities you enjoy.

If you’re wondering where you can start or look for more ideas, the Good Arts, Good Mental Health five day challenge is an excellent resource.

It involves trying your hand at different creative activities, from simply listening to feel-good songs and taking snaps on your phone camera, to reading a few chapters of a book, settling in for a calm colouring session or having a go at origami!

All the activity instructions are available online at the Good Arts, Good Mental Health website – plus, each of the five challenges can be done for free, with no expensive gear or materials required to get started.

There’s no pressure, it’s more about exploring the arts activities that make you feel good, demystifying the arts and empowering you with new and impactful options to improve your mental wellbeing.

Head to the Good Arts, Good Mental Health website for more inspiration and to learn about how arts can be good for you!

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