A few weeks ago, I went for a walk with some friends. On our walk through the trails of Waukesha, WI, we found a bridge which held a treasure underneath it. Graffiti covered almost all of the open concrete, with each piece beautiful in their own special way. As I snapped pictures of each piece, I became inspired as a writer as well as an artist, to share the graffiti magic with others. Each piece I found inspired me and got me thinking about various topics that I do not think are touched upon as much as they should be. So, I found my purpose: to share my love for art and my opinions about various topics through my writing. This week we are talking about art as an outlet. (Stay tuned for the rest of my 22 part series!)
Okay, so art as an outlet... What does that mean? I am not talking about decorating the outlets in your home (although that can be pretty awesome and a stress reliever as well).
I am talking about using art as a source of positive venting in the crummy world we live in.
Kenneth Cole once said, "Everyone needs an outlet," and I completely agree. Everyone needs to find something that helps relieve stress and unwind after a suck-tastic day. For me, I have found that art works the best, but everyone is different.
Art has been found by many scientists to help those who are happy, angry, depressed, confused, and everything in between. It allows for their ideas to be shared with others and relieve some of their pent up feelings. Why do you think art therapy is so amazing? (If you have no idea what art therapy is, check it out!
But why do we need an outlet to begin with? That is a great question. The answer is, the world sucks (for the most part). We are surrounded by violence, anger, disagreement, and just hatred towards each other, and this fact makes mesick to my stomach. There are hundreds of cases that show that everyone reaches a point where they can't take it anymore and they snap. Them losing control results in murder, suicide, and other actions that can cause others to reach their breaking point. We have seen this across the news for decades in stories like Columbine, or any news story nowadays. But, what do we do so we do not snap?
Art. All you need is art. Whether it is pulling out a coloring book when you get stressed or doodling on paper when you don't want to be in class, art is helping you release whatever you are feeling and ultimately making you feel better.
So, if you think about graffiti as a release it isn't so bad, is it? I mean, as long as it is not just a tag or gang symbol, it was someone that wanted to create graffiti and express something and they did. Paint on concrete is almost the same thing as ink on paper. Their expression may even cause someone to see it and think, "my life isn't so bad. Look at what this kid is going through." Your stress relief could even help someone else.
Art is so amazing, but when you think about its healing powers it becomes even cooler. I guess you could say it is like a super power...?
