It is August and while COVID 19 has not gone away, the number of cases are staying stable and there is some hopeful return to some form of normalcy. Art can play a major therapeutic role during these times. Harvard Health Medical School in their article state “The beneficial effects of creating aren’t dependent on a person’s skill or talents. “It’s the process, not the product,” says Megan Carleton, an art therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).” They talk about how the process of creating art help people with depression, anxiety, or cancer. And doing so has been linked to improved memory, reasoning, and resilience in healthy older people. (Reference: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-healing-power-of-art)
Melody Roth provided me with a picture of her recent painting called “The Blues”. She said “This painting was created to bring me happiness. The Blues represent the lakes and sky and the dreaming mandala keeps me going on our future plans when we can travel safely again.” Certainly would make me happy.
While I have performed no official studies, I do know for myself that art provides me with focus and a means to redirect my thoughts when difficult times occur. It allows me to be fully absorbed in the process and vision, to take me to somewhere where I remember and feel and my senses become entrenched in the moment. And it’s where I can see, how nothing can become something.
Even prior to Covid19, my life had hit some turmoils and I had mixed times of not being about to create, to fully being absorbed in the process. During Covid, my home wasn’t just where I was deemed to go, but where I needed to be, and I fully appreciated the serenity it provided me. Day by day, doing what needs to be done, the next right thing. It’s strange how despite there having been so much distress in my life this year, that I could feel calm and restored with the routines of home. The regular and repetitive cleaning felt empowering. The morning walks at different locations around the lake, strengthened me and fed my soul. The tending of gardens helped nurture life around me. Each task was simple and enabled me time to grieve and time to absorb the essence of life and my environment.
Hence much of my COVID 19 art is all about home.
written by Betty Schriver
