Do I Have to be an Artist to Heal Through Creativity?
Creative expression has been used in cultures throughout history for growth and healing, and it’s making a comeback as scientific research reaffirms its powerful impact on our mental, physical, emotional, and social health. If any of this piques your interest, you’re in the right place!
Do I have to be an artist?
A question I’m often asked is: “Do I have to be an artist, or have any professional training in an artistic medium to do expressive arts?” The answer is a big N-O. Paolo Knill, one of the pioneers of expressive arts therapy, shares that in expressive arts we are not interested in the art of making masterpieces, but in the art of making art. The emphasis isn’t on the outcome or final product, but on the experience and process of creating.
This usually leads people to the next question: “Well, I’m not creative, so how would I know where to start?” My first answer is that as human beings, we are innately and naturally creators—but I’ll save that explanation for another newsletter. For now, I can share that in expressive arts we use creative modalities in a low skill, high sensitivity way.
For example, many people would claim they aren’t writers. Have they written a book? Published anything? Worked for The New York Times? Probably not. But have they ever sat down to write in a journal or a birthday card to a dear friend or family member? If so, then it’s safe to say that not only are they innately creative, but they don’t need experience or training as an artist to have a meaningful, transformative, or insightful experience during the process of making.
Our ancestors recognized this, too. As evolutionary archaeologist Steven Mithen notes:
“The earliest symbolic behavior, including cave art, personal ornaments, and ritual, suggests that creativity evolved not for aesthetics alone but to foster social cohesion, transmit knowledge, and help manage emotions in our ancestors.”
This shows that the human impulse to create is not only natural, but historically linked to healing, emotional regulation, and connection—a process you can access in expressive arts today. It’s a birthright we’ve been given, but one we often don’t utilize—a resource that science is beginning to catch up to.
The invitation to explore what that looks like for you is always open here at Essence Expressive Arts. And if you’re not quite ready to take the leap, I invite you to journal or create a visual response (what colors, shapes, images would you use?) to this newsletter:
* What stood out to you?
* What did it make you feel, if anything?
* And what do you notice about your own relationship to creativity?
CREATIVELY YOURS,
Alisha Kalisher