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Friday, March 29, 2024

The Art in Us

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I never consider myself an artsy person. Art overwhelms me as I supposed it would require me to be ‘extra’ on something. I believe that God destined art for limited individuals and not for everyone, including me.

In the eighth grade, our biology teacher asked us to create human cell structures using molded clays on an illustration board. Unfortunately, I was asked to make it for our group. When I was making it, I believed my illustration would be one of our class’s most creative human cell structures. However, when the other groups presented their work, it seemed our group had the most miniature creative illustration. I was humiliated to show our work in class, and at the same time, remorseful to my group mates due to the unfavorable results of my ‘artwork.’ Since then, I have accepted that my creative juices are lacking. In short, I was not an art person.

The announced creativity session in the Integral Human Development class revived my art frustration. Knowing that the session would have some hands-on art activity intimidated me. I first thought of not attending the session because the topic was out of interest. However, I found myself sitting in the Art class. Through that session, my perspective on art abruptly changed. I was convinced that art is subjective. Art is anything I like and anything I want to express. It should not be based on someone’s expectations but rather mirror my views and perceptions.

From being a philistine, I now consider myself an aesthete Art has created a space in my life as I incorporate it into every work. The enlightenment has given me another perspective on art. It is not totally about aesthetics, as it also serves functionality. Art is a method to make the way we do things better. Art is what we do.

Aside from making things better, artistic engagements affect our health positively. An article published in Harvard Health Publishing in 2017 stated that creative activities could relieve stress, improve communication and prevent cognitive deterioration. Several notions linked these activities to strengthening memory, self-awareness and introspection. It increases our ability to concentrate and improves our problem-solving skills.

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Art can also make us happier. Creating or observing art decreases the stress hormone cortisol and releases endorphins which are feel-good hormones that help us cope with stress and discomfort. Moreover, it also raises dopamine levels which causes us to feel good (Oilpixel, 2017). The impact is only not for our health but also for promoting human connections as we could build social connections through our arts engagement.

Art is supreme. Without understanding it, we could miss its meaningful sense. Edgar Degas said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Thus, let us appreciate Arts and be creative in our ways.

The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, DLSU. She can be reached at micah_abulencia@dlsu.edu.ph.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

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