​Technology is hurting us, making art can help.

Author-Mary Andrus ATR-BC,LCPC
Founder, Art Therapy Studio Chicago Ltd

​Not too long ago we lived in an era when there was a home phone, some people had an answering machine and very few people had home computers. If someone needed to get ahold of you right away, you might have a pager. In that instance you would have to try to find a pay phone and some change so you could call them back.  You would actually schedule your evenings around when television shows aired, rather than having your DVR set to record it while you are out. You would listen to music on cassette tapes in our cars which were equipped with storage space for cassettes in the center console. Driving in the car was a time for reflection, road trips consisted of a time to connect, daydream or let our minds wander. Waiting at the doctors office was a time when you might pull out a crossword puzzle or pick up a random magazine. It was a time when we knew what it meant to be patient. Our brains were able to pause and rest from external stimuli. We were able to take time to journal, to reflect and truly be with ourselves and in relationship with others. We took the time to get to know the clerk at the post office, the cashier at the grocery store or the bus driver on our daily commute.
 
Today we are living in a time when we are glued to our digital media devices. We are expected to answer emails and texts immediately and we spend most of our day in front of screens. Many of us have become addicted to checking facebook, posting the latest video, blog, article or fascinating thing to get more likes and entertain those in our social circle. We get a rush of adrenaline and feel good about being recognized as important. We are shifting to living in this virtual bubble and disconnecting from the reality right in front of ourselves, (our children, intimate relationships, jobs… etc…)
 
Don’t get me wrong, for some, having this technology has helped us to feel more connected, but it also is very isolating. There are superficial demands placed on the image that we put out into the world and many become consumed with the living in this virtual world.
 
What happens when we make art?

1. We disconnect from the screen, we tune into ourselves, we tune into the people and things that are important to us and we create something that makes us fulfilled.
2. We relax our hyper-aroused limbic system.
3. We create something that makes us feel competent.
4. We reflect on who we are as human beings.
5. We see ourselves and others differently.
6. We relax, we begin to accept ourselves and find our true authentic selves, one who can sit with the unknown, one who can transform pain, one who can take effective action and feel good about ourselves.
7. We can find solace in the art, we can feel comforted by the art materials, we can have control over aspects of our lives that we feel powerless over.
8. We tap into how we feel, we can express ourselves without having to develop the words to describe our inner experience.
9. We learn to be patient.
10. Art makes us feel alive.

 
Art therapy can support you to reconnect with yourself and others. Think about ways you can bring creativity and imagination back into your day to day life. Take a walk, notice things around you that are interesting or beautiful. Take a few minutes to doodle in your notebook during a meeting, set a date with a friend to make a collage, allow yourself to play, give yourself permission to explore a new material. Go to the art store and wander. Join us for our next Meditative Open Studio on May 6th. Make art.