The importance of art… Especially after a brain injury!
If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself ‘I can’t draw’ that doesn’t matter, Art is so much more than that! Especially after a brain injury. Experiencing Art after a brain injury becomes more about you, how you choose to express yourself, how your mind opens up, how you relax, how ideas slowly bloom, how you find a new confidence within yourself because of the things you’re creating and how you learn new things.
I’ve also found that experiencing Art after a brain injury becomes more fun. It becomes a positive, inspiring, hands on experience that brings people together.
I’ve recently started working at Headway Glasgow where I run the morning Art Group and help out in the afternoon one. We’ve gotten nice and messy with charcoal, spilled ink while making beautiful patterns, made collages with paper cut outs of our hands, made flowers out of our hands, made self portraits using magazines, closed our eyes while drawing, not looked at the paper while drawing, turned scribbles into drawings and I’ve even found myself being inspired by nature and picking leaves up to paint later because of all of their beautiful colours.
As long as you’re happy and expressing yourself that’s all that matters.
Onto the scientific part of Art now; it contributes beautifully to cognitive rehabilitation. It helps to improve focus and concentration, visual perception, motor skills and even problem solving. It turns your brain on while also turning it off to all the distracting thoughts that can overwhelm you at times.
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
– Thomas Merton
Do you go to any local Art groups? How have you found Art since your brain injury?
Let me know by commenting below, tweeting me, visiting me on instagram or visit the facebook page.
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