“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”― Steven Pressfield

The problem with the word “selfish” is that it posits that being concerned with one’s own personal profit or pleasure necessitates a lack of consideration or benefit for others. I propose that art adds to everyone’s wellspring of energy, understanding, and connection. Making art can be a pleasurable endeavor that replenishes and inspires the artist and art appreciator alike.  

Creating a tangible work of self-expression can be deeply therapeutic for the artist.

It clarifies the psyche’s journey into unknown inner landscapes of  the heart, mind, and soul. It may captivate beauty or tell an ugly truth. Creativity brings up from the underworld and into the light something that may have previously only been a mist or shadow but can now be felt and recognized and shared. This process of excavation and discovery is a fundamental aspect of personal growth and transformation. It also makes for really powerful art. 

Sharing a work of art with another person opens a second door.

It invites an evocation of the creator’s experience in the viewer. The artist’s expression and the viewer’s curiosity create a kind of cell-resonating reverberation that can be inciting, validating, or even transcending. Furthermore, the artist’s risk in exposing their inner world invites a level of intimacy and interrelationship to take root with the viewer. 

If as an artist my creation resonates with others, I may feel understood or validated, and thusly less alone. If as an art appreciator I resonate with someone else’s work of art, I may feel a comforting sense of attunement; that someone else shares my world view. Both artist and viewer meet at an invisible intersection in the exchange. This finding of common ground is the antidote to the existential angst, loneliness and alienation that is the crux or the core of much mental and social dis-ease. 

Making art is gifting the world with your unique voice.

Beauty, humor, intelligent observation, and personal expression help unite us in the universality of the human condition. As a therapist and artist, I have concluded that psychology helps people know how to live, but love and art help people know why to live.

Dr. Diohn Brancaleoni is a licensed psychologist, author, and sculptor. Her psychotherapy practice has been based in positive psychology and mindfulness, and she wrote and illustrated the book The Happy Life Toolkit- Life Skills and Wisdom from a Down to Earth Psychologist in 2019. As an artist, Diohn Leoni creates sculptures inspired by nature and human nature. She is currently sculpting horses with Japanese air dry clay and locally grown vintage gourds. Find more about her art here: www.diohnleoni.com     Facebook: diohnleoni   Instagram@diohnleoni