Art is a common craft which can be enjoyed by anyone. Coming in many different forms, art serves a multitude of benefits. Whether it be painting, writing, or music, creative activity can encourage a sense of competence, purpose, and growth—all of which contribute to aging well.
While art can always be practiced and appreciated at any age, seniors especially can benefit from the many benefits of art. To name only a few benefits, art can offer a sense of purpose, interactions with others, personal growth, self-acceptance, autonomy, and health.
Many seniors shy away from creative activities because they feel as though they are not creative enough or are not artistic. Even artistic novices can be creative with the right kinds of projects. There are plenty of community centers in your neighborhood which may offer art classes. With a little research, you may be able to find a group of friends with which you can learn a new craft with professional instruction. Getting started with a friend or group can be motivational and socially enjoyable. Sharing an end product can be a great way to gift loved ones, share significant memories and emotions.
With so many mediums of art, there are many options to the types of creative activity you want to engage with–each offering their own set of cognitive and health benefits. Painting is extremely popular because of its visual creativity. Visual stimulation in the occipital lobe can release a healthy balance of dopamine in the brain. Painting special scenes from memory or creating brand new worlds can open and explore certain parts of the frontal lobe.
Writing is another creatively challenging activity which can offer an opportunity to share intimate stories or conspire interesting plots. Using written language to express emotion can be a great challenge for cognition development in the Broca’s area in the frontal lobe, responsible for speaking and writing. Poems, short stories, novels, etc. are all creative writing forms which also spark creativity.
Another great art form is music. While this may be more difficult for friends with arthritis, there are a plethora of instruments to explore at your local music shop that may be comfortable for you to tune your musical ear. Music requires lots of focus, memory, and flow. No one is born with these skills, practice alone can lead to mastery.
While all of these mediums are attractive options, realistically, they require lots of time, patience, and passion to fully understand. In our day to day loves, it’s often difficult to allocate time to hobbies with so many other tasks on our to-do list. WellPath Partners can help you create the best retirement plan so that you can get back to the activities you want to explore.
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By
Prithvi Chauhan
