The deets, after the jump.
When I did my senior research as an undergraduate, I discovered all kinds of studies about how art making influences mood. I love it. It has become my passion. One of the first things I learned when I entered my graduate program was that art making reduces all aspects of negative mood. Any kind of art making. Drawing, painting, clay, collage, photography, etc. etc. It's likely that all artistic endeavors have this effect, knitting, sewing, shrinky dinks, beading, weaving. Whatever suits you. These things, for 20 minutes, make you less angry, less anxious, less fatigued, less depressed, more vigorous, and less confused. What's not to like about that.
In graduate school I began making 4x6 drawings on index cards. I love to work small and these had enough structure that it was low pressure and could be as simple or complex as I wanted to make it. For nearly two years I made one every single day. After graduation, the cards had served their purpose and fell to the wayside. Recently, I made this image.
And then, it being only a little bigger than 4x6 (and yeah, grease stain from the husby leaving it on the kitchen counter), inspired me to reengage with the daily art cards. Here are the first two.
Twenty minutes of art! Do it!
