5 reasons why everyone should try an art class

Here are the top 5 reasons adults should make time for an art class:

1. It relieves stress. Your life is busy, but it’s important to remember to take some time for yourself. A study found that 45 minutes of creative activity significantly lessens stress in the body, regardless of artistic experience or talent. (Study published in Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, titled “Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making” 2016).

2. It exercises a new part of your brain. The brain is a muscle and it needs to be exercised to stay healthy. Is the creative part of your brain needing treadmill time? If you work in a highly analytical or repetitive environment, then an art class is an excellent way to give your brain’s right side a rest and stretch the left side.

3. Get out of your rut. Our negative inner voices can stop us before we even begin. Art teaches risk taking, learning from mistakes, and being open to new ways of doing. The social aspect and support of fellow classmates can also be a refreshing wave a positive energy needed to climb out of a rut.

4. Challenge yourself. Remember what we said earlier; the brain is a muscle - use it, or lose it! Give it a workout by learning something new. Whether it’s a new technique, a new medium, or if art in general is something you’ve never done before – learning new things gives that brain a workout and and builds confidence.

5. Support a strong cultural community. When you take a class, visit an exhibition or attend a film at Salina Art Center, you contribute to a vibrant arts and culture community. When we talk about the value of arts and culture in our community, usually we talk about how arts benefit individual lives and enrich our emotional world. But do you know that arts and culture has a wider, more measurable impact on the economy of our community? Nationally, the industry generated $135.2 billion of economic activity—$61.1 billion by the nation's nonprofit arts and culture organizations in addition to $74.1 billion in event-related expenditures by their audiences.