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How does creativity affect mental health?

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How does creativity affect mental health?

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Studies have found that creativity can improve mental health if you are suffering from depression, anxiety, or stress. It is also a highly effective way to process and heal from trauma. When you create art out of the things that hurt you, you feel much better. (Britannica, 2020)

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My aim thought project 1 and 2 has been to explore new ways of “illustrating” separation anxiety. Implementing a mix of research and making methods taken from both the illustration and psychology, Nervous and Mental Disease fields, I have started to investigate how the cross-displisinary between the methodology of art therapy and psychological mental health allows for new ways to represent separation anxiety as well as try to treat it by art therapy.

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Interview of a small group, people who suffered from separation anxiety.

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Interview of a small group, people who suffered from separation anxiety.

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From the beginning, I examined my surrounding to find my interests. I observed that my puppy suffers from separation anxiety.

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Recommendation from the tutor Priya

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Monica Bonvicini's Don't Miss a Sec' 2004, a stainless steel toilet unit inside a two-way mirror cubicle, installed in front of City Hall, Rotterdam, as part of IBC Rotterdam/Sculpture International, 2007
© Monica Bonvicini and VG-Bild Kunst, photo: Jannes Linders

Monica Bonvicini's Don't Miss A Sec' 2004 consists of a functioning toilet inside a glass box, giving users an uninterrupted 360-degree view of the surroundings. The view is one-way, the pleasure one of covert surveillance rather than exposure. Apparently inspired by people's reluctance to leave a gallery function for fear of missing out (later known as FOMO), Don't Miss A Sec' belongs to the dawning age of 24/7 connectivity - a period shaped both by the aftermath of 9/11 and an era of openness forged in the socially liberal 1990s, when the West perceived itself to be free from struggle and antagonism, as cultural theorist Renata Salecl observes in 2004's On Anxiety.

War and conflict in the 1990s seemed comfortably remote and non-disruptive for much of Western society. There were few limits to self-creation, whether through the 'just do it' ethos of consumerism, or the culture of self-enhancement. As the text in the catalogue for the 1992 exhibition Post Human at the Deste Foundation in Athens claimed: 'The matter-of-fact acceptance of one's "natural" looks and one's "natural" personality is being replaced by a growing sense that it is normal to reinvent oneself.' Lingering anxieties were confronted in galleries that exposed what might once have been horrifying: the insides of animal and human bodies (Damien Hirst, Marc Quinn et al) and/or more personal revelations (Tracey Emin's Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995 1995). By such logic, 1997's Sensation exhibition at the Royal Academy might have left us in a better place, like a cultural course of aversion therapy. But if it did so, the ideology of exposure has given rise to new forms of anxiety.

In the 2010s the psychological cost of total visibility is under scrutiny, as seen in a number of recent books and artworks. Take Hito Steyerl's How Not to Be Seen 2013, which affects the tone of an instructional video with a computer-generated voiceover informing viewers how to remain invisible in an age of image proliferation (the best advice being to remain no larger than the size of a single pixel). Or Dave Eggers's 2013 novel The Circle, in which he satirises the totalitarian consequences of a Google-inspired technocracy that peddles the ideal of sharing one's entire life by 'going transparent'. And Amalia Ulman's Excellences & Perfections 2014-5, which takes the form of Instagram posts delivered to her tens of thousands of followers. Ulman's online performance of body angst, break- ups, bad eatin', bad thoughts and a boob job appears initially to chronicle the real emotional life of an aspirational cute girl until a final post reveals its artifice. Exposed throughout to a real-time social media commentary, it turns the 1990s explorations of identity construction by Cindy Sherman and Orlan into a far more anxious affair.

Hito Steyerl, still from How Not to Be Seen: A Fucking Didactic Educational .MOV File 2013, HD video, single screen in architectural environment, 15 minutes, 52 seconds
© Hito Steyerl, courtesy the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York

While social media amplifies anxieties in a public forum, giving rise to new forms of anxiety and antagonistic behaviour (FOMO, cyber-bullying, the initially fictional condition of video-physiognomic- dysphoria (VPD) or aversion to one's online video image), and feeds new obsessions and related art forms, the concept of anxiety has been with us for centuries.

Unlike fear, which is a biological 'fight or flight' response to a present threat, anxiety is 'fear without a definite object', as the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard established in 1844's The Concept of Anxiety. Fear subsides when an external threat is no longer present, while anxiety festers internally but may latch on to objects in its path.

In a media age, this makes anxiety a powerful political vehicle, as revealed in creative documentary work after 9/11. Films such as Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine 2002 and Adam Curtis's The Power of Nightmares 2004 and Bitter Lake 2015 investigate the production of scapegoats, demonstrating how anxiety is stoked and redirected through media imagery that gives solid form to the concept of invisible threat. The political imagery of the so-called 'war on terror' thereby functioned to close a loop; much as advertising creates an anxiety relievable by purchase, the hidden threat sells a particular form of solution.

In existential philosophy, anxiety is linked to the very process of self-creation. It arises not from constraint in the first instance, but from what Kierkegaard called 'the dizziness of freedom' - the simultaneously exhilarating and horrifying realisation that destiny is, to a greater or lesser extent, in one's own hands. Historically, the rise of anxiety (as distinct from sheer misery) occurs in conditions of change and upheaval. In 1950's The Meaning of Anxiety, the existential psychologist Rollo May linked this rise to mass migration in a period when many people left small towns and communities to find work in post-war cities. At the individual level, migration represents a literal and conceptual shift away from the world of certainties. Anxiety is the price of psychological autonomy; we feel 'alive but alone', says a character in WH Auden's zeitgeist- naming poem The Age of Anxiety from 1948.

Instagram post made on 1 June 2014 as part of Amalia Ulman's Excellences & Perfections 2014-15
Courtesy the artist and Arcadia Missa

Instagram post made on 5 September 2014 as part of Amalia Ulman's Excellences & Perfections 2014-15
Courtesy the artist and Arcadia Missa

It is this post-war age that May identifies as the point at which anxiety becomes overt - not only because it was a time of upheaval and hardship, but because the social structures that had impeded anxiety's explicit expression began to break down. The struggle against traditional constraints was extensively manifested in the rise of youth subcultures from the mid-20th century. New identities were forged in a spirit of resistance towards conventional values, from the 1960s countercultural movement to the punk era of the 1970s. Subcultures did not disappear by the 1990s, but they were no longer odd minorities. Consumerism effectively embraced the postmodern idea that personal identity was a purchasing choice. And now, two decades later, body art and various means of body modification are well established in the mainstream.

As a consequence, to quote the title of a brilliant manifesto-style essay by the Institute for Precarious Consciousness, We Are All Very Anxious. Anxiety is now the dominant emotional experience of our time, precisely for this reason: anything and everything is on show, for sale and attainable, but (for too many people) perpetually withheld, out of reach. Whereas historically people were condemned to misery or boredom, anxiety becomes pervasive in conditions where free choice is unfettered, and yet at some level illusory.

Art is indispensable to exposing such illusion and the exclusions it perpetuates. Art can inhabit spaces that may be off-limits, as Bonvicini recently noted: 'You are allowed to do anything as an artist, you can be blind, crazy, or dead serious... the question is really: can you ever expand the boundaries? Who defines them? Who determines them? Where are they actually?'

These fundamental questions open up the politics of lived psychological experience. If anxiety is intensified through a confluence of social, economic, technological and material forces, the question of boundary does not pertain to what and where an artist can be, but to the larger concern of how we shape and designate social spaces and accommodate or marginalise people within them.

Richard Bell, Great Scott! 2014, acrylic paint on linen, 150 x 150 cm
Courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane, photo: Carl Warner

Anxiety in this context may begin to sound like a First World Problem (FWP): Instagram celebrities and impoverished shoppers, the self-obsessed products of consumerism whose vapid, detached emotions boil down to an internet meme. More specifically, it is an unevenly distributed problem of the First World, as the work of Indigenous Australian artist Richard Bell suggests. In Bell's appropriations of Roy Lichtenstein, narcissistic quips reflect the vast gulf between indigenous and refugee lives and those of Europeans. As with Ulman's Instagram posts, the persona here is a product of its medium, the archetypical trivial type. Self-indulgence is aptly parodied in the service of a bigger historical judgment.

But as Auden speculated, artists may be more conscious than most of an 'inner disorder and dread'. The history of art is steeped in depictions of romanticised madness. Edvard Munch's The Scream 1893-1910, for example, has become a default image for inner angst. However, in cultures with a mental health crisis of epidemic proportions, we have yet to produce the definitive exhibition forms and artworks that span both the subjective emotional and political-historical dimensions of anxiety and depression. Mental illness remains the ultimate stigma and challenge to representation. Even within art's critical frameworks, subjective description risks a descent into self-absorption that threatens to cloud the big picture. The challenge is akin to the seemingly impossible assignment described in an ironic line at the end of David Foster Wallace's 1998 short story The Depressed Person: 'What terms might be used to describe and assess such a solipsistic self- consumed, bottomless emotional vacuum and sponge as she now appeared to herself to be?' The impossibility of sharing pain is, as the story suggests, a contributing factor in its essential horror.

Visual art has more to do - not simply in documenting the range and extent of our anxieties, but in constructing the means for their relief. Foster Wallace once named 'fiction, poetry, music' as the arts through which the loneliness of mental illness may be 'stared down, transfigured, treated'. Such big claims are more commonly made for both literature and music, perhaps because those forms can be experienced in private worlds. Books and music are a functional distraction from insomnia and pain, a means to quell rumination. More commonly an institutional experience, visual art does not seek to compete as cultural benzodiazepine.

But we have so far been too reticent in asserting art's public role, too fearful that its aesthetic purpose may be burdened or compromised by a mission to transform public health. We may not yet have the language for this. But as the politics of identity and self-fabrication were core to art's postmodern agenda, so the project of tackling anxiety begins.

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Are We All Anxious Now? - Tate Etc | Tate

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The all-consuming world of social media and the culture of fear perpetuated since the so-called 'war on terror' has pushed many of us to new levels of anxiety. How do artists respond to this, and can art provide a means of relief?

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The Starry NightThe Starry Night, oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, 1889; in the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

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The roots of the German Expressionist school lay.

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Dance Around the Golden CalfDance Around the Golden Calf, oil painting by Emil Nolde, 1910; in the Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen, Munich.

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The second and principal wave of Expressionism

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Indian and Woman, oil on canvas by Max Pechstein, 1910; in the Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri.

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Prone Young Woman with Black StockingProne, gouache, watercolour, and pencil on paper by Egon Schiele, 1913. 30.8

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Portrait of a ManPortrait of a Man, woodcut by Erich Heckel, 1919; in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut.

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Side of Beef, oil on canvas by Chaim Soutine, c. 1925; in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo.

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 THE DEATH OF DIARMUID, THE LAST HANDFUL OF WATER 1945   Inscr. ‘Jack B. Yeats JAC.’ b.l.Canvas, 24×36 (61×91).Exh: R.H.A., Dublin, 1946 (181); Galerie Beaux-Ar

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After World War II an abstract form of expressionism developed in America, known as abstract expressionism.

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College of Creative Design, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, China

The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China

Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China

Art therapy, as a non-pharmacological medical complementary and alternative therapy, has been used as one of medical interventions with good clinical effects on mental disorders. However, systematically reviewed in detail in clinical situations is lacking. Here, we searched on PubMed for art therapy in an attempt to explore its theoretical basis, clinical applications, and future perspectives to summary its global pictures. Since drawings and paintings have been historically recognized as a useful part of therapeutic processes in art therapy, we focused on studies of art therapy which mainly includes painting and drawing as media. As a result, a total of 413 literature were identified. After carefully reading full articles, we found that art therapy has been gradually and successfully used for patients with mental disorders with positive outcomes, mainly reducing suffering from mental symptoms. These disorders mainly include depression disorders and anxiety, cognitive impairment and dementias, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and autism. These findings suggest that art therapy can not only be served as an useful therapeutic method to assist patients to open up and share their feelings, views, and experiences, but also as an auxiliary treatment for diagnosing diseases to help medical specialists obtain complementary information different from conventional tests. We humbly believe that art therapy has great potential in clinical applications on mental disorders to be further explored.

Introduction

Mental disorders constitute a huge social and economic burden for health care systems worldwide ( Zschucke et al., 2013; Kenbubpha et al., 2018). In China, the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders was 24.20%, and 1-month prevalence of mental disorders was 14.27% ( Xu et al., 2017). The situation is more severely in other countries, especially for developing ones. Given the large numbers of people in need and the humanitarian imperative to reduce suffering, there is an urgent need to implement scalable mental health interventions to address this burden. While pharmacological treatment is the first choice for mental disorders to alleviate the major symptoms, many antipsychotics contribute to poor quality of life and debilitating adverse effects. Therefore, clinicians have turned toward to complementary treatments, such as art therapy in addressing the health needs of patients more than half a century ago.

Art therapy, is defined by the British Association of Art Therapists as: "a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication. Clients referred to art therapists are not required to have experience or skills in the arts. The art therapist's primary concern is not to make an esthetic or diagnostic assessment of the client's image. The overall goal of its practitioners is to enable clients to change and grow on a personal level through the use of artistic materials in a safe and convenient environment" ( British Association of Art Therapists, 2015), whereas as: "an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psycho-therapeutic relationship" ( American Art Therapy Association, 2018) according to the American Art Association. It has gradually become a well-known form of spiritual support and complementary therapy ( Faller and Schmidt, 2004; Nainis et al., 2006). During the therapy, art therapists can utilize many different art materials as media (i.e., visual art, painting, drawing, music, dance, drama, and writing) ( Deshmukh et al., 2018; Chiang et al., 2019). Among them, drawings and paintings have been historically recognized as the most useful part of therapeutic processes within psychiatric and psychological specialties ( British Association of Art Therapists, 2015). Moreover, many other art forms gradually fall under the prevue of their own professions (e.g., music therapy, dance/movement therapy, and drama therapy) ( Deshmukh et al., 2018). Thus, we excluded these studies and only focused on studies of art therapy which mainly includes painting and drawing as media. Specifically, it focuses on capturing psychodynamic processes by means of "inner pictures," which become visible by the creative process ( Steinbauer et al., 1999). These pictures reflect the psychopathology of different psychiatric disorders and even their corresponding therapeutic process based on specific rules and criterion ( Steinbauer and Taucher, 2001). It has been gradually recognized and used as an alternative treatment for therapeutic processes within psychiatric and psychological specialties, as well as medical and neurology-based scientific audiences ( Burton, 2009).

The development of art therapy comes partly from the artistic expression of the belief in unspoken things, and partly from the clinical work of art therapists in the medical setting with various groups of patients ( Malchiodi, 2013). It is defined as the application of artistic expressions and images to individuals who are physically ill, undergoing invasive medical procedures, such as surgery or chemotherapy for clinical usage ( Bar-Sela et al., 2007; Forzoni et al., 2010; Liebmann and Weston, 2015). The American Art Therapy Association describes its main functions as improving cognitive and sensorimotor functions, fostering self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivating emotional resilience, promoting insight, enhancing social skills, reducing and resolving conflicts and distress, and promoting societal and ecological changes ( American Art Therapy Association, 2018).

However, despite the above advantages, published systematically review on this topic is lacking. Therefore, this review aims to explore its clinical applications and future perspectives to summary its global pictures, so as to provide more clinical treatment options and research directions for therapists and researchers.

Publications of Art Therapy

The literatures about "art therapy" published from January 2006 to December 2020 were searched in the PubMed database. The following topics were used: Title/Abstract = "art therapy," Indexes Timespan = 2006-2020.

A total of 652 records were found. Then, we manually screened out the literatures that contained the word "art" but was not relevant with the subject of this study, such as state of the art therapy, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and assisted reproductive technology (ART). Finally, 479 records about art therapy were identified. Since we aimed to focus on art therapy included painting and drawing as major media, we screened out literatures deeper, and identified 413 (84%) literatures involved in painting and drawing ( Figure 1).

Figure 1. Number of publications about art therapy.

As we can see, the number of literature about art therapy is increasing slowly in the last 15 years, reaching a peak in 2020. This indicates that more effort was made on this topic in recent years ( Figure 1).

Overview of Art Therapy

As defined by the British Association of Art Therapists, art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication. Based on above literature, several highlights need to be summarized. (1) The main media of art therapy include painting, drawing, music, drama, dance, drama, and writing ( Chiang et al., 2019). (2) Main contents of painting and drawing include blind drawing, spiral drawing, drawing moods and self-portraits ( Legrand et al., 2017; Abbing et al., 2018; Papangelo et al., 2020). (3) Art therapy is mainly used for cancer, depression and anxiety, autism, dementia and cognitive impairment, as these patients are reluctant to express themselves in words ( Attard and Larkin, 2016; Deshmukh et al., 2018; Chiang et al., 2019). It plays an important role in facilitating engagement when direct verbal interaction becomes difficult, and provides a safe and indirect way to connect oneself with others ( Papangelo et al., 2020). Moreover, we found that art therapy has been gradually and successfully used for patients with mental disorders with positive outcomes, mainly reducing suffering from mental symptoms. These findings suggest that art therapy can not only be served as an useful therapeutic method to assist patients to open up and share their feelings, views, and experiences, but also as an auxiliary treatment for diagnosing diseases to help medical specialists obtain complementary information different from conventional tests.

Art Therapy for Mental Disorders

Based on the 413 searched literatures, we further limited them to mental disorders using the following key words, respectively: Depression OR anxiety OR Cognitive impairment OR dementia OR Alzheimer's disease OR Autism OR Schizophrenia OR mental disorder. As a result, a total of 23 studies (5%) ( Table 1) were included and classified after reading the abstract and the full text carefully. These studies include 9 articles on depression and anxiety, 4 articles on cognitive impairment and dementia, 3 articles on Alzheimer's disease, 3 articles on autism, and 4 articles on schizophrenia. In addition to the English literature, in fact, some Chinese literatures also described the application of art therapy in mental diseases, which were not listed but referred to in the following specific literatures.

Table 1. Studies of art therapy in mental diseases.

Depression Disorders and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent, affecting individuals, their families and the individual's role in society ( Birgitta et al., 2018). Depression is a disabling and costly condition associated with a significant reduction in quality of life, medical comorbidities and mortality ( Demyttenaere et al., 2004; Whiteford et al., 2013; Cuijpers et al., 2014). Anxiety is associated with lower quality of life and negative effects on psychosocial functioning ( Cramer et al., 2005). Medication is the most commonly used effective way to relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, nonadherence are crucial shortcomings in using antidepressant to treat depression and anxiety ( van Geffen et al., 2007; Nielsen et al., 2019).

In recent years, many studies have shown that art therapy plays a significant role in alleviating depression symptoms and anxiety. Gussak (2007) performed an observational survey about populations in prison of northern Florida and identified that art therapy significantly reduces depressive symptoms. Similarly, a randomized, controlled, and single-blind study about art therapy for depression with the elderly showed that painting as an adjuvant treatment for depression can reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms ( Ciasca et al., 2018). In addition, art therapy is also widely used among students, and several studies ( Runde, 2008; Zhenhai and Yunhua, 2011) have shown that art therapy also significantly reduces depressive symptoms in students. For example, Wang et al. (2011) conducted group painting therapy on 30 patients with depression for 3 months, and found that painting therapy could promote their social function recovery, improve their social adaptability and quality of life. Another randomized clinical trial also showed that it could decrease mean anxiety scores in the 3-12 year painting group ( Forouzandeh et al., 2020).

Studies have shown that distress, including anxiety and depression, is related to poorer health-related quality of life and satisfaction to medical services ( Hamer et al., 2009). Painting can be employed to express patients' anxiety and fear, vent negative emotions by applying projection, thereby significantly improve the mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety of cancer patients. A number of studies ( Bar-Sela et al., 2007; Thyme et al., 2009; Lin et al., 2012; Abdulah and Abdulla, 2018) showed that art therapy for cancer patients could enhance the vitality of patients and participation in social activities, significantly reduce depression, anxiety, and reduce stressful feelings. Importantly, even in the follow-up period, art therapy still has a lasting effect on cancer patients ( Thyme et al., 2009). Interestingly, art therapy based on famous painting appreciation could also significantly reduce anxiety and depression associated with cancer ( Lee et al., 2017). Among cancer patients treated in outpatient health care, art therapy also plays an important role in alleviating their physical symptoms and mental health ( Götze et al., 2009). Therefore, art therapy as an auxiliary treatment of cancer is of great value in improving quality of life.

Overall, art painting therapy permits patients to express themselves in a manner acceptable to the inside and outside culture, thereby diminishing depressed and anxiety symptoms.

Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia

Dementia, a progressive clinical syndrome, is characterized by widespread cognitive impairment in memory, thinking, behavior, emotion and performance, leading to worse daily living ( Deshmukh et al., 2018). According to the Alzheimer's Disease International 2015, there is 46.8 million people suffered from dementia, and numbers almost doubling every 20 years, rising to 131.5 million by 2050. Although art therapy has been used as an alternative treatment for the dementia for long time, the positive effects of painting therapy on cognitive function remain largely unknown. One intervention assigned older adults patients with dementia to a group-based art therapy (including painting) observed significant improvements in the clock drawing test ( Pike, 2013), whereas two other randomized controlled trials ( Hattori et al., 2011; Rusted et al., 2016) on patients with dementia have failed to obtain significant cognitive improvement in the painting group. Moreover, a cochrane systematic review ( Deshmukh et al., 2018) included two clinical studies of art therapy for dementia revealed that there is no sufficient evidence about the efficacy of art therapy for dementia. This may be because patients with severely cognitive impairment, who was unable to accurately remember or assess their own behavior or mental state, might lose the ability to enjoy the benefits of art therapy.

In summary, we should intervene earlier in patients with mild cognitive impairment, an intermediate stage between normal aging and dementia, in order to prevent further transformation into dementia. To date, mild cognitive impairment is drawing much attention to the importance of painting intervening at this stage in order to alter the course of subsequent cognitive decline as soon as possible ( Petersen et al., 2014). Recently, a randomized controlled trial ( Yu et al., 2021) showed significant relationship between improvement immediate memory/working memory span and increased cortical thickness in right middle frontal gyrus in the painting art group. With the long-term cognitive stimulation and engagement from multiple sessions of painting therapy, it is likely that painting therapy could lead to enhanced cognitive functioning for these patients.

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a sub-type of dementia, which is usually associated with chronic pain. Previous studies suggested that art therapy could be used as a complementary treatment to relief pain for these patients since medication might induce severely side effects. In a multicenter randomized controlled trial, 28 mild AD patients showed significant pain reduction, reduced anxiety, improved quality of life, improved digit span, and inhibitory processes, as well as reduced depression symptoms after 12-week painting ( Pongan et al., 2017; Alvarenga et al., 2018). Further study also suggested that individual therapy rather than group therapy could be more optimal since neuroticism can decrease efficacy of painting intervention on pain in patients with mild AD. In addition to release chronic pain, art therapy has been reported to show positive effects on cognitive and psychological symptoms in patients with mild AD. For example, a controlled study revealed significant improvement in the apathy scale and quality of life after 12 weeks of painting treatment mainly including color abstract patterns with pastel crayons or water-based paint ( Hattori et al., 2011). Another study also revealed that AD patients showed improvement in facial expression, discourse content and mood after 3-weeks painting intervention ( Narme et al., 2012).

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex functional psychotic mental illness that affects about 1% of the population at some point in their life ( Kolliakou et al., 2011). Not only do sufferers experience "positive" symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, but also experience negative symptoms such as varying degrees of anhedonia and asociality, impaired working memory and attention, poverty of speech, and lack of motivation ( Andreasen and Olsen, 1982). Many patients with schizophrenia remain symptomatic despite pharmacotherapy, and even attempts to suicide with a rate of 10 to 50% ( De Sousa et al., 2020). For these patients, art therapy is highly recommended to process emotional, cognitive and psychotic experiences to release symptoms. Indeed, many forms of art therapy have been successfully used in schizophrenia, whether and how painting may interfere with psychopathology to release symptoms remains largely unknown.

A recent review including 20 studies overall was performed to summary findings, however, concluded that it is not clear whether art therapy leads to clinical improvement in schizophrenia with low ( Ruiz et al., 2017). Anyway, many randomized clinical trials reported positive outcomes. For example, Richardson et al. (2007) conducted painting therapy for six months in patients with chronic schizophrenia and found that art therapy had a positive effect on negative symptoms. Teglbjaerg (2011) examined experience of each patient using interviews and written evaluations before and after painting therapy and at a 1-year follow-up and found that group painting therapy in patients with schizophrenia could not only reduce psychotic symptoms, but also boost self-esteem and improve social function.

What's more, the characteristics of the painting can also be used to judge the health condition in patients with schizophrenia. For example, Hongxia et al. (2013) explored the correlation between psychological health condition and characteristics of House-Tree-Person tests for patients with schizophrenia, and showed that the detail characteristic of the test results can be used to judge the patient's anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Most importantly, several other studies showed that drug plus painting therapy significantly enhanced patient compliance and self-cognition than drug therapy alone in patients with schizophrenia ( Hongyan and JinJie, 2010; Min, 2010).

Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental syndrome with no unified pathological or neurobiological etiology, which is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication problems, and a tendency to engage in repetitive behaviors ( Geschwind and Levitt, 2007).

Art therapy is a form of expression that opens the door to communication without verbal interaction. It provides therapists with the opportunity to interact one-on-one with individuals with autism, and make broad connections in a more comfortable and effective way ( Babaei et al., 2020). Emery (2004) did a case study about a 6-year-old boy diagnosed with autism and found that art therapy is of great value to the development, growth and communication skills of the boy. Recently, one study ( Jalambadani, 2020) using 40 children with ASD participating in painting therapy showed that painting therapy had a significant improvement in the social interactions, adaptive behaviors and emotions. Therefore, encouraging children with ASD to express their experience by using nonverbal expressions is crucial to their development. Evans and Dubowski (2001) believed that creating images on paper could help children express their internal images, thereby enhance their imagination and abstract thinking. Painting can also help autistic children express and vent negative emotions and thereby bring positive emotional experience and promote their self-consciousness ( Martin, 2009). According to two studies ( Wen and Zhaoming, 2009; Jianhua and Xiaolu, 2013) in China, Art therapy could also improve the language and communication skills, cognitive and behavioral performance of children with ASD.

Moreover, art therapy could be used to investigate the relationship between cognitive processes and imagination in children with ASD. One study ( Wen and Zhaoming, 2009; Jianhua and Xiaolu, 2013) suggested that children with ASD apply a unique cognitive strategy in imaginative drawing. Another study ( Low et al., 2009) examined the cognitive underpinnings of spontaneous imagination in children with ASD and showed that ASD group lacks imagination, generative ability, planning ability and good consistency in their drawings. In addition, several studies ( Leevers and Harris, 1998; Craig and Baron-Cohen, 1999; Craig et al., 2001) have been performed to investigate imagination and creativity of autism via drawing tasks, and showed impairments of autism in imagination and creativity via drawing tasks.

In a word, art therapy plays a significant role in children with ASD, not only as a method of treatment, but also in understanding and investigating patients' problems.

Other Applications

In addition to the above mentioned diseases, art therapy has also been adopted in other applications. Dysarthia is a common sequela of cerebral palsy (CP), which directly affects children's language intelligibility and psycho-social adjustment. Speech therapy does not always help CP children to speak more intelligibly. Interestingly, the art therapy can significantly improve the language intelligibility and their social skills for children with CP ( Wilk et al., 2010).

In brief, these studies suggest that art therapy is meaningful and accepted by both patients and therapists. Most often, art therapy could strengthen patient's emotional expression, self-esteem, and self-awareness. However, our findings are based on relatively small samples and few good-quality qualitative studies, and require cautious interpretation.

The Application Prospects of Art Therapy

With the development of modern medical technology, life expectancy is also increasing. At the same time, it also brings some side effects and psychological problems during the treatment process, especially for patients with mental illness. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for finding appropriate complementary therapies to improve life quality of patients and psychological health. Art therapy is primarily offered as individual art therapy, in this review, we found that art therapy was most commonly used for depression and anxiety.

Based on the above findings, art therapy, as a non-verbal psychotherapy method, not only serves as an auxiliary tool for diagnosing diseases, which helps medical specialists obtain much information that is difficult to gain from conventional tests, judge the severity and progression of diseases, and understand patients' psychological state from painting characteristics, but also is an useful therapeutic method, which helps patients open up and share their feelings, views, and experiences. Additionally, the implementation of art therapy is not limited by age, language, diseases or environment, and is easy to be accepted by patients.

Art therapy in hospitals and clinical settings could be very helpful to aid treatment and therapy, and to enhance communications between patients and on-site medical staffs in a non-verbal way. Moreover, art therapy could be more effective when combined with other forms of therapy such as music, dance and other sensory stimuli.

The medical mechanism underlying art therapy using painting as the medium for intervention remains largely unclear in the literature ( Salmon, 1993; Broadbent et al., 2004; Guillemin, 2004), and the evidence for effectiveness is insufficient ( Mirabella, 2015). Although a number of studies have shown that art therapy could improve the quality of life and mental health of patients, standard and rigorous clinical trials with large samples are still lacking. Moreover, the long-term effect is yet to be assessed due to the lack of follow-up assessment of art therapy.

In some cases, art therapy using painting as the medium may be difficult to be implemented in hospitals, due to medical and health regulations (may be partly due to potential of messes, lack of sink and cleaning space for proper disposal of paints, storage of paints, and toxins of allergens in the paint), insufficient space for the artwork to dry without getting in the way or getting damaged, and negative medical settings and family environments. Nevertheless, these difficulties can be overcome due to great benefits of the art therapy. We thus humbly believe that art therapy has great potential for mental disorders.

In the future, art therapy may be more thoroughly investigated in the following directions. First, more high-quality clinical trials should be carried out to gain more reliable and rigorous evidence. Second, the evaluation methods for the effectiveness of art therapy need to be as diverse as possible. It is necessary for the investigation to include not only subjective scale evaluations, but also objective means such as brain imaging and hematological examinations to be more convincing. Third, it will be helpful to specify the details of the art therapy and patients for objective comparisons, including types of diseases, painting methods, required qualifications of the therapist to perform the art therapy, and the theoretical basis and mechanism of the therapy. This practice should be continuously promoted in both hospitals and communities. Fourth, guidelines about art therapy should be gradually formed on the basis of accumulated evidence. Finally, mechanism of art therapy should be further investigated in a variety of ways, such as at the neurological, cellular, and molecular levels.

Author Contributions

JH designed the whole study, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. JZ searched for selected the studies. LH participated in the interpretation of data. HY and JX offered good suggestions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFC1712200), International standards research on clinical research and service of Acupuncture-Moxibustion (2019YFC1712205), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (62006220), and Shenzhen Science and Technology Research Program (No. JCYJ20200109114816594).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

References

Birgitta, G. A., Wagman, P., Hedin, K., and Håkansson, C. (2018). Treatment of depression and/or anxiety-outcomes of a randomised controlled trial of the tree theme method ® versus regular occupational therapy. BMC Psychol. 6:25. doi: 10.1186/s40359-018-0237-0

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Art Therapy: A Complementary Treatment for Mental Disorders

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Art therapy, as a non-pharmacological medical complementary and alternative therapy, has been used as one of medical interventions with good clinical effects on mental disorders. However, systematically reviewed in detail in clinical situations is lacking. Here, we searched on PubMed for art therapy in an attempt to explore its theoretical basis, clinical applications, and future perspectives to summary its global pictures.

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Recommendation from Priya which provides ideas for my major proposal. ( About Coronavirus PTSD anxiety and how to treat it.)

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While museums around the globe are closed to the public, we are spotlighting each day an inspiring exhibition that was previously on view. Even if you can't see it in person, allow us to give you a virtual look.
What the museum says: "' Art in the Age of Anxiety' conjures the bombardment of information, misinformation, emotion, deception, and secrecy that invades online and offline life in the age of digital technology. It aims to illuminate the 'post-digital' condition-the manners and behaviors found in a world altered by the rise of digital technologies-and posits speculations for our future.

The exhibition design for 'Art in the Age of Anxiety' is created by architect-and Sharjah Biennial 13 participant-Todd Reisz. Reisz's work often focuses on cities of the Arabian Peninsula from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Here, he has worked with curator Omar Kholeif to imagine a physical maze of corridors and experiences that will fully immerse the viewer."

Why it's worth a look: In his debut exhibition as senior curator of the Sharjah Foundation, Omar Kholeif has corralled some of the most prescient works of the internet-era. It's a subject that Kholeif knows well having organized numerous related exhibitions, including "I Was Raised on the Internet" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, which broached themes of artificial intelligence, isolation, disassociation, transmission, interconnectedness, and more.

In the new show, more than 60 works spanning every medium imaginable represent every corner of the Internet, from Trevor Paglen's surveillance-based aerial photographs, to Cao Fei's surreal landscapes drawn from video game culture.
What it looks like:

Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.

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A New Show Called 'Art in the Age of Anxiety' Captures How Freaked-Out We All Were Even Before Coronavirus. See Images Here

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While museums around the globe are closed to the public, we are spotlighting each day an inspiring exhibition that was previously on view. Even if you can't see it in person, allow us to give you a virtual look.

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Francis Bacon, "Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X" (1953).

https://artsology.com/artemotion.php

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Narrative
Emotional
Anxiety — separation anxiety
Micro
Universe

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Neo-expressionism acted as a major revival of painting in an expressionist manner in the 1980s and it occurred internationally

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It was seen as a reaction to the minimalism and conceptual art that had dominated the 1970s.

In the USA leading figures were Philip Guston and Julian Schnabel, and in Britain Christopher Le Brun and Paula Rego. There was a major development of neo-expressionism in Germany, as might be expected with its expressionist heritage, but also in Italy. In Germany the neo-expressionists became known as Neue Wilden (i.e. new Fauves). In Italy, neo-expressionist painting appeared under the banner of Transavanguardia (beyond the avant-garde). In France a group called Figuration Libre was formed in 1981 by Robert Combas, Remi Blanchard, Francois Boisrond and Herve de Rosa.

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It was seen as a reaction to the minimalism and conceptual art that had dominated the 1970s. In the USA leading figures were Philip Guston and Julian Schnabel, and in Britain Christopher Le Brun and Paula Rego. There was a major development of neo-expressionism in Germany, as might be expected with its expressionist heritage, but also in Italy.

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Then, I found that I have similar symptoms in a close relationship. for example, when I separated from my partner I will feel anxiety. Therefore, I wondered if human beings also suffer from separation anxiety. From the secondary research I understand the types of adults’ anxiety and What causes it as well as the behavioral. Moreover, I would like to know how to treat it?

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I am committed to representing the emotions in illustrations, it is always pessimism. I explored my inner emotion about single-parent family last final, I totally agree that “Optimism hinders the politicization of designers. If the design is going to contribute to tools that can change the world positively, it must begin to embrace pessimism.” Doctor Danah claims that designers must move away from this positive, optimistic attitude that denies the place of any negativity, an attitude that denies realism. Optimism forces people to blame themselves for their own failures and misery; to never look at the structures of power that contribute to this. You just didn’t try hard enough, and you weren’t good enough. This has depoliticized the world. This self-congratulatory culture will get nowhere without establishing a strong culture of criticism. (2021) I've been focusing on myself in the past, I realized that I don't grow and didn't do anything to society as an illustrator, I just continue to speak and design for myself. That's not correct. So throughout the exploration of unit 1, no matter I want to effect any societal change, I must first find my political stance as an illustrator, to think of social, political and economic issues to address in my projects, to move away from the current specialized disciplinary structure in design. and through exposure to other disciplines that share a culture with design, (Psychology and mental health is the secondary disciplines of my project 2) to challenging 'common sense' and breeding of specialists, to speak and design for others for a better world. However, it was a challenge to find political connections with my theme, because psychology and mental health are difficult to connect with intentions and socio-political importance in my common sense. But after explored of project 2, everything is becoming clear. To find political and cross-discipline research are key points I learned in the unit1.

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The core themes and areas for investigation
According to scientific studies, the neurobiological basis of separation anxiety is, until now, poorly understood (Redlich, Grotegerd 2015) The core feature of separation anxiety is the persistent experience of excessive fear and distress when confronted with or perceiving separation from someone to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (Jurbergs N. 2005)

Separation anxiety is derived from Sigmund Freud and John Bowlby's attachment theory. According to Bowlby, there are individual differences in the way attachment develops, with four main patterns: secure attachment, anxious-avoidant attachment, disorganized attachment, and anxious- ambivalent attachment. Of these, anxious-ambivalent attachment is the most relevant to SAD (Bretherton 1992).
It is common in infants and young children, but research suggests that separation anxiety is more common in adults (Manicavasagar 1998). In most cases, separation anxiety is triggered by stressful life events, especially the loss of a loved one or pet, but it may also be caused by parental divorce, changes in school or community, natural disasters, or forced separation of the individual from the person they attach to. There is also evidence that a common factor in separation anxiety may be an overreaction to negative social signals (facial expressions) (Stein 2002).

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Puppy Separation Anxiety
optimistminds.com. (2020). Puppy Separation Anxiety (A Brief Guide) | OptimistMinds. [online] Available at: https://optimistminds.com/puppy-separation-anxiety/ [Accessed 1 Feb. 2022].

Separation anxiety is considered a serious and problematic condition.
There is no one defining sign of Separation anxiety, anxiety can be exhibited or manifested in different ways, meaning there are a variety of symptoms.

Anxious behaviors like pacing, whining or trembling while you’re gone or as you prepare to leave.

Excessive barking or howling.

Destructive acts, such as chewing or digging, particularly around doors or windows.

Accidents in the house – urinating or defecating.

Excessive salivation, drooling or panting.

Desperate and prolonged attempts to escape confinement, potentially ending in serious injury.

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Puppy Separation Anxiety (A Brief Guide) | OptimistMinds

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In this guide, we will discuss Puppy Separation Anxiety, symptoms and some useful tips on how to deal with your Puppy’s anxiety.

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Puppy Separation Anxiety (A brief guide)

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Tate (2017). Expressionism – Art Term | Tate. [online] Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/e/expressionism.

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Expressionism refers to art in which the image of reality is distorted in order to make it expressive of the artist’s inner feelings or ideas

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Tate glossary definition for expressionism: Refers to art in which the image of reality is distorted in order to make it expressive of the artist’s inner feelings or ideas

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What?
What will you research, what will you explore and investigate theoretically, visually and through other research methods?
Why?
Why is this research valuable, what will you explore and investigate theoretically, visually and through other research methods?
Who?
Who is the research aimed at, who will it impact, who will engage with your work, who is your audience, market, user, participant?
How?
Methodologies – how will you research, what methods will you use to gather information/material, for research development?

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Sexy, G. are (2018). Fighting Mental Illnesses and Disorders One Illustration at a Time. [online] Geeks are Sexy Technology News.

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Separation Anxiety,  Shawn Coss 2018

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The hormone cortisol plays an important role in the body’s stress response. Image form google.

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Lots of artists talk about the behavioral characteristics of separation anxiety. But I want to talk about the principle and pathogenesis of disease, but I haven’t found a good way to express it yet. and I don’t want to make it into a popular science animation.

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What Is Cortisol?

Cortisol is a steroid hormone that helps the body respond to stress. It’s sometimes called the “stress hormone.” That’s because levels of cortisol in the body spike during times of high stress. Most obvious when Anxiety.
When this hormone level is significantly too high, it reduces the amount of serotonin that provides a sense of calm and happiness.
Where is it from?
The pituitary gland and hypothalamus of your brain regions work together to direct the adrenal glands to produce more or less cortisol, in essence acting as the control mechanism regarding how much cortisol is made.
Your adrenal glands -- triangle-shaped organs at the top of your kidneys -- make cortisol. From the adrenal glands, cortisol can be released directly into the bloodstream.

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 Lundberg, Ulf (2010). "Neuroendocrine Measures". In Contrada, Richard; Baum, Andrew (eds.). The Handbook of Stress Science: Biology, Psychology, and Health.

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Braveman P, Gottlieb L (2014). "The social determinants of health: it's time to consider the causes of the causes"

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The attempt at different materials- watercolor

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The attempt at different materials- watercolor

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Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science: “The Physiology of Stress: Cortisol and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis.”

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Separation Anxiety (2014)

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Cortisol levels can be measured in blood, urine, or saliva.

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unknown

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For character design

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My idea is to design myself as the image of a dog to show my separation anxiety

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"It is generally assumed that art and emotion are inextricably linked, as is shown by even the most cursory account of the history of critical thinking about music, painting, literature, or theatre. "

"It follows that thinking about emotion and art also should be a matter of considering carefully, and in an analytic mode, certain recurrent issues or problems. What is more, theorizing about emotion and the arts ideally should be informed by the best available findings of other relevant disciplines, such as psychology and cognitive science. The contributions to Emotion and the Arts display these problem-oriented and interdisciplinary tendencies. Although the chapters deal with arts as diverse as film, painting, music, dance, literature, and theatre, the aim here is not to provide a comprehensive picture of any particular art and its relation to emotion, nor is the goal to do justice to any given historical period's conception of the issues."

"12 Contemporary cognitive theorists of emotion take their lead from Aristotle's incisive discussion, in the Rhetoric, of the ways in which emotion, if properly manipulated, can serve the interests of politicians and orators. As Lyons points out, "Aristotle's account is a cognitive account, not because he believed emotions affected our judgment, but because he also believed that judgments or cognitions were central to emotion." 13 "

"Our brief remarks about theatre and emotion are admittedly inconclusive, for the precise nature of the existing or desirable links between these two phenomena, let alone between emotion and the arts more generally, remains quite obscure, as does the nature of emotion itself. What does seem clear, however, is that our thinking about various art forms will be impoverished and even wrongheaded if we fail to take seriously questions having to do with the emotions of those who inhabit and engage with the many worlds of art."

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Investigators pursue their research through a path marked by “ art and emotion” of key knowledge.

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Art and Emotion

One central feature of aesthetic experiences is their ability to arouse emotions in perceivers. It feels natural to experience joy, pleasure shivers down the spine, awe in sight of grandiose artworks, or sometimes even negative emotions of fear, anger or disgust in front of visually challenging stimuli. However, although it is generally agreed that the arts can readily evoke emotions, the nature of these experiences and specifically how emotions in the arts are perceived and represented on a subjective, bodily, and evaluative level is a heavily debated issue (see e.g., Konecni, 2015; Matthew Pelowski, Markey, Forster, Gerger, & Leder, 2017; Scherer, 2005). It is also an open question regarding how emotions-in concert with cognitions-interact to form valuable, intense, and sometimes pleasurable aesthetic experiences. In the Empirical Visual Aesthetics Lab we try to approach these questions from different angles by combining subjective emotion reports with bodily measures indicative of emotional processing (e.g. facial electromyography to track changes in facial emotion expression, or skin conductance resposnes to track changes in arousal) and relate these reactions to the overall aesthetic experience and evaluations (for example liking). Our studies have shown:

Emotions in the arts affect us on a subjective and bodily level which influences aesthetic evaluations, e.g, liking. Thus, emotions in the arts are not only represented in a perceiver via a cognitive or detached mode, as often implicated by cognitivistic art theories. Rather the emotional tone of artworks leads to congruent emotion changes on a subjective and bodily level in a perceiver. For example, perceivers show more frowning (indicator of negative emotions) in front of artworks with negative emotional content and more smiling (indicator of positive emotions) in front of artworks with emotionally positive content, as well as higher skin conductance responses (indicator of arousal) in front of more arousing artworks. This interplay is affected by individualistic variables. Higher compared to lower empathetic persons (that is the ability to pick up and understand emotions of others) report and experience stronger emotions on a subjective and bodily level. Art experts, on the other hand, presumably through a mediation of cognitive factors, show less congruency and intensity between emotions and evaluations (see e.g., Gernot Gerger, Leder, & Kremer, 2014; Gernot, Pelowski, & Leder, 2017; Leder, Gerger, Brieber, & Schwarz, 2014; Leder, Gerger, Dressler, & Schabmann, 2012).

Better aesthetic experiences, as indicated by higher liking, are also not clearly distinct from emotional states on a subjective as well as bodily level, again, indicating that liking is not only cognitivistic or detached. Higher liking makes participants smile more and less liking leads to more frowning (G. Gerger, Leder, Tinio, & Schacht, 2011).

Cognitive factors (e.g., through better understanding, higher fluency or higher expertise) readily influence the interplay of emotions and aesthetic evaluations (Forster, Leder, & Ansorge, 2013; Gernot Gerger & Leder, 2015; Leder, Carbon, & Ripsas, 2006).

If an experience is considered as aesthetic this seems to allow for more mixed emotional states, which might be an exploratory basis of a seemingly paradox-that negative emotions in the arts are sometimes enjoyed. More strongly activating an art schema, by for example telling participants a stimulus is "art," or by selecting participants with higher art expertise, may lead to reports of more enjoying emotional negative content more, which is accompanied by more smiling. At the same time negative emotion indicators (frowning, emotion reports) are hardly affected (Gernot Gerger et al., 2014; Leder et al., 2014) showing that felt negativity does not go away but can be more positively experienced in an aesthetic context.

Finally, these empirical findings provide the background for advances in the theoretical development of understanding emotions in the arts (Leder & Nadal, 2014; M. Pelowski, 2015; Matthew Pelowski et al., 2017).

Publications:

Forster, M., Leder, H., & Ansorge, U. (2013). It Felt Fluent, and I Liked It: Subjective Feeling of Fluency Rather Than Objective Fluency Determines Liking. Emotion, 13(2), 280-289. doi:10.1037/a0030115

Gerger, G., & Leder, H. (2015). Titles change the aesthetic appreciations of paintings. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9.

Gerger, G., Leder, H., & Kremer, A. (2014). Context effects on emotional and aesthetic evaluations of artworks and IAPS pictures. Acta Psychologica, 151(0), 174-183. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2014.06.008

Gerger, G., Leder, H., Tinio, P. P. L., & Schacht, A. (2011). Faces versus Patterns: Exploring aesthetic reactions using facial EMG. Psychology of Aesthetics Creativity and the Arts, 5(3), 241-250. doi:10.1037/a0024154

Gernot, G., Pelowski, M., & Leder, H. (2017). Empathy, Einfühlung, and aesthetic experience: the effect of emotion contagion on appreciation of representational and abstract art using fEMG and SCR. Cognitive Processing, 1-19.

Konecni, V. J. (2015). Emotion in Painting and Art Installations. American Journal of Psychology, 128(3), 305-322.

Leder, H., Carbon, C. C., & Ripsas, A. L. (2006). Entitling art: Influence of title information on understanding and appreciation of paintings. Acta Psychologica, 121(2), 176-198.

Leder, H., Gerger, G., Brieber, D., & Schwarz, N. (2014). What makes an art expert? Emotion and evaluation in art appreciation. Cognition and Emotion, 28(6), 1137-1147. doi:10.1080/02699931.2013.870132

Leder, H., Gerger, G., Dressler, S., & Schabmann, A. (2012). How art is appreciated. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 6(1), 2-10. doi:10.1037/a0026396

Leder, H., & Nadal, M. (2014). Ten years of a model of aesthetic appreciation and aesthetic judgments: The aesthetic episode - Developments and challenges in empirical aesthetics. British Journal of Psychology, 105(4), 443-464. doi:10.1111/bjop.12084

Pelowski, M. (2015). Tears and transformation: feeling like crying as an indicator of insightful or "aesthetic" experience with art. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01006

Pelowski, M., Markey, P. S., Forster, M., Gerger, G., & Leder, H. (2017). Move me, astonish me... delight my eyes and brain: The Vienna Integrated Model of top-down and bottom-up processes in Art Perception (VIMAP) and corresponding affective, evaluative, and neurophysiological correlates. Physics of Life Reviews.

Scherer, K. R. (2005). What are emotions? And how can they be measured? Social Science Information,, 44(4), 695-729. doi:10.1177/0539018405058216

Matthew Pelowski:
matthew.pelowski@univie.ac.at

Helmut Leder:
helmut.leder@univie.ac.at

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One central feature of aesthetic experiences is their ability to arouse emotions in perceivers. It feels natural to experience joy, pleasure shivers down the spine, awe in sight of grandiose artworks, or sometimes even negative emotions of fear, anger or disgust in front of visually challenging stimuli.

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Matravers, D. (2005). Art and emotion. [online] Library Catalog (Koha). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

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Derek Matravers examines how emotions form a bridge between our experience of art and of life.

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University of the Arts Library Catalogue

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The goal is to teach your puppy to enjoy spending some relaxing time alone

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How to Help a Puppy With Separation Anxiety

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How to Help a Puppy With Separation Anxiety

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Provide plenty of exercise and interaction when  you’re home.
Keep your comings and goings calm
Practice with short sessions
Create the right environment for your puppy
Identify and desensitize cues
Leave them with high-value treats and toys
Consider doggy daycare or dog walkers

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I reviewed the old photos and found that I was interested in the reorganization of elements, so that I could get a new imaginary picture. it’s crucial that we don’t forget the past as “it contains valuable lessons.” Through creativity, we can envision the future and implant a bit of hope too. “You have the capacity to imagine the impossible and with that, open a dialogue for what we can do better.

This method can exercise my imagination and creative thinking. I really like this way.

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1. When adults face separation anxiety, the body's cortisol will show an increasing trend. Visualize this process in the form of animation.

2. Create a neurosensor, use biological instruments in a quantitative way to test the brainwave data of people with different anxiety emotions, enter a database (in the form of data or illustration?) in the computer, and match them with people who are randomly tested. People can know which type of anxiety they belong to or whether they are in anxiety.

3. Make a box, a happy box, for relief and treatment.（When I was young, I liked to get into large paper boxes to seek shelter and safety, such as the box that encloses the refrigerator. So I think it might be heal my anxiety.

4. Transform myself into the character of a dog and tell stories.

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History
• Can you share examples of creative practitioners that are working at the intersection of art & design with this discipline?
Yu reports that nonverbal symbolic methods, like HTP-drawing, are thought to reflect subconscious self-relevant information. The process of art making and reflection upon the art may lead to insights in emotions and (wrong) cognitions that can be addressed during counseling. The authors state that “HTP-drawing is a natural, easy mental intervention technique through which counselors can guide prisoners to form helpful cognitions and behaviors within a relative relaxing and well-protected psychological environment”. In this case the artwork is seen as a form of unconscious self-expression that opens up possibilities for verbal reflections and counseling. In the process of drawing, the counselor gives guidance so the drawing becomes more complete and enriched, what possibly entails a positive change in the prisoners’ cognitive patters and behavior.

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optimistminds.com. (2020). Separation Anxiety From Boyfriend (9 Tips To Cope) | OptimistMinds. [online] Available at: https://optimistminds.com/separation-anxiety-from-boyfriend/.

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This article looks at how separation anxiety from boyfriend effects and how to overcome this anxiety. We also look at what is Separation anxiety and its clinical picture.

Separation anxiety from boyfriend

Everyone agrees that being apart from your beloved one is no fun. Research findings utilizing anecdotes have shown that long-term separation from a boyfriend or girlfriend can increase anxiety and depression and issues such as sleep disorders. Researchers are now establishing the neurobiological processes behind these behavioral and physiological responses.

Separation anxiety is ,genuine and you will potentially suffer anxiety at the prospect of being apart from a beloved one or a partner. Although separation anxiety is a typical phase in the development of an infant, findings have shown that adults suffer from this too.

Physical and emotional signs of separation anxiety entail excessive concern for the significant one, persistent negative thinking, frequent physical problems such as headaches, sleep deprivation, and individuals even report feeling nauseous in certain unusual instances. Some may get really overprotective, and the other individual can feel suffocated by this.

What is Separation anxiety in adults?

Separation anxiety is when one fears being separated from a specific individual, family, or pets. Although many individuals equate separation anxiety with kids, adults may also develop the disorder.

As a consequence of the separation, a person experiences intense anxiety. An individual can also manifest physical symptoms relevant to separation anxiety. This may include:

In kids, primarily those less than two years old, separation anxiety frequently arises. At this moment, a child does not yet realize that they are always close and returning when a parent leaves elsewhere.

An individual with separation anxiety as an adult may often have had the disorder as a kid. Only in adulthood may others perceive it.

The diagnostic manual for mental health disorders of the American Psychiatric Association, the DSM-5, describes separation anxiety as when an individual has any of the symptoms listed:

Abnormal anxiety over being separated from an individual or pet

Extreme concern that if they abandon them behind, another person would be hurt

Increasing fear of being alone

When they realize that they will shortly be separated from another individual: physical symptoms

Excessive anxiety over being alone

It is essential to know at all moments where a spouse or loved one would be

In adults, such symptoms will last for six months or longer. They may experience severe distress from their symptoms that impair their social, professional, or educational performance.

According to an article published in the journal Personality and Mental Wellbeing, people with OCD are more prone to developing separation anxiety as an adult.

There are also other co-existing problems for people with separation anxiety, such as specific phobias, panic attacks, or agoraphobia (fear of going outdoors).

Some risk factors, in addition to pre-existing mental health problems, for separation anxiety, involve:

Unpleasantness during adolescence, such as the loss of a family member

History of stressful childhood incidents, such as violence

A major life shift, such as a separation or a child away from home and attending college, may cause a person to experience anxiety about adult separation.

By talking about the symptoms a person is having, a doctor can diagnose separation anxiety. The requirements, including those used in the new DSM-5 to identify separation anxiety in adults, would be used by a mental health professional.

Healthcare professionals generally treat separation anxiety through psychotherapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

This treatment aims to teach a person to recognize their thoughts and actions that make their anxiety about separation more challenging. Parents may also teach extra parenting strategies that can decrease their separation anxiety. Often, group therapy and family therapy may help a person.

Medication

Physicians can also briefly administer anti-anxiety medications to support a person during their most intense signs of separation anxiety. But these medications are not necessarily long-term remedies to the underlying illness, and certain forms of medication for anti-anxiety may be addictive.

To minimize the occurrence of separation anxiety, a person can participate in counseling to start improving their patterns of thinking.

Support Groups

For those with anxiety and separation anxiety, an individual may also want to discover a support group. People joining these groups will obtain assistance with trying to learn strategies to minimize anxiety related to separation.

How does it develop in Adults?

Separation anxiety is usually relatively easy to detect when serious. Adults with extreme separation anxiety appear to have an inappropriate connection to an individual they are attached to, and once they have to detach from another individual, they feel intense panic and anxiety. Yet, the symptoms may not be quite as noticeable in less extreme cases of separation anxiety. Such symptoms of ASA that are less evident are:

In relationships, adults with separation anxiety can show signs of jealousy. What induces those with ASA to feel envy is also a dread of separation. This is particularly true if depressive feelings are followed by envy, such as a fear of being alone or unreasonable worries about extramarital affairs.

There is some proof that highly strict and controlling parents can even have trouble with separation anxiety. Parents may be quite worried that their kid will abandon them eventually, often known as reverse-separation anxiety, that they attempt to monitor the child's life as much as possible.

The manner adults handle their relationships is yet another way that separation anxiety can present itself. Whether romantic, family, or friendly relationships, and friendships and sometimes family relationships, even though highly dysfunctional (emotionally, physically), many with ASA strive to sustain the relationship out of apprehension of being alone.

Those who "leach" away from their parents long into adulthood, or those who have never had to exit the homes of their mates, can in some form experience separation anxiety.

Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.

Tips for Dealing with Separation anxiety

Regardless of how long you and your beloved one must be apart, reminding yourself of the brief existence of separation is extremely useful. It'sIt's going to stop. If you're dealing with a shorter amount of time away, this may be simpler to handle with so if you have a long split ahead, consider breaking it down into manageable phases to help you cope effectively. A persistent aspect of life is still confusion.

Communicate your feelings to your partner

Don'tDon't fight the separation anxiety issues yourself. This is indeed a perfect time to introduce your thoughts to your partner. It'sIt's essential your partner understands that throughout the period separated; you might need some additional love and care.

They will then be conscious, maybe more frequently checking in or just being more attentive to your emotions and desires.

Letting yourself feel sad is OK. Enduring and dealing with your thoughts often helps you to manage them. Do you understand what they mean that a "good cry" can be therapeutic? This is completely real.

Only let it all out. Allow yourself to feel bad.

Or perhaps you can do something which makes you feel closer to your partner at the same time and cope with the fear of separation.

You can select and create your favorite pictures of you and your partner by placing them in scrapbooks or displaying them at home. When you spend creative energy, you'll be dreaming of them. This exercise will leave you feeling pleasant inside and comfortable, and lead to feelings of achievement that will significantly lower some of your anxiety.

Make sure to both mentally and physically active.

Physical exercise may be helpful to relieve separation anxiety symptoms in adults or just general anxiety. We recommend the Peloton Ride.

Commit to that while your partner is working if you have a daily workout routine. Or, if you're the one moving down, attempt to find time in your day for body exertion.

Honestly, remaining involved and being occupied helps the time go by quicker, so before you fully know it, the split will be over.

Talk about how both of you are going to communicate.

Not having an appropriate communication strategy is one problem that could lead to your relationship separation anxiety.

It is essential to have these talks even before separation even starts. Not only can it guarantee that you both have acceptable goals in position, but a secondary cause of anxiety may also be removed.

Make sure both of you will be dedicated to your plan of contact. Daily, speaking or texting at the very same time may be useful, but that's not always feasible.

With each other, be rational and fair.

And be versatile as well. Remember that things come up at times, and contact can be interrupted. Know that your partner has the best of intentions, and if your interaction varies or does not occur on a specific day, don't flip out or spiral out.

Do something valuable for each other.

Not only does having time apart offer you some leisure time, but it also allows you the ability to gain insight into your relationship. I can't think of a perfect time to sit and write your affection in a written letter. This is a popular pastime.

Writing is safe and soothing, but when you write as to what you appreciate about your partner, you'll feel incredibly anchored. Offer it to them once they get back and observe their hearts well up with appreciation.

Other relationships are meaningful too.

Don'tDon't neglect your other significant relationships in life: your siblings, your parents, your buddies, or even your kids. You may feel very sad to be split for an amount of time from your partner. However, there are hundreds of other individuals who will still love to spend some time with you.

Make your reunion special.

When, after being separated, you and your beloved one see each other again, it's a time for celebration. So rather than fretting about the prolonged absence from each other, you reunite, settle on doing something lovely and memorable.

Attempt to live in the present no matter what you want and enjoy the happiness of being back together. After all, the separation does one correct thing: it renders the meeting so much wonderful.

Many people also believe in the Crystal Healing Theory to treat anxiety which proved to be useful. Check the Best Crystals and Stones for groundind anxiety and panic attacks. They will look like precious jewelry.

Conclusion

This article looked at how separation anxiety from a boyfriend affects and how to overcome this anxiety. We also looked at what is Separation anxiety and its clinical picture.

What we recommend for curbing Anxiety

Below are some of the services and products we recommend for anxiety

Anxiety Weighted Blankets are by far the number 1 thing every person who suffers from anxiety should at least try. Anxiety Blankets may improve your sleep, allow you to fall asleep faster and you can even carry them around when chilling at home.

Online therapy is another thing we should all try. We highly recommend Online therapy with a provider who not only provides therapy but a complete mental health toolbox to help your wellness.

With over 50,000 participants, this anxiety course may be just what you need to regain control of your life.

Amber light therapy from Amber lights could increase the melatonin production in your body and help you sleep better at night. An Amber light lamp helps reduce the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep and increases overall sleep quality.

FAQ: Separation anxiety from boyfriend

Citation

Westly, E. (2009, February 01). Why It Hurts to Be Away from Your Partner. Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-it-hurts-to-be-away/

Is separation anxiety killing your relationship? Here'sHere's how to deal with it - Times of India. (2020, January 31). Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/love-sex/is-separation-anxiety-killing-your-relationship-heres-how-to-deal-with-it/articleshow/73799245.cms

Separation anxiety in adults: Symptoms, treatment, and management. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322070

How to Manage Adult Separation Anxiety. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/types/adult-separation-anxiety

10 Tips for Dealing With Separation Anxiety in Relationships. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/10-tips-dealing-separation-anxiety-210246633.html?guccounter=1
https://unsplash.com/photos/bVAY3coCf6s

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Separation Anxiety From Boyfriend (9 Tips To Cope) | OptimistMinds

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This article looks at how separation anxiety from boyfriend effects and how to overcome this anxiety. We also look at what is Separation anxiety and its clinical picture. Everyone agrees that being apart from your beloved one is no fun.

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Why It Hurts to Be Away from Your Partner

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Psychological impacts of long-term separation anxiety

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Still Life with Jug and African BowlStill Life with Jug and African Bowl, oil on canvas by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1912; in the Los Angel

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As a creative practitioner, identifying a position is an important thing to this term. During locating knowledge and identifying practice of projects 1 and 2, I was mainly an investigative Illustrator investigating how to use art therapy(AT) to explore the psychology and mental health problems such as separation anxiety by using illustration as a research method.

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Ask and Get No Reassurance 1974 by Charlotte Johnson Wahl (1942–2021)

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Further study: Exposure therapy- A branch of Art therapy by using illustration

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Further study: Exposure therapy- A branch of Art therapy by using illustration

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Objective
For my personal project, after exploring projects 1, 2, as well as the discovery of psychology and mental health of the secondary discipline. I changed my research topic from Expressionism to art therapy in the form of visual materials and aim to engender solace for people who have difficult emotions and traumatic after a pandemic. With visual stimuli, viewers can immediately empathize with sufferers or wounded people depicted in an image (Chiang, Reid-Varley, and Fan, 2019).
Rationale
In early 2020, I was in the epicenter of the covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan. With medical capacities overwhelmed, as lacking effective drugs, insufficient logistics, etc. I have witnessed the helplessness of the whole city and the bereavement of many. Two years on, life appears to be almost back to normal in the city. What is certain is that these past two years have taken a psychological toll. The pandemic has certainly left something behind, even if it is not visible on the surface. Thus, it will provide a challenge as I will explore the inner trauma of this group and committed solace to them(including myself) by art therapy related to my major. The project duration of 19 weeks permits the study will start with historical background research of art therapy, Especially drawing and painting have always been regarded as the most useful part of the process of psychiatry and psychotherapy (BAAT, 2019) will be examined critically. For example, the therapeutic potential of the arts was being used in private hospitals long before the term “art therapy” was coined (Hogan, 2001). The collection of art work of patients from the Crichton Royal Hospital in Scotland late nineteenth century was proof of that.
The second part of the project will take a participatory work with volunteers because for much of its history it would seem that art therapy has relied upon a theory of art as the expression of an inner self(Burton, 2009). To some extent, this may reflect the dominance of American abstract expressionism in the 1950s and 1960s art world (Guillemin, 2004), but in the further study, I noticed that a young artist in Liverpool who works with the hospitalized mentally ill as an artist in residence collaborating with patients in the production of exciting and adventurous art, they have an ongoing input into the art that she produces. Even patients with no native artistic ability can participate in this process which I find appealing because it is based on dialogue and interaction, rather than the pouring out of inner emotions. Is this perhaps a model that could follow?

I am not a doctor and I cannot cure physical diseases. I am an illustrator. art may not be able to do anything when facing pandemic. The purpose of this project will focus on the role of healers. From researchers to healling of art, it may not work in the way I imagined. I'm just the person who is involved in pushing the stone at that moment.

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Wassily Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist, now celebrated as one of the pioneers of pure abstraction in modern painting. Delphi's Masters of Art Series presents the world's first digital e-Art books, allowing digital readers to explore the works of the world's greatest artists in comprehensive detail. This volume presents Kandinsky's collected works in beautiful detail, with concise introductions, hundreds of high quality images and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)

* A comprehensive range of Kandinsky's works over his whole career - over 300 paintings, fully indexed and arranged in chronological and alphabetical order
* Includes reproductions of rare works
* Features a special 'Highlights' section, with concise introductions to the masterpieces, giving valuable contextual information
* Enlarged 'Detail' images, allowing you to explore Kandinsky's celebrated works in detail, as featured in traditional art books
* Hundreds of images in stunning colour - highly recommended for viewing on tablets and smart phones or as a valuable reference tool on more conventional eReaders
* Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the paintings
* Easily locate the paintings you want to view
* Includes Kandinsky's celebrated treatise CONCERNING THE SPIRITUAL IN ART
* Scholarly ordering of plates into chronological order

Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting e-Art books

CONTENTS:

The Highlights
ODESSA PORT
PORTRAIT OF GABRIELE MÜNTER
THE BLUE RIDER
COUPLE RIDING
CEMETERY AND VICARAGE IN KOCHEL
MURNAU-VIEW WITH RAILWAY AND CASTLE
PICTURE WITH ARCHER
LYRICAL
IMPROVISATION 26
SMALL PLEASURES
BLACK STROKES I
MOSCOW I
RED OVAL
STOREYS
COMPOSITION VIII
YELLOW-RED-BLUE
SEVERAL CIRCLES
COLOURFUL ENSEMBLE
SKY BLUE
TEMPERED ELAN

The Paintings
CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PAINTINGS
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF PAINTINGS

The Treatise
CONCERNING THE SPIRITUAL IN ART

Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

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Delphi Collected Works of Wassily Kandinsky (Illustrated)

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Wassily Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist, now celebrated as one of the pioneers of pure abstraction in modern painting. Delphi's Masters of Art Series presents the world's first digital e-Art books, allowing digital readers to explore the works of the world's greatest artists in comprehensive detail.

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Artsology (n.d.). Emotion in Art | How artists depict emotion | Examples of art showing emotion | An Artsology Arts Investigation. [online] artsology.com. Avail

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the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse within a person

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How do artists depict emotion in art?

In the early 20th Century, there developed an art movement called "Expressionism," in which the artist was more interested in expressing an emotional experience and less focused on depicting realism. The art work could be a record of what the artist was feeling at the time of making it, and it could also bring about emotional reactions in the viewer.

In a previous investigation, we took a look at art by Matisse, Picasso, Lichtenstein, Chagall and others to see how these modern masters showed emotion in their art. We've decided to revisit this issue, and to take a look at a different group of artists and see what approaches they've taken in order to depict emotion in their art. One thing that we're seeing more this time is the way the artists have made the subject's hands an integral part of the expression of the emotion. Let's take a look at a few examples below.

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Here's two art works that both depict sadness ... what I find interesting by the painting at left, by David Alfaro Siqueiros, is that he's able to convey emotion without even seeing the person's face. The placement of the hands and the lines defining the knuckles sends the message that this person is fighting back tears. Below right we have Vik Muniz's reinterpretation of Picasso's famous "Weeping Woman," but this image is a photograph of piles of pigment laid out to mimic the original. She also has a hand up to her face, and her eyebrows arching up helps convey her emotional state.

Here's a pair of paintings that epitomize fear: at left, a self-portrait by Dutch artist Pieter Van Laer from 1638. He's screaming out in terror as he sees the approach of the devil, as depicted by the monster-like hands reaching for him from the right side. At right, a painting by an unknown artist at the 2011 Armory Show; do you agree with me that this painting also depicts fear? Is it because of the extra big, extra round eyes, or the teeth that seem to be chattering?

Here's a linocut print below left by artist Andrew Hahn where he went ahead and labeled the emotion for his art: shame! The subject's hands are up covering his or her face just like the hands in the Siqueros painting, but in this case they're covering the face in shame rather than wiping away sadness. The painting below right is a challenging picture for you to interpret: what emotion do you feel from looking at this painting? Is it anger, as the hand crumples some paper in a moment of disgust? Or is it sadness, as a hand clutches a used Kleenex? What do you think? (both of these were seen at the 2011 Armory Show in NYC)

"Shame May Be Fatal" image is © Andrew Hahn.

(Editor's note: I wish I had inquired about the names of the artists from the 2011 Armory Show whose work is included here. If you recognize any of these unidentified artists, please contact Artsology so that I can give proper credit for these art works. In the case of any of these artworks displayed, please note that the copyright belongs to the respective artists.)

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Emotion in Art | How artists depict emotion | Examples of art showing emotion | An Artsology Arts Investigation

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In the early 20th Century, there developed an art movement called "Expressionism," in which the artist was more interested in expressing an emotional experience and less focused on depicting realism. The art work could be a record of what the artist was feeling at the time of making it, and it could also bring about emotional reactions in the viewer.

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The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2019). Expressionism | Definition, Characteristics, Artists, & Facts. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] 

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Many of their works express frustration, anxiety, disgust, discontent, violence, and generally a sort of frenetic intensity of feeling in response to the ugliness, the crude banality, and the possibilities and contradictions that they discerned in modern life.

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Expressionism | Definition, Characteristics, Artists, Music, Theater, Film, & Facts

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Expressionism, artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses. In a broader sense Expressionism is one of the main currents of art, literature, music, theater, and film in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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American Art Therapy Association (2018). Definition of Art. Available online at: https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/

Attard, A., and Larkin, M. (2016). Art therapy for people with psychosis: a narrative review of the literature. Lancet Psychiatry 3, 1067–1078. doi: 10.1016/s2215-0366(16)30146-8

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Expressionism". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Nov. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/art/Expressionism. Accessed 26 January 2022.

Chiang, M., Reid-Varley, W. B., and Fan, X. (2019). Creative art therapy for mental illness. Psychiatry Res. 275, 129–136. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.03.025

Ciasca, E. C., Ferreira, R. C., Santana, C.L. A., Forlenza, O. V., Dos Santos, G. D., Brum, P. S., et al. (2018). Art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for depression in elderly women: a randomized controlled trial. Braz. J. Psychiatry 40, 256–263. doi: 10.1590/1516-4446-2017-2250

Craig, J., Baron-Cohen, S., and Scott, F. (2001). Drawing ability in autism: a window into the imagination. Isr. J. Psychiatry Relat. Sci. 38, 242–253.

Crone, D. M., O’Connell, E. E., Tyson, P. J., Clark-Stone, F., Opher, S., and James, D. V. (2013). ‘Art Lift’ intervention to improve mental well-being: an observational study from U.K. general practice. Int. J. Ment. Health Nurs. 22, 279–286. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0349.2012.00862.x

Futuress. (2021). Against Performative Positivity. [online] Available at: https://futuress.org/magazine/against-performative-positivity/.

optimistminds.com. (2020). Puppy Separation Anxiety (A Brief Guide) | OptimistMinds. [online] Available at: https://optimistminds.com/puppy-separation-anxiety/

optimistminds.com. (2020). Separation Anxiety From Boyfriend (9 Tips To Cope) | OptimistMinds. [online] Available at: https://optimistminds.com/separation-anxiety-from-boyfriend/.

Sexy, G. are (2018). Fighting Mental Illnesses and Disorders One Illustration at a Time. [online] Geeks are Sexy Technology News.

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Why does the fearful face emoji seem so familiar to us? The simple answer? Because it's the modern reincarnation of a classic expressionist painting-it's Art History 101.

The scream emoji

The emoji is part of a long history of imitating The Scream. Check these out:

But how could a painting from 1893 become so famous that we're still using it all day everyday 126 years later? We'll tell you in a minute, but here's a hint for now: the power of expressionism. Let's discover what expressionism is, and how you can harness its influence in your own designs. Read on, friends!

What is expressionism?
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Expressionism is an art style which came out of Germany and Austria around 1912. Emphasizing emotion over realism, expressionism employs a non-realistic portrayal of objects and events to arouse emotion in viewers. This was a rebellion from the tradition of Realism which started in France during the mid-19th century.

There were two main expressionism groups: Die Brücke (The Bridge) and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). Both groups used distortion, primitivism, fantasy and formal elements in a vibrant, clashing, violent or dynamic way. The members of Der Blaue Reiter saw expressionism in an even deeper way. They portrayed their subjects' spirituality rather than merely what could be seen on the surface. The expressionists were adventurous with color, and their dramatized forms expressed the exotic qualities of their subject matter. Heavy brushstrokes, use of shadow, and deep color in order to convey a feeling are hallmarks of the style.

Immortality through expressionism
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Now, back to The Scream. What makes the art form timeless is what's at the core of expressionism: an appeal to the emotions. If you want to make a sale, you've got to tap into the emotional part of your customer's brain before you hit their logical part. Expressionism's ability to appeal to the emotions of a viewer makes it the perfect style for selling.

Edvard Munch used the techniques of expressionism, blood red sky contrasting with bluish-black sea, thick swirling brushstrokes, primitive shapes, and dramatic expression, to depict a panic attack. It's unrealistic yet effective-you might start feeling anxious just looking at it.

Everyone from Macaulay Culkin to Snoop Dogg can dig The Scream. You don't have to be part of any particular culture, religion, political affiliation or nationality to get this painting. Emotion is universally accessible, which is why Edvard Munch's Scream has become a timeless emoji, I mean icon.

Your brand may or may not become timelessly iconic, but you can use expressionism in your design to evoke an emotional response in your audience. We're going to take you on a tour of a bunch of inspiring designs which employ expressionism to enhance their brands. Come on guys, let's express ourselves!

Expressionist logos
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Companies who have a spiritual, nonconformist or existential element should strongly consider using an expressionist logo. Customers can instantly feel that your connection goes beyond skin deep when they see your third eye, ethnic colors, war paint or confident poses. These elements will show that your brand has depth, as opposed to your shallow competitors.

Expressionist web design
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Emotion was a key watchword for the expressionists. It was often missing in realistic art, but in expressionism, you can't accurately depict a subject if you don't show the emotional dimension. That means you can't just see, you have to feel!

These next examples show how expressionist techniques can be used to amplify the emotional content of a design. Viewers are swept into a friendly fun science lab, an electrifying sound party, the adventures of learning, and the ambiguity of art. Businesses who want their customers to feel a certain "vibe" can achieve that through expressionist design.

Expressionist illustration
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Fantasy is a staple of expressionism. After all, it takes imagination to figure out how to show a feeling. So what better way to explain a subject than to show the fantasy elements around it?

From a teen's creative poppage, a fantastic fish in white space, a space jam, an elegant alternate dimension, to a time travel into the modern primal world of Keith Haring, the possibilities are endless. If you're hoping to take your audience into another world, get inspired by these examples!

Expressionist album covers
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Music and dramatic expression need to go hand in hand. It's only logical that musicians use the visual drama of expressionism for their album covers. It's all happening in this sound garden! A musician cries rainbow tears! The woman in red is made of stardust! And Jimi Hendrix is, well... Jimi! Check out they ways these brands deliver the drama!

Expressionist book covers
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Books that focus on issues of inner violence or turmoil can utilize the violent clash of color and images that expressionism provides. When shapes, colors, and images clash, it has a jarring effect on the viewer. This effect can communicate the essence of your story to readers at a glance. In expressionism, confusion, isolation and the frantic nature of life can be effectively explored.

Expressionist packaging
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Brands looking to communicate a feeling rather than a literal idea will do well with expressionism. Just as a realistic portrait of your best friend might not fully capture her vim and vigor, expressionist design also shows things as they seem, rather than as they actually are. The following packaging examples offer consumers the experience of a feeling rather than the practicality of a specific product or service. Dance the night away with your long-lost lover! Be energized by the tropical vibe while drinking a cup of Joe!

Expressionist posters
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Expressionism in poster design often keeps things simple, using just enough of the fundamental shapes to get the point across. When you're learning to sketch, you learn that every object breaks down into basic shapes. But even basic shapes can have a lot of impact and create powerful visuals. See how these next examples use simple, expressive elements to various degrees!

Express your emotion
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What emotion do you want to convey through your expressionist design?

If you're having trouble pinning it down, imagine your brand as a person. List the qualities and behaviors your brand embodies, identify what makes it different.

Then ask yourself what emotions you want to convey to your customers. What do you want them to feel when they think about your brand and your products or services? Passion, warmth, impatience, power, trust, excitement or joy? To complete the picture, imagine your customers all in one room. How would you greet them? "Whasuuup!" Or, "greetings precious ones." Or, "Good afternoon." Do they get the three-part street fist bump? A long deep hug? Or a standard firm handshake?

Have some fun with these exercises and get ready to create your own expressionist design!

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Expressionism in graphic design - 99designs

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Why does the fearful face emoji seem so familiar to us? The simple answer? Because it's the modern reincarnation of a classic expressionist painting-it's Art History 101. The scream emoji The emoji is part of a long history of imitating The Scream.

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Moma.org. (2016). MoMA | German Expressionism. [online] Available at: https://www.moma.org/s/ge/curated_ge/.

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Many Expressionist painters had backgrounds in printmaking and woodcuts. They applied the craft of these media to their painting, creating stark figures that at times toed the line of two-dimensionality. This connected Expressionism to the Fauvism of Henri Matisse and the Cubism of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

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MoMA.org. (n.d.). MoMA | The Collection | Erich Heckel (German, 1883–1970). 

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https://www.moma.org/s/ge/collection_ge/artist/artist_id-2569.html

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Publication Excerpt: Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011

Painter, printmaker. One of four architecture students in Dresden who formed the Brücke group in 1905; served as its business manager. Early paintings and prints focus on nudes in the studio, cabaret themes, and landscapes created during intermittent retreats with fellow Brücke artists. In 1910 met future wife, dancer Sidi Riha, the subject of many portraits. Followed Brücke members to Berlin in 1911. During World War I was stationed in Belgium with Red Cross medical corps headed by art historian Walter Kaesbach, who ensured Heckel continued to paint and make prints. While there became close with James Ensor and met Max Beckmann. In 1918 returned to Berlin and joined socialist artists' organizations, including the Novembergruppe. During war and postwar years created many portraits, self-portraits, and landscapes embodying spiritual isolation and melancholy. Output also reflects his long engagement with modern works of philosophy and literature, including those by Friedrich Nietzsche and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Used printmaking as a means for radically simplifying and flattening compositions. Made more than one thousand prints over career, almost three-quarters between 1903 and 1923; most were self-printed in small editions, although after 1910 collaborated on occasion with Berlin-based publishers, including Paul Cassirer, Fritz Gurlitt, and J. B. Neumann. Reprinted some early woodcuts in 1950s.

Nazis prohibited him from exhibiting and confiscated 729 works from public collections. Studio and its contents in Berlin destroyed during World War II.

Selected Bibliography

Dube, Annemarie, and Wolf-Dieter Dube. Erich Heckel: Das graphische Werk. 3 vols. New York: E. Rathenau, 1964-74.

Moeller, Magdalena M., ed. Erich Heckel: Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik aus dem Brücke-Museum Berlin. Exh. cat. Berlin: Brücke-Museum, 1991.

Moeller, Magdalena M., and Meike Hoffmann, eds. Erich Heckel: Meisterwerke des Expressionismus: Aquarelle und Zeichnungen aus der Sammlung des Brücke-Museums Berlin. Exh. cat. Berlin: Brücke-Museum, 1999.

Heather Hess

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MoMA | The Collection | Erich Heckel (German, 1883-1970)

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Publication Excerpt: Starr Figura, German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 2011 Painter, printmaker. One of four architecture students in Dresden who formed the Brücke group in 1905; served as its business manager. Early paintings and prints focus on nudes in the studio, cabaret themes, and landscapes created during intermittent retreats with fellow Brücke artists.