What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Painting, for many of us, is deeply meditative. It’s an opportunity to slow down, to immerse ourselves in an ever changing sea of colors and forms.

“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands.” – Leonardo da Vinci

The walls of Enclāve Studios are humming with energy as I prepare for my solo show at the Grants Pass Museum of Art. A few finishing touches, several new frames, and the work will be ready. It’s a bit of a retrospective and being surrounded by so many of my paintings (both new and old) finds me revisiting some under-discussed but never the less captivating ideas.  The grand confluence of art, brain function, and creativity.

Today, we’ll be swapping brushes for neurons and color palettes for synapses. Let’s dive headfirst into a mad and fascinating world where the arts meet the sciences.

I recently stumbled onto an interesting study by a Dr. Anne Bolwerk in Germany. She and her kolleginnen have shown that the act of creating art ignites a dialog between different parts of our brains. When we paint, it seems that we’re actually throwing a networking party in our heads! All of those lonely neurons finally get to mingle and chat. This subconscious  socialization leads to more resilience to stress. The idea that creating art empowers and defends us against the pressures and demands of a tone deaf world really resonates with me. I’ve experienced it and I’m grateful.

Getting ready for my retrospective at the Grants Pass Museum of Art

Sometimes the only answer to a chaotic schedule is to lose ourselves briefly in a world of our own creation. Recharge. If we let it, each brushstroke can  bring us closer to that ever elusive state of peace and clarity. This artistic meditation is a soothing balm for our minds. It reduces stress, enhances our attention span, and improves memory. Every painting we create can be another step towards tranquility.

It’s not just the stroke of the brush, but our memory of each color, our attention to detail, the feel of the brush in our hands. The process is all consuming. It’s visceral. Like a workout for our brains.

It may be time to put down the crossword and pick up a brush! Another study from the Mayo Clinic echoed these same ideas. Artists who regularly engaged with their craft had a lower risk of cognitive disorders in their later years. This was nice for me to read because many of my early years were filled with cognitive disorder. It’s 8Paint for a reason, people!

Each decision that we make about color or form not only adds to the richness of our canvas but evidently, to the health and resilience of our brain as well. The joy available to us when painting is transformational. The benefits it brings to our mind, our body, and (if we haven’t lost track of it) our soul, cannot be overstated.

Keep painting, and if you still can, remember that life is magic.

Paint tuff

Have you discovered the peace that Painting offers?

What do you do to keep your mind sharp?