While going through an episode of Depression or any other mental illness, we may not always be verbally expressive. However given a chance/opportunity we could communicate our emotions through creative expressions such as music, poetry, or art.
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” —Pablo Picasso
Art therapy is a specialized area of mental health that uses art materials and the creative process to explore emotions, reduce anxiety, increase self-esteem, and resolve other psychological conflicts. The American Art Therapy Association states that art therapy can be an effective mental health treatment for individuals who have experienced depression, trauma, medical illness, and social difficulties. Making art in therapy can be a way to achieve personal insight as well as healing.
In the next couple of blogs we will explore the inter-connectedness between art and mental health.
Today we introduce to you the works of Martín Ramírez also labelled as a schizophrenic artist. A Mexican artist, he was confined within the DeWitt State Hospital in northern California for the last 15 years of his life. Click here to view Ramirez’s work exhibited at the American Folk Art Museum.
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