What are the key benefits fo water marbling or art in general? Here’s some of my favourites that I see in my work.
Develop Creativity
Art can develop creativity. You have to figure things out and problem solve. But there is also magic that happens sometimes when you create something wondrous with your own hands. And you can proudly say, yes I made that! My favourite customer at our workshops is kids. Yes they can be tricky sometimes…not quite tall enough or full of beans. But they have no inhibitions. No internal thought saying you can’t do that. They are full of confidence and creativity just waiting to be released! And usually they are ready to jump in and try everything. It is so inspiring.
Lower Stress
Lowering stress is also a benefit of art. At one of my first farmers markets I had a couple stand and watch my demonstration. They seemed very upset. But I was busy doing my demonstration. After a few minutes I noticed them both relax. One of them let out a big sigh and they looked at each other knowingly. They actually stayed and chatted after the demonstration and mentioned that they just had a HUGE fight. And now they had calmed down and apologized to each other. He said, “I don’t know what it is about this, but it helped me put everything into perspective.” And they thanked me for sharing my art that day with them. Funny right?
Boost Confidence
One of my favourite things to watch in a workshop is the “non-artist” guest create. You see her start off very nervous…saying “I’m not good at this” or “I’m not the artist in the family”. But as she floats the paint and realizes that this artform is truly as easy as I say….the confidence boosts. Then the tools. With one swipe of a symmetrical tool the ohs and awes from the surrounding guests build up enough confidence that she proudly announces “I made that”! Usually with a big grin on her face! I truly believe that art will build up both your confidence and self-esteem!
Brings People Together
This summer I had my first experience being at a surprise birthday party with my water marbling workshop. Everyone was so excited. Talking about this amazing woman and how excited they were to give back to her and celebrate her. The giggles of how she still didn’t know. And how excited they thought she would be. It was pure magic when she came up the stairs and all the effort was realized as she was surprised by all these people who loved her so much! And I had the great honor of bringing all these people together to make art. It was so fun but also really just made me feel so happy!
What do you think are the key benefits of art?