The arts have been used as healing tools throughout the ages, but deeper understanding about the power of the arts and its impact on brain health is relatively new.   “Neuroaesthetics” is an emerging field of scientific study that offers research-based evidence that a variety of arts-based approaches may work to improve quality of life, mobility, mental health, speech, memory, pain, learning, and more.

These benefits come from making art, but they also occur by just observing or experiencing art.  It’s exciting because simple creative interventions could potentially lower the cost and burden of chronic disease, neurological disorders, and mental health issues for millions of people.

My father was a prolific painter and he started when he was 80 years old.  Learning various forms of painting techniques gave him new knowledge, new social activities, a renewed sense of purpose and an outlet for creativity which made him happy.  His brain was sharp until 95 when his heart finally gave out.  Through him, I saw the benefits first-hand of the power of the arts had on his health and wellbeing.

Research now makes clear that experiencing or creating art sparks a dynamic interplay among brain cells that spearheads billions of changes affecting our thoughts, emotions, and actions.  Any type of creative expression engages the brain’s neuroplasticity: when faced with different situations, our brains will continue to change and respond to environmental activity throughout our lives – and when mixed with art engagement, it can be incredibly beneficial for mental wellbeing.

This exciting new field of research has the potential to elevate the arts to a superpower in its potential for healing and wellness.  Some doctors have even begun prescribing museum visits to address loneliness, dementia, and many other physical and mental health concerns.

Deep, rich aesthetic experiences offer the potential to bring us back to our evolutionary roots: to inspire us, move us, heal us and connect us.  It’s exciting to see that science and the arts are coming together to show us that we are, in fact, wired for art.

I have always struggled with meditation– I just can’t sit still and allow my mind to go blank. I am wired to keep moving. I believe photography is a form of meditation, especially when shooting in nature.

What works for me is a moving meditation– such as Qi Gong or free-flow dancing.  When I am outside with my camera, I am moving around. And looking through my lens brings me to a place of stillness where time and space seem to stand still.  I just get lost and immersed in beauty, wonder and awe, and my soul is happy.

Much like the wellness benefits of nature, hundreds of studies have been done on the connection between art and healing.  Through creativity and imagination, we can find our reservoir of healing.  Some positive ways visual arts affect our health include lowering stress hormones, increasing self-worth, a way to express feelings, heal emotional injuries and alter negative behaviors and thinking patterns.

Making something is deeply satisfying: you become a creator, not just a consumer. Creativity can be like a peak experience: the same highs can be felt like exploring new places or falling in love.  When engaged with something creative, worries and cares fall away and are replaced playfulness and a sense of bliss.

Photography is one of the most accessible forms of art and creativity available. Photography can connect you to more healthy aspects of life and can help stir emotions like joy, passion, inspiration and awe, especially when outdoors observing the beauty of nature.  We also have an excellent stress management tool in our hands—our phones. The camera is an invitation to explore the world around you, get into nature and observe the nuances and details.  When you are focused on observing the things around you, stress, anxiety and depression fade away. It simply helps you to focus externally — rather than getting caught up in the thoughts always racing through your mind.

I use the art of photography and my connection with nature as a mindfulness meditation more than a production of content.  I focus on staying present and what I am seeing and feeling when I am outside. What is most important is the ability to enjoy the process of creation.  It’s the heart part, not as much the art part.

There is a wealth of research that describes the restorative power of nature: how time spent in nature makes people happier and healthier and positively impacts our physical, mental and spiritual health.

Nature can simultaneously calm and focus the mind.  Nature can stimulate our intelligence, improve our ability to pay attention, and think more clearly. Mentally, access to nature is associated with reduced stress and anxiety, better moods, more resilience, and increased happiness and life satisfaction.

The natural world is an effective place for the human brain to overcome fatigue and to be restored.  It can increase your vitality.  It’s no surprise: when you’re outside, you awaken your senses. Surrounded by the colors, smells and sounds of all the living things in nature, you literally feel life all around you. And as a result, you feel more alive.  Connecting to nature can also expand our senses and reignite the sense of awe and wonder we felt when we were kids.

Why is nature so soothing to us?  Some researchers hypothesize that since humans evolved and spent the overwhelming majority of our history in natural environments, we feel happiest and most at home in nature. In essence, we are hard-wired for nature.

Yet studies shows that the average Americans spends 93 percent of their time indoors, of which 6 percent is in their cars.  That makes only one half of one day spent outdoors in a week.

What are we doing indoors?  We are looking at screens.  Recent studies have found that people in the US spend as much as 10 hours and 39 minutes a day consuming media.  The more time we spend with new technology, the more likely we are to suffer because of it.  We have developed technologies that have isolated us from the natural world and made us disconnect with life.  “Technostress” is a term coined to describe unhealthy behavior around new technology arising from all manners of everyday usage, like checking your phone constantly, compulsively sharing updates and feeling like you need to be continually connected on social media.

The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need to achieve natural balance.  In his book “The Nature Principle,” author Richard Louv says, “A reconnection to the natural world is fundamental to human health, well-being, spirit and survival.” According to Louv, we all suffer from “Nature Deficit Disorder”- what happens when people don’t get enough nature in their life and the results are not pleasant: symptoms include anxiety, depression, insomnia, frustration, irritability and anger.

Research shows that nature is such a powerful restorative agent that minimal contact—as little as five minutes—can generate positive effects.  In fact, studies show that even just looking at photographs of nature can have benefits. Research done in hospitals, offices, and schools has found that even a simple plant in a room can have a significant impact on stress and anxiety.

It’s kind of a no-brainer: get outside daily and into nature!  There is nature to be found everywhere, even in big cities.