Why You Don’t Need to Be Good at Art to Benefit

Many individuals avoid creating art because they think they’re “not good at it.” But what if the true benefit of art is not skill? Art is an effective way to express emotions, practice mindfulness, and foster personal development— all of which are available to everyone. You don’t need to be an artist or trained to experience the mental health benefits of spending time with shapes, colors, and textures. In fact, the most liberating way to approach art is free of expectations. This article will help you understand why you don’t need to be good at art to benefit, how creativity can support emotional well-being, and some simple practices to include more art in your everyday life.

1. Art is about expression, not perfection

Many individuals often hold themselves back from doing art because they believe they “don’t have enough talent.” This way of thinking misses the point of art. Art is one of the oldest kinds of human expression—not for performance, but for sharing feelings, experiences, and stories. When children make art, they are not fretting that it looks good—they are drawing what they feel. This is the freedom we lose as we become adults, frequently substituted with self-criticism. Important to remember, reclaiming art as expression instead of as a talent to develop helps us connect with a more truthful, playful version of each one of us.

Reflection Question: Try setting a timer for 5 minutes and unceasingly drawing whatever comes to your mind—without ever lifting your pen. What do you notice regarding your thoughts or feelings at the end of the time?

2. Creativity Helps Manage the Nervous System

Research suggests that art-making decreases cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone for the body. Making art-—whether painting, sculpting, or doodling—calms the brain in the same way that mindfulness and meditation do. This is particularly relevant to our high-speed, overstimulated world. Art works as a sensory anchor to help us slow down and transition from a state of fight-or-flight to a state of rest-and-digest. Fortunately, you don’t need an art degree to experience these physiological benefits—only time and intention.

For example, adult coloring books became extremely popular not because people felt they wanted to create masterpieces, but because coloring complex patterns calms the mind and allows for focus without overthinking.

3. Making Art Develops Emotional Awareness

Occasionally emotions become blocked because we lack the vocabulary to express these feelings. Art provides a language that is beyond language. You can express emotions, whether they are grief, joy, confusion, or hope through lines, shapes, colors, and textures. This type of visual journaling can also increase emotional intelligence. You can begin to recognize repeated themes, patterns, colors, or motifs that echo your internal world. This form of expression can help you understand your feelings or experiences and process them in a healthier way over time.

Tip: Keep a visual diary. Every evening, you can take 10 minutes to sketch the feeling you experience that day through abstract patterns and colors, rather than writing. Please do not evaluate, critique or judge your creation, but observe what it feels like to express.

4. There Is No Wrong Way To Make Art

Unlike school assignments or projects at work, art does not have to comply with anyone’s expectations. There will be no grades, deadlines, or right answers. Instead, you can explore, experiment, and possibly make mistakes, which may just be the most exciting part. There is great freedom that comes with letting go of control. It will also help the brain be more flexible and resilient! Art will allow you to safely fail as you practice building trust in yourself.

In Practice: Try this. Paint using your non-dominant hand. The result will be “imperfection,” but isn’t that the point? See how the change in process affects your experience.

5. Creativity Slows You Down

Our minds are continuously stimulated by social media, emails, and news. Creating art brings pause into that stimulation. It asks you to think of one thing only, whether that’s a brushstroke, a paper texture, or color mixing. When you focus on only one thing while doing art, that is a form of single-tasking, which creates a flow state. It is a mental space where you lose a sense of time and are fully present in the activity. Stress disappears, and you really feel aware. This awareness can be profoundly restorative for people who feel overwhelmed or disconnected.

Example: At Happy Hands Pottery and Art Studio, we often see visitors arrive frazzled and depart glowing. Why? Because spending an hour painting – without distraction – presents an opportunity to reset your soul.

6. Art Connects You to Your Inner World

Creativity can unlock parts of yourself you didn’t even know existed. As you create, some thoughts might pop into your head: Why these colors? What am I attracted to? What am I avoiding? This process can be therapeutic. It allows you to consider your values, fears, dreams, and memories. For many, especially individuals who find it hard to talk, art creates a safe, quiet place to contemplate the ups and downs of being alive.

Quote from a participant: “When I painted, without thinking, it was like I met myself again after so long.”

7. You’re Creative (Even you think you are not)

Creativity is not a special skill; it is simply one of the parts that makes all of us different segments of being human. You are being creative when you dress and decorate, when you dream and cook, when you problem-solve. Making art is simply activating that creativity and making it something that you can see or hold.With practice, you become more comfortable, not necessarily that your work gets “better,” but because you learn that the value is in the doing. Each person has a creative side; you just need to allow yourself to see the permission to explore that pathway to creativity.

Words of encouragement: Think of your creativity as physical strength or muscle. People don’t go to the gym because they are strong; they go to the gym so that they can become stronger. Making art is no different.

Simple Ways to Start Creating Without Pressure

• Blind contour drawings—draw without paying attention to the page; just look at the object(s).
• Simple finger painting—apply paint with fingertips and use sponge dabbing as well (fun texture).
• Make a color journal—just paint your feelings with colors (to communicate and give voice to your feelings).
• Collage is a great way to cut from old magazines to explore ideas. You can link ideas, use single magazine pages, and mix it up by titles.

You don’t require high-priced art supplies, aptitude, or schooling to experience the advantages of art. You just need an openness to try. Whether you doodle, paint, tear, glue, or splash, the act of doing so will be what calms me, clarifies my goals, and builds my confidence. Art is more about what occurs during the experience than it is about the final product. Art is the quieted mind, the moving hands, and the feeling of being completely present. And so give yourself permission to create freely and without entanglement with perfectionism. Allow art to be a space for you to breathe, to feel, and just be and enjoy yourself.

Are you interested in trying out art in a comfortable, low-pressure environment?

Join us at Happy Hands Pottery and Art Studio, home of creative workshops for creators of any skill level. Whether this is your first time painting or you’re getting back into your love of art, our workshops provide opportunities for expressing yourself, relaxing, and having fun!

🖌️ Check out our upcoming workshop, drop-in sessions, and themed art experiences, because everyone should have a space to create!

👉 Click here to view our workshop schedule.