Why Art Is Not a Luxury (And Why Your Body Knows It)

Many of us were taught—quietly or explicitly—that art is optional.
Something lovely, yes. Enjoyable. But not essential.

Yet our bodies tell a very different story.

Recent research into the effects of art on the brain reveals what artists and makers have intuitively known for centuries: creative engagement is not a luxury—it is nourishment.

In groundbreaking work by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, researchers discovered that engaging in one or more artistic experiences per month can extend life expectancy by up to ten years. Ten years. Let that land for a moment.

And the benefits don’t stop there.

What Science Is Now Confirming About Art

Studies now show that:

• Just 45 minutes of making art lowers cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone.
• Working with your hands—whether through paint, clay, or textiles—stimulates nerve endings and internal sensory receptors, creating immediate focus and grounding.
• Immersive creative experiences enhance learning and memory, strengthening emotional and cognitive connections.
• Singing, humming, and creative rhythm activate the vagus nerve, signaling safety to the nervous system and promoting calm.
• Regular creative engagement in children is linked to fewer social challenges later in life.
• Light, sound, and visual beauty can slow the progression of dementia and support neuroplasticity.
• Doctors now prescribe nature walks and museum visits as legitimate therapeutic tools for mental and neurological health.

In other words: creativity heals, regulates, restores, and reconnects us—to ourselves and to one another.

This is not indulgence.
This is stewardship of the body and mind we’ve been given.

Art as a Practice of Presence

When you paint, you are not just “making something.”

You are slowing your breath.
You are training your attention.
You are engaging your senses in a way that pulls you fully into the present moment.

In a world that constantly demands output, efficiency, and productivity, art gently invites us back into being.

This is why I believe so deeply in teaching art—not as a performance or a pressure-filled pursuit, but as a practice of presence, joy, and restoration.

An Invitation to Create

If your soul has been craving stillness…
If your nervous system feels tired…
If you’ve been longing for something life-giving that doesn’t require perfection—

I’d love to invite you to join me for one of my upcoming art classes at Art on the Square Gallery:

🎨 February 11 - Lovebirds Acrylic Painting Class 3-6pm

🎨 February 25 - Palmetto Moon Acrylic Workshop - 3-6pm

The links will take you directly to a sign-up page. Easy-peasy!

These classes are designed to be welcoming, approachable, and deeply nourishing. No prior experience or drawing is required—just a willingness to show up and create.

Together, we’ll slow down, work with our hands, and make space for beauty to do what it does best: heal, soften, and restore.

Because art isn’t extra.
It’s essential.

And your body already knows that.