Explore Your Feelings with Art

Sometimes feelings are tricky! We might not know exactly how we feel at times, or what to say to the people around us when we’re going through something a bit difficult and would like them to understand.

Luckily, making (or looking at) art is a great way to help us deal with feelings! It can communicate things for us when we don’t have the words. The making part can feel especially good, because our bodies are busy letting the feeling out while we scribble, sculpt or paint. This is called ‘externalising’. By letting it out, we can get a bit of distance from our feelings - just enough to help us think about maybe why we feel this way, or what we’d like to do next about it.

Can you think of a time you’ve made something creative (it could be anything - even a song, or a cake…yum) and then felt a bit differently afterwards?

Another cool thing is that we can share art with people! Throughout history, people have made art when they’ve felt frustrated, happy, sad and a whole bunch of different ways. When we see an artwork that makes us feel something, it can reassure us that it’s ok - other people felt this way too! What do these artworks remind you of? Which one best fits how you feel right now?

The good thing about making art based on our feelings is that there’s no right or wrong - it’s up to us! We don’t need to make our art look especially ‘real’ or exactly like an object or person. Even a few doodles can have a lot of meaning if we choose. Why not grab some art materials such as crayons or markers, watch the above film and create something in response? You can use different words or images as starting points. What does ‘happy’ feel like to you - or how about ‘curious’?

Once you’ve used the materials and created something, you can have a little break then go back to it later. Often going back to things we’ve created a few times can help us reflect on them. What could you add to the artwork - or if you’ve drawn a character, what’s the next bit of the story? Working with feelings is an exploration, because like us, they are always changing.

So there you go! There’s much more to art than meets the eye. Ahh, we feel better already…

Make sure to tell an adult you trust if you’re struggling with how you feel. If you need urgent mental health support, here is a list of organisations that can help.