A new study on why art matters

 

A cookbook combining writing and cooking.
Part of the ars?
When iconic Texas novelist thelate Elmer Kelton told his father, a ranch foreman all his life, that he wantedto be writer, the elder Kelton gave his son a look that “could have killedJohnson grass” and said, “That’s the trouble with young people. They don’t wantto work.” Elmer by his own admission never made a ranch hand, but he made aheck of an important Texas writer. Does it matter?

Almost every congressional fiscalresolution includes motions to defund the National Council for the Arts and theNational Council for the Humanities, on the theory that the money could bebetter spent in more practical ways. In the US the arts usually play second fiddleto business and “practical” matters. Perhaps it’s our Puritan heritage, when artwas suspect of being at best unorthodox, dangerous, and at a worst a tool of Satan.Perhaps it’s the more modern reality, as Elmer’s father thought, that it’s hardfor a young person to make a living in the arts. Nonetheless the notion remainsin too much of society that the arts are frivolous.

“The arts” is an umbrella term.What, really, does it include? When people hear the word, they usually thinkvisual arts—painting and sculpture—with the performative arts next—theater,dance, musical performances, etc. And finally poetry. Somehow creative writtenworks are often left out of the mix. And yet, they require as much creativity asthe other arts. So I often include books in the definition and even that is toonarrow, but it may be the best we have at the moment.

Writing in the “Maine CrimeWriters” blog, author Dick Cass reviews the book Your Brain on Art, bySusan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, an exploration of the ways that art and science,instead of being antithetical, actually come together. Our brains need both,and art, instead of being frivolous, is essential to good physical and mentalhealth. Here are some of the research-based findings that Cass reported fromthe book:

·       Music with a rhythm of 60 beats a minute can synchronize withhuman brains to produce alpha waves, the brain frequency associated with restand relaxation. Take it down to 40 beats or so and the rhythm synchronizes withdelta waves, associated with sleep. Music can also help rewire the brain aftera stroke.

·       Colors have a biological effect on human thinking and emotion.The color red raises the galvanic reaction in humans, how much sweat glandsreact, more than colors like green or blue. In one study, people in agray-painted room displayed higher heart rates than people in a more colorfulroom.

·       Research into architecture shows that building with elementslike curves instead of straight walls can reduce the blood pressure and heartrate of the people living within.

·       Imaging studies show that poetry has neurological benefits.Reading poems lights up the part of the brain associated with restful states,and rhythm is something our brains are hardwired to respond to.

·       Coloring, drawing, even doodling stimulate the prefrontalcortex, the area of the brain that keeps us focused and interprets sensoryinformation.

·       Research even supports the notion that people who engage in arthave a lower risk of developing chronic pain as they age.  

Notethat the last finding specifies people who engage in art, not passive recipientswho study paintings on a wall in a museum.

Areyou familiar with the concept of Tikkun olam, literally meaning “repairingthe world.” It’s a Jewish concept, although echoes are found in many Christian teachingsand writings, that each of us is obligated to leave the world a bit better thanwe found it, to contribute something to the good of the universe. I worry a lotabout that, because I fear I write frivolous things—young-adult literature,light mysteries. Yes, I hope my historical fiction brings a greaterunderstanding of history and women’s place in it, but there are all those otherworks. What, really, am I contributing? Cass’ article and the book have made meturn my doubt on its head. The question is not what am I contributing throughmy art, but what is my art enabling me to do for others? Is it because I write,a creative activity that stimulates both brain and body, that I am able towrite historical fiction and even some young adult novels that may shape somepre-teen’s reading.

The creative arts are not somethingself-indulgent nor something to be lightly dismissed. They are part of the totaldevelopment of an individual.  KurtVonnegut put it so well: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing,painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how badly,not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’sinside you, to make your soul grow.

I think my avocation of cooking even falls within thatcategory, along with writing. They are both activities that allow me to sharesome of me with the world at large, whether it be a book you read, a recipe ina blog, or a dinner you share at my table. And I think that is a good thing.

Go, free your spirit, do whatever brings you pleasure (well,within reason)—it will help you grow.

A personal note on our family woes: my brother thinks he’s abit better, we are moving ahead with fixing the plumbing problem, and Sophiedidn’t snap tonight for her shot (after three tries—I got a donut collar).Maybe writing about all that has helped.

Thank you for listening and sweet dreams.