Many say that artists create their best work in times of great distress. Many of our favorite songs come after musicians go through great trauma. So in a sense, isn’t creating art therapy?

Many artists are loved by their fans for creating work through trauma. Artists like The Weeknd and Bryson Tiller are known for making “bag songs.” These songs are emotional and many people can connect to them. For these singers having emotional songs has become a brand. It’s so synonymous with them that when these artists get into relationships fans usually push for them to break up or look forward to it for new music.

If you were to cheer on a friend who just got into a relationship to break up with their significant other, you would look like a lunatic. But artists are put on a pedestal, fans seem to forget that they’re real people too. 

There are other ways to express your emotions besides music though, and art therapy has quickly grown through the mental health community. You can buy products designed for calming you down or work with an art therapist one on one on pieces to express yourself.

I am an artist myself and after going through an emotional event in my life I decided to pour my overwhelming emotions into my art. It was painful, and I had to look into myself and be truthful. My process has gone on for around four weeks now and I intend to continue. Expressing my emotions through pictures is a lot easier than just sitting around and mulling over details. I’ve created 10 pieces for this project and after completing every piece I felt something lift off my shoulders.

I encourage anyone who has a hard time expressing emotions or just wants to release how they feel to try their hand at art therapy. May it be writing, photography, sculpting or painting there’s a niche for you to try and who knows, you may create a piece that resounds with other people in the process.