insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 23 - January 2017 | Page 24

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

UNLEASH
THE ARTIST
WITHIN
Art is one of life’s great pleasures, both for
the artist and for those admiring the result of
their work. Art is actually good for the soul,
and good for your health too – creating and
admiring art releases what is known as the
‘happy hormone’, serotonin, which makes us
feel blissful; it makes us feel alive. So, art is
clearly important. But can anyone do it?

WHO CAN DO ART? ARE WE ALL ARTISTS?
Although not everyone can be a professional
artist, everyone can certainly get involved
and enjoy creating art. The secret to this,
and the thing that many people forget or
don’t realise, is that you don’t have to have
any kind of artistic talent at all to simply
create. It’s the process that counts and it’s
the process that releases a life-affirming
hormone hit, so it’s the process itself that
will make you feel good - not how polished
the end product looks.

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In simple terms, everyone can do art. Don’t
be afraid to try if it’s something you want to
do even if you are sure you have no talent
for it. Perhaps you’ll uncover a hidden talent;
perhaps you’ll discover a style of art you
want to learn further. If not, what difference
does it make? You have nothing to lose.
Children do arts and crafts constantly, and
they’re never worried about how good it is
or whether anyone wants to see it. They do
it for the love of it, which is a great lesson to
take into adult life.

As there are so many different kinds of art
to try, you’ll find the process is an ongoing,
fulfilling one. Painting, sculpting, pottery,
ceramics, drawing, mosaic, photography,
even stained glass making - if you find that
one genre of artistry doesn’t suit you, move
on to the next. The further you research, the
further you’ll discover that there is always
something new to try.