Art Makes Me a Better Person

Making art releases me from the grip of anxiety

commissioned artwork by author

If you had told me 15 years ago how much I would need art in my life, I would have likely slugged another beer and told you to go to hell.

I was kind of an asshole back then.

Time changes everything. Today I have a family I love dearly, but I still struggle mightily some days. Sobriety has been a real eye-opener and has helped me confront many of the things that held me back, although it hasn’t been a magic bullet. What it has given me is the vision and clarity to see just how far things had slipped so that I could begin working through them.

One of the most important tools in my mental health toolbag is art. Writing, drawing, and painting help take my mind to another time and place where they can settle. Drawing and painting in particular are excellent creative outlets to help with the abundant and constant vibration that comes from having anxiety.

I tried describing my anxiety to my wife. I told her it felt like being in the middle of an electric circuit. Have you ever accidentally shocked yourself while plugging something in or rewiring an electrical outlet? There’s a hum to it. A buzz. You can feel the frequency and the current, and it doesn’t want to let you go.