Time to Art

by Nadia Cooper

 With the increase in academic pressure through tests, online classes, sports, and extracurriculars, it becomes harder to do what many students love after class: create art. It seems we are asked to balance endless tasks. Maintain healthy habits, do homework assigned by teachers, study for midterms, keep up relationships with others, have a good sleep schedule, and so much more. So, what about the creatives? Many students feel that they need to unwind by doing activities like painting, drawing, making music, etc. A lot of grade twelve students are also doing creative Capstone Projects like writing/making books, sewing, wood carving, and more. Things that require attention to detail, and time to perfect.  

So how do we “make time”? The easy answer that many students go to is to limit the amount of homework after school. Ideally, that’d be great. But could it be possible to make time without teachers adjusting their workloads? By making changes to our own personal schedules? The answer may be to prioritize and make time for the things that you love, for your mental health and well-being.  

A study published by Harvard Health explained that having hobbies is beneficial for many areas of your life. In this study, scientists followed subjects for eight years and compared their found data to those with hobbies, and those without. People who made time for hobbies showed higher cognitive stimulation, creativity, better health, and fewer symptoms of depression. Some of these hobbies were arts, crafts, gardening, social clubs, and more.  (See Having a Hobby Tied to Happiness and Well-being, Harvard Health 2024)  

Another article from Evolve Treatment states that teens with hobbies and extracurriculars are less likely to be involved in risky behavior, and explain how hobbies are beneficial for discovering passions, developing skills, feeling a sense of achievement, and more. (See Evolve Treatment, Why Teenagers Should Have Hobbies, 2024) After all, how will we know what we want to do after graduation without taking time to learn what we love? But let's circle back to the arts. What makes them stand out among other hobbies? 

The Importance of Keeping Up Artistic Hobbies in a Busy School Year 

Taking time for art has proven to show better problem-solving skills, encourage independent thinking, and even prepare students for the future. Cultivate Arts and Education goes into more detail, explaining that “by engaging in creative activities, teens can build the foundation for better problem-solving abilities, as well as critical thinking skills” (The Importance of Art for Teens, Cultivate Arts and Culture, 2023) This article also explains how “art develops creative problem-solving skills and prepares them for their future.” It seems like the science is there, so how do we make it relevant to daily life? 

The simple answer is to develop tools and schedules to help you. Some of these could being setting a timer to focus solely on art for a set amount of time, scheduling “art blocks” on weekends, asking questions to other artists to inspire you, and knowing that whatever you create is going to be great. The world wants to see what you can do, and remember that something is always better than nothing.