The therapeutic value of creative art-making during the covid-19 pandemic

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 93 - 113, 30.03.2022

Helen W. Chan Angelie Ignacio Clara Rebello Gerald Cupchik

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major life stressor and building resilience is integral to coping with it. Art-making is one way to address the adversities of the pandemic as it allows creative individuals to experience positive affect, engage in self-reflection, and heal psychological wounds. In this study, 270 participants completed a background survey reflecting upon health and precautionary measures, emotional state felt prior to participating, and trait resilience. Participants also assessed their artistic practices both before and during the pandemic with the focus on change in attitudes. Each described an artwork created during the pandemic and reflected on its value. As expected, participants who followed precautionary measures were in better health, experienced positive affect, and were generally more resilient. Emotional self-care became a primary focus of art-making during the pandemic, whereas getting into a state of flow and having a non-judgmental attitude while creating the artwork were the central focus prior to the pandemic. These findings show that art-making offers therapeutic benefits for an individual’s psychological well-being and that there were deleterious impacts of the pandemic on the self-expression process.

Keywords

COVID-19, trauma, resilience, art therapy, self-care, emotion regulation

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