Autumnal Art Club

As autumn turns to winter, we prepare for the northern hemisphere's colder, darker winter days. In doing so, I recently designed an Art Club based on autumn and gratitude as part of my artist-in-residence at the TEAM LEWIS Foundation. Additionally, I curated the TEAM LEWIS Emerging Artist Annual Exhibition in 2021, which included artworks and designs made by recent graduates of Chelsea College of Art, University of the Arts London. So, I've included two artworks: Tom to David (2021) by Pippy Stephenson and Bringing Me Serenity for the Man Lost and the Man I Am Yet to Know (2021) by Mhairi Rankin. Although Stephenson works conceptually across materials as a writer and Rankin produces highly skilled paintings, both artists' work centres on people and relationships with others.

Art Club

Art Clubs include art activities designed to boost social interactions and support participants' mental well-being through drawing and discussions about general yet significant themes, ranging from food to reduced inequality. Research suggests that engaging in art-making and showing gratitude have positive psychological and physical effects on our bodies and brains, lowering stress, improving our mood, and giving us calming and happy feelings. According to mentalhealth-uk.org (2019 (2019), 'as autumn and winter near, we may experience a sense of loss for the brighter days bygone and apprehension for the colder, darker months ahead.' Thankfully, making art affects our mental health in positive ways, which will help us combat the autumnal slump as we slide into the winter holidays. According to Scrippsamg.com (nd), '[…] activities such as sculpting, painting, or drawing are known to lower stress levels and promote mental calmness. Creating art takes your mind off of your everyday life and provides a relaxing distraction.' 

This month, I designed an Art Club loosely based on gratitude towards family, close friends, good health, your home, your job, healthy food, your knowledge, pets, etc. This session allowed the participants and me to talk about things we're grateful for. We discovered that being thankful and maintaining psychological, physical, and social well-being helps us be more creative and more able to solve problems and address challenges as they arise in our work and personal lives. 

Gratitude

We started this session by discussing gratitude as something that arises from giving and receiving help and '[…] a habitual focusing on and appreciating the positive aspects of life […], which '[…] has been associated with increased subjective wellbeing (SWB)' (Wood et al. 2010; Alkozei, Smith & Killgore, 2018). However, 

Because people underestimate the benefit and overestimate the cost of expressing gratitude, miscalibrated predictions can create a misplaced barrier to gratitude expression. […] The propensity to undervalue one's positive impact on others may reflect a broader tendency that undermines prosociality in daily life — to the detriment of one's own, and others, well-being. 

Kumar, A (2021)

Research suggests that being grateful, helping others, and appreciating the good things in our lives are important because it increases our individual well-being. Research also indicates that undervaluing the positive effects of gratitude or overestimating the cost of being grateful or helping others creates barriers to our personal well-being and our ability to make positive contributions to society. We may be thankful for and show gratitude towards family, close friends, good health, your home, your job, healthy food, your knowledge, and pets, which we briefly discussed before our drawing exercises. 

You may be grateful for exercise and good health.

You may be grateful for exercise and good health. '[A] substantial body of research exists sketching out how regular exercise of various types can benefit creativity, it seems that visual artists might be able to color in the outlines of that picture' (Kunitz, 2017). For example, according to Daniel Kunitz (2017) of Artsy.net, 

A 2014 study by scientists at Stanford University […] showed that walking significantly improves certain types of cognitive efforts involved in creativity, specifically convergent thinking, such as the ability to come up with solutions to a problem, and divergent thinking, which involves conceiving open-ended, original ideas. Other studies have found that exercise tends to improve convergent thinking in those who exercise three or more times per week. 

It follows that engaging in exercise and cultivating pathways to better health is worth appreciating. Being thankful for these activities' positive outcomes is fundamental to our well-being and aptitude for creative problem-solving.  

You may be thankful for a healthy diet. 

You may be thankful for a healthy diet. Well, contemporary artists have created work about or made from food and eating, using it as both a medium and topic to make work about. For example, the French contemporary artist Sophie Calle's work, pictured here, Chromatic Diet from 1997. According to Emma Orlow (2018) at vice.com, 

In a 1997 photo series called “The Chromatic Diet,” Calle set out to create a meal each day only using ingredients of the same hue. The project is a directly meta response to author Paul Auster’s Leviathan, in which the protagonist (based on Calle) performs this very eating ritual.

Calle's work predates Foodstagramming, the 'Posting aesthetic snapshots of gourmet dishes is also a part of our visual self-presentation' that we've seen develop alongside the network of social media presence in multiple aspects of our lives (Atanasova 2016). Although Calle's work isn't directly associated with healthy eating habits, creativity, and good mental health, it does suggest a connection between these factors. For example, 'Poor nutrition may be a causal factor in the experience of low mood, and improving diet may help to protect not only the physical health but also the mental health of the population', say Joseph Firth and colleagues (2020). While according to Qian Janice Wang and colleagues (2021), 'A growing body of literature has demonstrated that all human senses are capable of sparking creativity. It follows then that eating, as one of the most multisensory of all human behaviours, should be a playground for creative thinking.' So, appreciating a healthy diet increases our overall well-being and plays an essential role in nurturing our creativity and problem-solving. 

You may be thankful for your family and close friends.

You may be thankful for your family and close friends. Whether we like it or not, our family relationships fundamentally influence and shape our well-being throughout our lives. Research into the correlation between the quality of family relationships and well-being across the life course suggests, 'The quality of family relationships, including social support (e.g., providing love, advice, and care) and strain (e.g., arguments, being critical, making too many demands), can influence well-being through psychosocial, behavioral, and physiological pathways' (Thomas et al. 2017). 

Additionally, we maybe feel grateful for close friends in our lives. Research suggests that 'Friendships are an important source of happiness, well-being, physical health, and longevity. Researchers have often linked unidimensional friendship quality to life satisfaction and positive affect, which are hedonic forms of well-being' (Anderson and Fowers, 2019). As holiday seasons and special occasions with family often show, stress is a salient quality within our relationships with our' marital, intergenerational and sibling ties', which undermines our mental health and well-being (Thomas et al. 2017). However, social support from our loved ones, family, or friends '[…] serves as a protective resource' (Thomas et al. 2017). Research also suggests that '[…] irrespective of cultural context, family well-being is valued over personal well-being. These findings suggest that policy makers and scientists may need to pay more attention to family well-being than they currently do (Krys, Capaldi, Zelenski, et al. 2019). 

It may be no surprise that contemporary artists have responded to the idea of family in their work. In contrast, modern galleries, like the Tate, offer family-themed artworks combined with educational activities and resources for families to explore their collections online and in the galleries. According to Tate (nd), 'Families! They can be annoying or the best people in the world. Let's look at some different family portraits from Tate's collection.' One such example is Storytime (2008) by Rachel Whiteread. 'Families can come in all sizes and they can do lots of different activities together. A family might be your parents or siblings or a group of friends. What story do you think this family of toys are listening to? Do you like to read stories as a family or with your friends?' (www.tate.org.uk). The Tate's website offers a kid's section to educate, engage, and encourage families to explore Tate's collection together. Policymakers and scientists may overlook family and friends' importance in our well-being. Still, artists and art institutions nurture these relationships by providing combined aesthetic and educational experiences for all ages. 

You may be thankful for cakes. 

You may be thankful for cakes. Anyone who has attempted a Dry January or Sober October knows that your cravings for sugar and enjoyment of baking increase as your body wants the quick dopamine kicks we get from eating sweets and the smell of baking. Again, there are no short of examples of contemporary artists making artwork about their favourite sweets. For instance, Wayne Thiebaud's Bakery Case from 1996. 

One of his best-known and thought-provoking works is Bakery Case (1996). In it, the bakery case exemplifies the unattainable. The depiction of food and consumer goods behind shop windows or points makes them both simultaneously omnipresent and entirely out of reach. Tempting but ultimately unsatisfying. [J]uxtaposes the ideas of abundance and scarcity. 

Thomas-Graham, P (2019) 

Overindulging in anything we consider a treat, like cake, chocolate, or sweets, can harm our mental and physical well-being, dampening our abilities to solve problems and seek out creative solutions at our highest potential. However, knowing how to treat yourself while maintaining your motivation towards activities and rewards that provide positive mental and physical benefits will help you hone your creativity and problem-solving skills. 

So what? 

If nurturing our well-being is a crucial element of creative problem-solving, then showing gratitude towards our physical health, a healthy diet, and the social support we receive from family and friends are ways to nurture our creativity, hone our critical thinking, and improve our respond to problems and challenges. By showing gratitude and appreciating the positive aspects of life, we fundamentally support the well-being of ourselves and others. However, far-reaching matters, such as the United Nations' third Sustainable Development Goal (nd): Good Health and Wellbeing, aims to '[e]nsure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.' Projects developed to meet this goal include health, population, and sustainable transport operations locally and internationally. 

As an artist, I'm aware of and have used art's ability to deliver public value, meaning '[…] what citizens give to and what they receive from public bodies (Holden 2004).' Takashi Mitachi, a senior advisor at the Boston Consulting Group, suggested that art drives innovation beyond logic and data. It is art, he said, that disrupts society to add value.' According to classifications of the social impact of the arts by  Elenora Belfiore and Oliver Bennet (2008, 2010), one such function is art's benefit to personal well-being. Belfiore and Bennet base their argument on the simple pleasure and enjoyment of some art experiences. For example, Belfiore and Bennet (2008, 2010, p. 98-99) discuss the arts functioning to serve personal well-being, including the arts as 'experience', either making art or appreciating art; or art as play, characterised by some element of fun, a primary 'category of life' we all related to in some way. Whether I'm making artwork or designing Art Clubs, I see the opportunity to use art to raise awareness of sustainable issues, such as Good Health and Wellbeing. I find art’s disruption or rearrangement exciting opportunities to advocate for significant sustainable problems through awareness raising works of art and art clubs. 

Artist Profiles

Mhairi Rankin

The conceptional ideas surrounding my work are about memory, moments, and experiences attempting to bring together a sense of life and memories whilst emphasising their transitory nature.

Bringing Me Serenity for the Man Lost and the Man I Am Yet to Know (2021) 

By Mhairi Rankin.

Interview 

Mhairi Rankin (MR): I'm Mhairi Rankin, and my course was BA Fine Art at Chelsea. The work I create is mainly portraiture, and just say, what it's based around, or

Joshua Y'Barbo (JY): Could you tell me about your practice? What do you make work about? How do you go about making your work? And what do you think about when making your work? And do you still make work?

MR: I make work based on connections and relationships we have with people. If I was going down the street, and I saw an old couple having lunch or something like that, something very simple, very mundane. Maybe someone's shopping or something that shouts life in its simplest form.

You can read the full interview here and learn more about Mhairi's work through her media channels listed below. 

https://mhairirankin.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mhairi.rankin/

https://graduateshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/280540/cover

Pippy Stephenson

I form narratives from historical events, imagined people, and mundane situations in my work. I am interested in ephemera and artefacts and the systems that decide who and what is kept and remembered.

Tom to David (2021) by Pippy Stephenson

Interview

Joshua Y'Barbo (JY): Tell me about your practice: what do you make work about, how do you go about making your work, what do you think about when making your work? Do you still make work?

Pippy Stepheson (PS): Doing a Fine Arts degree taught me that I'd rather be a writer than an artist. So I last made art when I graduated, but I have been writing a lot. And all the things I was interested in with my art I'm still writing about, not a great deal has changed. I make work about connections. I'm interested in how we're connected to history and how objects, people, places and anything really can be situated in a greater whole and can be understood in relation to each other.

JY: How was studying and finishing your degree during the pandemic? What impact did it have on your studies and the work you make?

PS: The pandemic definitely had a pretty significant impact on my degree. I don't want to spend too much time complaining and mourning what could have been, and re-hashing all the things we missed out on, so aside from the obvious negatives, I think the introspection and time alone meant that I came out with a more in-depth area of interest that feels more solidly defined.

You can read the full interview here and learn more about Pippy's work through her media channels listed below. 

https://www.pippystephenson.com/

https://www.instagram.com/pippystephenson/

https://graduateshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/211973/cover

References: 

Alkozei, A., Smith, R. & Killgore, W.D.S. (2018). Gratitude and Subjective Wellbeing: A Proposal of Two Causal Frameworks. J Happiness Stud 19, 2018, pp. 1519–1542.

Anderson, A.R., &b Fowers, B.J., (2019). An exploratory study of friendship characteristics and their relations with hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2020, Vol. 37(1) pp. 260–280

Atanasova, A., (2016). The Psychology of Foodstagramming. Socialmediatorday.com.  Available [online] at: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/psychology-foodstagramming [accessed 1 Dec 2022]. 

Belfiore, E., and Bennett, O. (2010). The Social Impact of the Arts. Hampshire, UK: Macmillan Publishers Limited. 

Firth, J. & et al. (2020). Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing? BMJ 2020; 371:m4269

Krys, K., Capaldi, C.A., Zelenski, J.M. et al. (2019). Family well-being is valued more than personal well-being: A four-country study. Current Psychology, 2021, 40, pp. 3332–3343.

Kumar, A. (2022). Some things are better said: Interpersonal barriers to gratitude expression and prosocial engagement. Current Opinion in Psychology, Volume 43, 2022, pp.  156-160.

Kunitz, D. (2017). Why Exercise Makes You More Creative. Artsy.net. Available [online] at: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-exercise-creative [accessed 1 Dec 2022]. 

mentalhealth-uk.org. (2019). Looking after your mental health as we approach autumn. Available [online] at: https://mentalhealth-uk.org/blog/looking-after-your-mental-health-as-we-approach-autumn/ [accessed 1 Dec 2022].  

Orlow, E. (2018). I ate Monochromatic Meals for the Sake of Art. Vice.com. Available [online] at: https://www.vice.com/en/article/kzjyww/i-ate-monochromatic-meals-for-the-sake-of-art [accessed 1 Dec 2022]. 

Scrippsamg.com. (nd). The Mental Health Benefits of Art. Scrippsamg.com. Available [online] at: https://scrippsamg.com/mental-health-benefits-of-art/#:~:text=There%20is%20a%20positive%20connection,and%20provides%20a%20relaxing%20distraction [accessed 1 Dec 2022]. 

Tate.org.uk. (nd). Rachel Whiteread: Storytime 2008. Available [online] at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/whiteread-storytime-p79391 [accessed 1 Dec 2022]. 

Tate.org.uk. (nd). Top 5 Family Portraits. Available [online] at:  https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/top-5/top-5-family-portraits [accessed 1 Dec 2022]. 

Thomas, P. A., Liu, H., & Umberson, D. (2017). Family Relationships and Well-Being. Innovation in Aging, 1(3), igx025.

Thomas-Graham, P. (2019). The 13 Most Provocative and Famous Art Works About Food. Dandelionchandelier.com. Available [online] at: https://www.dandelionchandelier.com/2022/11/01/famous-art-with-food/ [accessed 1 Dec 2022]. 

Wang QJ, Barbosa Escobar F, Mathiesen SL, Alves Da Mota P. (2021). Can Eating Make Us More Creative? A Multisensory Perspective. Foods. Feb 20;10 (2):469.

Wood, A.M., Froh, J.J., & Geraghty, A.W.A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, Volume 30, Issue 7, 2010, pp. 890-905.