Tools to Heal - Part Four: 3 Healing Quotes About Art

“I experience the greatest degree of pleasure in having contact with works of art. They furnish me with happy feelings of an intensity that I cannot derive from other sources.” Albert Einstein

You’ve felt those intense happy feelings too. You’ve felt them as you navigated the corridors of a museum or a gallery, immersing yourself in the atmosphere created by the art that welcomed you with open arms. Often beautiful, at times frightening, art is always there to remind us of the truth, leaving bare the soul of the artist.

Leaving bare all of our souls.

There is something incredibly powerful in the act of witnessing art. It connects us with something deeper, something greater. When we stand in front of an art piece, we are transported somewhere else and, at the same time, we are more present than ever. 

I believe art is a form of spiritual connection. Every time we allow ourselves to immerse ourselves in it, it rewards us with the gift of connection. We connect to ourselves, and also to the whole universe. As we dive into the art piece, time and space dissolve: there are no distractions, no noise in our head, no past, no future. 

In this game, a greater force is at play. The art piece awakens something within us. What the artist expressed in their work is universal, timeless. What we see is a fragment of the essence of the artist, of the essence we share with them, of the essence we all share collectively. 

The art that inspires us does so because it speaks to our soul. And when that happens, healing occurs, because in that precise moment we have come home. 

“Art is restoration: the idea is to repair the damages that are inflicted in life, to make something that is fragmented – which is what fear and anxiety do to a person – into something whole.” Louise Bourgeois

We pick up the fragments and glue them back together. We make collages out of misery, paint grief and rage on a canvas, draw lines that lead us home. We pour ourselves onto the raw material that awaits to come to life. When we dare make art, a powerful transformation takes place: we turn that which we fear, that which saddens us and pains us, into pure expression. And that simple act transforms those emotions and us with them.

When we grab those painful fragments and pull them out of ourselves, we can finally look directly at them and recognise them for what they are: emotions, experiences, traumas, desires. This reminds us we are none of those things, helping us stop identifying ourselves with them. 

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.” Neil Gaiman

Ultimately, art reminds us of the beauty of the world. We are creators. We give life, whether in the shape of another human being or through the projects we embark on. We can turn a blank canvas into a painting. We can carve stones until they resemble living beings. We can take fabric and transform it into beautiful clothes.

We can transform the world.

The world always seems brighter when we remember this truth. We shape our reality in endless ways. So, remember. Remember and never forget. And if you forget, turn to those works of art. Look at art. Make art. Let art change you. Let art change the world.


If this resonates with you, stay tuned for more posts where I will share practical exercises to heal through art and creativity. To stay connected you can follow my blog by e-mail through the side menu or follow me on Instagram.

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