Brain on Paint

By: Pauline A.

It’s Friday afternoon. You hop off your bus and make your merry way home. As you enter the halls of your house, you make it straight to the TV room, drop your backpack onto the floor, and plop on the couch. You tilt your head back, fatigued from the long day of 7 hours in school, and your thoughts meander to what you’re going to do for the weekend. You take out your phone and scroll through YouTube. As you wander through the plethora of video thumbnails, you spot an old low-fidelity 1980’s looking video cover of a man in a cool pale blue sleeved shirt, with a nice soft brown afro, smiling at the camera; before him stands his easel, with a mountain before it on a backdrop of a canvas. Your brows furrow, as your finger instinctively clicks upon it with the questions: “Why’s this in my video feed?”, but more importantly, “Is that Bob Ross?”. Which now leads to the final question: “How’d he do that?!”. What Bob Ross was doing back in the 80s was painting landscapes all by himself, with no guidance whatsoever, in front of a recording camera. The soothing sounds of paint scraping upon the canvas in the low-quality video have invoked the response of “I wish I could do that!” from many people. As it turns out, you can! When your brain is on paint, a plethora of glorious emotions and thoughts can render you speechless!

It may not be obvious at first, but there are many health benefits to painting. Some health benefits include the improvement of dexterity, memory, and encouragement of concentration. When one holds a paintbrush and strokes onto the canvas, the flexibility of their wrist, fingers, and their hands is heightened. Long periods of this repetitive movement can gradually steady your hand, and thus prevent it from shaking often. However, many overlook that painting or performing any other artistic craft is often done for a long period sitting down, so stretching your hands and resting your body is essential for pleasant painting experience! 

The improvement of memory and concentration go hand in hand. A person who is painting must focus on the meticulous details of what they’re painting and think on their subject matter, whether it’s from their own imagination or if they are using real-life references. Studies have shown that this repetition of focus can help lower the risk of memory loss illnesses at an older age. 

Photo by geralt on Pixabay is licensed under Pixabay License

From an artist’s perspective, I encourage anyone of any age to start painting (though this can be applicable to any hobby)! One of the main reasons why is because it encourages perseverance.  Making paintings enforces trial and error (believe it or not) and researching techniques. Additionally, being surrounded by those who are better than you is a beneficial experience. While many people are intimidated by this, it is ultimately one of the key points that lead to improvement. An essential point to learn is that failure isn’t such a terrible thing to experience. In fact, it can often help pivot an artist in the most successful path towards growth. 

Second, painting allows the expression of emotion. You have free will of what you can paint. From landscapes, to people, to characters, or just splashing stuff that’s on your mind at the moment onto the canvas is a safe outlet for expressing your ideas and pushing your imagination!

Photo by Ryan Hickox on Flickr is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Third, your perception of reality will evolve gradually over time. Studying and painting/drawing (whatever craft in the fine arts you choose), allows a person to see the world in different perspectives. If an artist has studied and built upon their craft, they are more likely to be able to deconstruct basic visual appeals in our daily life: from how the sunlight casts over trees/organisms, how everything one can see can be deconstructed into shapes, and how one can understand the textures of mundane objects. It’s details like these that build up from crafting pictures on the canvas. 

However, many choose not to start painting because it can be too overwhelming at once. Painting has a plethora of approaches and may not seem too linear for a beginner to understand or start on at first. Second, it doesn’t seem “technical” or applicable in many jobs. Paintings are often seen as just pictures on the wall, but they help branch out in different types of artistic careers, from an illustrator at a comic book company to a graphic designer for a marketing firm. Or, they can be used as simple decorations for houses. Last, painting supplies range in price. Like anything else, the better quality products are more expensive than the low-quality ones. A lot of beginners are overwhelmed on deciding which paint brands to choose, paint brushes to buy, and which canvases should be used. 

Photo on Pxhere is licensed under CC0

Although painting can seem overwhelming at first, you should try it out! It can help alleviate boredom, and it allows you to step out of your comfort zone! From personal experience, I got into drawing and painting by looking up “how to draw” and “how to paint” videos on YouTube. This helped a lot by showing me the different ways painting and drawing can be approached; plus, it offered a good introduction into the hobby. These videos are mostly aimed at people who’ve not drawn for long  or picked up a paintbrush, so there’s no need to worry about making something good right away. With materials, it’s a good idea to just buy cheaper materials (like in Walmart or your local dollar store), or “student-quality” materials (products aimed at the most affordable price), to explore your options and to get a feel of what you would like to paint. However, this doesn’t mean you should stick with cheaper qualities forever. Lastly, this is a controversial but common phenomenon, but believe it or not, many artists start out copying their favorite artist(s).  There’s no shame in copying or redrawing/repainting a piece so long as the artist is credited/recognized AND it is not being made for profit! 

Overall, whether or not you want to try out painting or a new hobby is all up to you! But just remember, with the vast Internet, many resources are at your fingertips. It’s up to you whether you use them to your advantage to develop your artistry. 

Art by zatsukii (Pauline A.) on Instagram. You can find her here: https://www.instagram.com/zatsukii/?hl=en

Artwork used (in clockwise order): https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgcfr6xlM5u/, https://www.instagram.com/p/BrZQlnwBUBQ/, https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsgx21LhGtv/ 

In Over Your Head

By: Isabella S. 

Did you know that the way a diver makes known that they need to ascend is a thumbs up? It may be used if something is wrong with breathing equipment or there is some other emergency. However, if you or I saw this gesture we would likely believe it to a be a positive symbol. Sometimes, one can appear to be doing just fine, when they are really signalling for help.

Picture by Isabella S.

You may be turning in all of your homework on time, only to go to class and struggle with the next test. You may have many friends, but replace your own needs with theirs. Maybe you are the star of a sports team, but you no longer find joy in playing. You may be the leader of a school club, but have trouble seeing progress. Maybe you are the paradigm of a good student, but don’t take time to build friendships. You may be involved in every community organization and every club that comes your way, but you can’t give your full effort to any cause.

In high school, there are many responsibilities one may assume and you are most likely surrounded by people giving you advice on how best to succeed (that is what this blog is for). As you swim through these various waters be careful of your own limits. It is okay to abandon surging tides, even if you have been swimming in them for a long time. It is okay to ask for help and it is okay to fail.

At the beginning of your high school career it is important to experiment with different dives. It is necessary for you to explore your interests or potential interests. You may jump in to various groups and realize that this pool is not for you. If you are no longer interested in playing basketball, or the debate club is no longer acting as a vehicle for your own personal progress, or maybe you are not sleeping for more than a couple hours each night, it may be time to ascend.

As you read through this blog and garner advice on how to be successful, remember that your definition of success is most important. Do not jeopardize your own mental and emotional health in order to fit society’s notion of success. You may be successful in becoming a positive role model for your younger siblings. Success may look like being the friend that everyone can lean on for support and good advice. Success may be exploring a nagging question through research and discussion. It may include becoming more independent or learning to depend on others. If you are looking back at 2018 and feel like you’re sinking, use the new year to make changes. Ask your friends and family to help you re-evaluate your life and see where you are in over your head. Reflect on your situation by making a list of what you are involved in and what you want to be involved in. Do not forget to give yourself credit for all of your success this past year.

An Important Note: Your struggle may be more serious than simply reducing your load or joining a new group. If you are sinking and cannot find a way up, it is important that you ask for help. No diver jumps in without someone on shore to help pull them out. Seek the help of your parents, a guidance counselor, a mentor, or another trusted adult. If you are experiencing more difficulty than you feel comfortable sharing or believe you need help from someone more qualified, there are resources available. You will find some of them at this link: https://giveusthefloor.org/resources/#hotlines. It is also important that you understand that you are not alone. Many students experience distress, but we misread their gesture as a thumbs up.  

The Benefits of Spending Time Outside

By Marco A.

It is widely known that we are supposed to stay active throughout the day. However, it may also be important to get outside while being active. We are all, at our core, the same as animals-- nothing more than Homo sapiens. However, one major difference remains: we have established an advanced society with houses, skyscrapers, and offices. Yet, being the product of nature that we are, we were not “designed” to be spending all of our time indoors. It is simply unnatural. As a result, there are specific health advantages associated with spending time outside, just as nature intended.

Photo by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash

Getting Outdoors Helps You See Better

Believe it or not, there is an actual medical term called “Computer Vision Syndrome” (CVS). CVS is a result of staring at objects, obviously most often computers, that are close to your eyes; we are engineered to be spending most of our time looking at large landscapes. So please, let your eyes perform the tasks that they are meant to and take a break to walk outside. CVS results in double vision, headaches, neck and back pain, blurred vision, and eye irritation. These symptoms do not sound fun, so if you're spending a lot of time on your online class, watching Netflix, or playing games, get outside!

Even if you don’t spend a lot of time looking at screens, (which, let’s be honest, is unlikely) artificial light, such as the light coming from every light bulb in your house, has been found to increase the chances of becoming nearsighted. Natural light, however, is great for your eyes.

Nature Helps You Fall Asleep

Everyone loves a good night’s sleep, but everyone despises a restless night. Although the best way to achieve enjoyable sleep is to develop a schedule and stick to it, sunlight can also have a positive effect. All humans have what’s called a circadian rhythm. This is an internal clock that is set by environmental cues such as sunlight. By processing sunlight in the morning, the brain naturally produces little wake up signals (hormones) to be sent throughout your body. However, it has been shown that this does not occur with artificial light. Furthermore, when the sun sets, the brain starts producing melatonin, a hormone that tells your body it's time to go to sleep. Unfortunately, screens often produce a wavelength called blue light, which inhibits the release of melatonin. The best way to prevent this is to simply avoid screens at night, but this may be impossible to do. Luckily, many free programs, including night shift on your iPhone, help reduce the amount of blue light emitted from your screen.

Being Outside Makes You Happy

It’s true! Just by going outside, your body naturally produces serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for making you feel good. Additionally, studies have shown that the outdoors can cause increased activity in parts of the brain associated with emotional stability, love, and empathy. Just seeing nature has also been shown to reduce stress. Furthermore, many outdoor activities such as hiking have been shown to have a meditative effect if performed alone. This has been researched and shown to make you happier in general! So if you’re feeling down, head for the trees!

Being Outdoors Can Improve Concentration and Memory

Numerous studies have shown that just spending some time outside everyday can help you recall facts and concentrate. A study by the University of Michigan showed that people who spent time walking around a forest did 20% better on a test than those who walked in a city. The important part of this is that you spend time outside in nature, rather than a city. So next time you have a big test, consider taking a hike the day before-- it could be the difference between an A and a B!

Long Term Exposure to Nature Increases Creativity

Having a hard time with that painting you’re working on? Consider going on a camping trip! A recent study showed that after being outside for 4 days, the participants did 50% better on a creative problem-solving test. This is a huge increase! So if you are having trouble thinking of new ideas, a refreshing trip to the trees is the way to go.

Overall, being outside has massive health benefits, and these five just scratch the surface of all of the possibilities. Being in nature, after all, is in our DNA. So next time you want to get fit and go to work out, instead of hitting the gym, hit the trails! Your body will thank you.

Sources:

Buisness Insider 

http://www.businessinsider.com/scientific-benefits-of-nature-outdoors-2016-4/#7-sharper-thinking-and-creativity-7

The Trek

https://thetrek.co/scientifically-supported-reasons-get-outside/

Harvard Health Publications

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/spending-time-outdoors-is-good-for-you

Brain Food

By Louisa C. 

With increasing exposure to processed foods and unhealthy dietary options, it becomes more important to be aware of your food intake in today's society. Did you know that a healthy diet boosts your brainpower? Here are five of the best eats that improve your concentration and memory.