Not a luxury: The arts as essential to human wellbeing

The arts are often seen as a luxury, something reserved for a chosen few creatives and separate from the practicalities of everyday life. Yet, for as long as humankind has existed, art has always been deeply woven into the human experience, inviting joy, deepening connections, and helping us make sense of the world and of ourselves.

What we often overlook is that humanity was born into a creative world. The first artwork we ever encounter is nature itself, from the curving form of trees, the intricate patterns on ladybugs and zebras, to the glittering vastness of the Milky Way galaxy. We exist within a living artwork. Simply witnessing the world around us can bring a sense of peace, pleasure and presence, offering us a moment to simply be. 

This is, however, not merely an anecdotal observation of the human experience. Today, the field of neuroaesthetics explores how sensory engagements of aesthetically pleasing environments, whether found in nature or human design, can reduce stress and anxiety, enhance focus and evoke complex emotions through a range of neurocognitive processes. In other words, experiences that meaningfully engage our senses, perceptions and emotions (such as witnessing art or connecting with nature – our first aesthetic experience) plays a measurable role in regulating our nervous systems and supporting emotional and cognitive wellbeing.

Although the field of neuroaesthetics is relatively new, the therapeutic value of the arts has long been recognised by the psychological sciences. In the 1940s, pioneers such as Margaret Naumburg, who used art as a symbolic language of the unconscious, and Edith Kramer, who highlighted its ability to transform complex emotions into more manageable forms, helped establish art therapy as a psychotherapeutic practice. 

One piece of early art therapy history that is especially close to my heart, emerges from the global south. Brazilian Psychiatrist, Nise de Silvera radically disrupted the dominant psychiatric practices of her time. Rejecting institutional violence, she introduced art, music and animal therapy as central to a more compassionate psychiatric practice Working alongside artists, including Yvonne Lara, who was both a pioneering samba musician and a psychiatric nurse, da Silveira demonstrated how creativity could restore dignity, autonomy and emotional expression to those who had long been silenced⁵.

Yet the impact of the arts extends far beyond clinical therapy. In 2019, the World Health Organisation released a scoping review of over 3000 research articles examining the impact of the arts within communities for health and wellbeing. Most of these studies focused on community-based initiatives and social prescribing. The findings, along with numerous subsequent studies, highlighted the considerable public health benefits of creative health initiatives within communities, not only in promoting mental and physical wellbeing, but even in mitigating the effects of health and social inequalities. Creativity is now considered to be as a significant positive social determinant of health^6,. 

Far from being a luxury, the arts thus form a vital part of what it means to live a full and meaningful life. As a creative at heart, I find myself drawn to all forms of creative expression, from those I feel confident in, like creative writing, to those I approach far more imperfectly, like visual arts. With time, I have come to realise that the arts are much like breathing. I do not intend to be the next Picasso, nor could I ever be. I engage in artistic practice because I need it to bring colour, depth and meaning to my life. It is simply a way of life. Having done research in the field of creative health, I now see that this intuition was never misplaced. Whether we encounter art quietly in a gallery, or dance our hearts out in our living rooms, creativity sustains us. It helps us heal, connect and flourish. To make space for the arts, in whatever form they take, is ultimately to make space for our humanity.

By Lwandile Nkosi