Enriched Environment: Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross

The focus of the book is creating effective enriched environments. I exposed myself to new forms of fascination with art because of this.

I was meant to experiment with more different materials for painting, collage, drawing, and ceramics. Nonetheless, I believe that accessibility is just as important to me as diversity. That's the reason I decided to stick with just colored pencils, Procreate on my iPad, and occasionally oil pastels for the time being. The textures between the paper and the materials are also essential to enjoying the process to the extent. Acrylic paint, brushes, and markers are things I do not enjoy. I'm not interested in the textures' tangible features.

That helps me shift my perspective when it comes to diversity. Therefore, even cooking, cleaning, and housework can all be considered artistic activities. I had just brushed them off. It was boring and lacked any allure.

What she didn’t appreciate at the time was how rhythmic, repetitive movements with the hands have been shown to release serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin in the brain, making her feel a little bit better.

Nonetheless, they can be accessed for improved brain plasticity as a delicate or repeated process. Thus, I want to stop ignoring them. They are valuable. However, time constraints ar important to them. Because I get depressed, if I spend too much time with them. Then It ceases to functions with my brain's plasticity. I want to give myself free rein to be happier and use the activity to heal myself. In addition to providing access to a variety of activities, enhanced surroundings and creating something new also require us to broaden our definition of what ordinary, mundane objects can be artistic. I think walks and strength training are also artistic in this context. 

Before now, I wasn't all that interested in dancing. But dance works when it comes to purposeful pleasure. I've been dancing lately, and it's caused some significant events. I danced with my husband today. We were uncomfortable because we have never danced before. But we are aware that what satisfies us makes us happier. 

The significant thing was that there was enjoyment even in the awkwardness. Dancing improves the plasticity of our brains. Therefore, we can use it to prevent brain illnesses like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease in advance. 

Meryl Streep said, “Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.”

Watching movies would be a way for me to observe my life and myself. We experience catharsis because of the characters and the events happening there. It helps in our understanding of one another and ourselves. Reading novels and listening to music both function well in this context.

I had likely overlooked a few of the artistic endeavors I had mentioned. They had simply been so dull. They had seemed like chores. I had tried to stay as far away from them as I could. But I believe that "your brain on art" helps me live a fulfilling life. It can provide a detailed reflection of my life when I consider the events that have occurred in relation to my artistic endeavors. I now see that, when viewed from a different perspective, the seemingly insignificant details of everyday life can be supportive, meaningful, and beautiful.