This week I went to a talk by Robyn Landau, co-founder of Kinda Studios.
It was all about the interaction between Neuroscience and Art, and kinda blew my mind….
I have always been fascinated by both science and visual arts, choosing Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Photography for my A-Levels before pursing a degree in Visual Communication.
I love the freedom of creative play just as much as I enjoy understanding how and why things work the way they do in nature, society, our brains…everything!
Discovering that there is an actual term for the in-depth research dissecting the crossover of the two, is like a dream come true for me!
Even better, I can so clearly see how learning the basics of this will be beneficial for both you and your business.
In fact, I’m so excited to share with you what I’ve learned, that this and next 2 newsletters will be exactly that - an insight into Neuroaesthetics and include an easy, actionable quest to put what you’ve learned into practice.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
Neuroaesthetics is the science of how the brain and body respond to art, environment, technology and culture.
It essentially provides an understanding to how we perceive and experience the world around us.
This knowledge is super useful for you as a business owner, but also as a human being.
As I always say, there is no business without a healthy and happy you at its core!
ART AS HEALTHCARE
Robyn shared the fact that just 20 minutes of art a day can be as beneficial as getting enough sleep and reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels.
No, unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you can stay up all night binging Below Deck, wake up, paint a landscape and easily whack out a tax return… sorry! ;)
But if you’re feeling a bit shit, then making or experiencing art in any form is likely to shift that frown upside down.
The very best news is that art comes in such an abundance of varieties, so it’s always accessible.
Art is not reserved for fancy galleries and expensive auctions. You can find it in:
Music & podcasts - I’ve been listening to Witch this week - top notch!
Dance - whether you’re a pro break-dancer or enjoy chaotic movement while you’re cooking dinner like me 👋🏽
Nature - look at a Dahlia and tell me it’s not a work of art!
Photography - yep, even that phone selfie you just took with your beautiful new hair is art
Cooking - I mean, ramen exists. You’re going to tell me that’s not art?!
Basically anything that involves nurturing, creating and intentional connection between your hands and brain is good for you - what a surprise!
Robyn shared the fact that just 20 minutes of art a day can be as beneficial as getting enough sleep and reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels.
No, unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you can stay up all night binging Below Deck, wake up, paint a landscape and easily whack out a tax return… sorry! ;)
But if you’re feeling a bit shit, then making or experiencing art in any form is likely to shift that frown upside down.
The very best news is that art comes in such an abundance of varieties, so it’s always accessible.
Art is not reserved for fancy galleries and expensive auctions. You can find it in:
Music & podcasts - I’ve been listening to Witch this week - top notch!
Dance - whether you’re a pro break-dancer or enjoy chaotic movement while you’re cooking dinner like me 👋🏽
Nature - look at a Dahlia and tell me it’s not a work of art!
Photography - yep, even that phone selfie you just took with your beautiful new hair is art
Cooking - I mean, ramen exists. You’re going to tell me that’s not art?!
Basically anything that involves nurturing, creating and intentional connection between your hands and brain is good for you - what a surprise!
QUEST 1 - COLLAGE
This week, I invite you to find 20 minutes to make a collage or two. It doesn’t have to be all in one go, but it is nice to really sink your teeth into it.
Remember you do not need to buy anything new, or have any kind of artistic experience to make a meaningful piece of art.
Not sure where to start? I’ve got you…👇🏽
Cut and stick textures like receipts, wrapping paper, paper bags, bubble wrap, coloured card or tissue paper to make literally anything.
It could resemble an animal, a flower or a landscape, or it could be utterly intuitive and abstract.
It can be any size, any shape and you could even add marks with pens or colouring pencils to add a whole new element to it. The best part of making art is that its entirely up to you.
No-one has to see your creation, it’s totally yours, but if you’d like to share it, please pop me a pic or share it on your IG stories, mentioning my handle @celie.nigoumi.
Here’s my favourite piece of art in the entire world. The Snail by Henri Matisse is in the Tate Modern in London and I pay a visit every single time I’m in the city. Click on it to learn more about this beautiful collage.
AWE
“The presence of something so vast that it transcends your current understanding of the world.”
Sometimes we see or experience something that blows our minds.
It’s awesome and takes our breath away.
We think about it for days or weeks afterwards because it lights us up and that energy stays in our hearts while we soak up all the goodness it brought into our life.
The impact that awe has on both our mental and physical health is outstanding - it literally shifts our neurological structures, creating new pathways in our brains.
It’s important to take time away from our desks to look beyond our screens because our experiences of awe nearly always take place in a natural environment.
On top of a hill at sunrise, or at the beach when you can’t look away from the continuous waves and you feel like you can breathe properly for the first time in a while.
With this in mind, here’s your next quest…
QUEST 2
YOUR EXPERIENCE OF AWE
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write about your last experience of awe.
Here’s some prompts to help you with this quest.
What brought on this sense of awe?
Where where you?
Who were you with?
How did it make your body feel?
What emotions did it bring up?
Did it remind you of anything else?
Do you have any other reflections from this experience?
My last experience of awe was when I stepped outside to see a Blood Moon after a friend texted me, telling me to do so!
It was so beautiful, so bright, so mystical that I couldn’t step away even though I was freezing cold!
I couldn’t even take a photo because I knew there would be no comparison to seeing it in the moment, right then and there.
I was also so pleased that my friend thought of me in their own moment of awe at this magical sight.
STORYTELLING
Robyn said a powerful phrase that’s now embedded in my mind.
“Art creates meaning through metaphor”
When we communicate without words, we have the ability to create a huge emotional and cognitive impact.
Have you noticed that each image in this newsletter features hands?
You can remind yourself of the images featured in Newsletters One and Newsletter Two <- click here.
What story are you receiving about the owner of the hands?
Have you resonated with the actions of any of the hands?
What memories, thoughts or emotions do they bring up?
This is the aspect of creative and visual storytelling that I am most captivated by.
Each person who sees this series of hands will experience a different story due to perceptual diversity.
Our unique combination of knowledge, bodily sensations and emotional experiences means that we tell and read visual stories in our own way.
For example if we both think of the colour green, it’s incredibly unlikely we’re both going to produce the same colours in our heads.
QUEST 3
YOUR VISUAL STORY
Here’s your third and final quest!
Grab your notebook and favourite pen.
Open up your website and most used social media page on your computer.
Ignoring the words, focus on the aesthetics and answer these 5 questions.
What images do you see first?
Do they feel aligned with your personality and values as a human and a business owner?
Is the story clear?
How do the images you use on your website and social media page make you feel?
Reflect on if you see any correlation between this online presence and the collage you made for Quest 1.
If you’re keen to learn more about NEUROAESTHETICS, here’s where to start:
A brilliant book by Susan Magsamen that I have just ordered!
Kinda Studios and their podcast
If you’ve found this as utterly fascinating as me, I would LOVE to hear from you - please pop me a message and we can geek out together 😎
Celie x
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