YOU GOTTA HAVE ART!!
Jo Strausz Rosen
Recently, at the opening of a new art exhibit with friends at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, I found myself unexpectedly uplifted. The gallery buzzed with conversation, glasses clinking, laughter rising over music. Around me were vibrant colors, textures, bold shapes, and subtle details in paintings, photography, sculpture, and mixed media. The experience wasn’t just visually stimulating; it was emotionally energizing. I left feeling more alive, more connected. It reminded me of the role art plays in our happiness.
The next day, my husband and I visited Cranbrook with friends. We walked the remarkable grounds, then explored the Museum’s Modernist exhibit. The visual splendor reinforced something I’ve long felt. Art means something different to everyone. For some, it’s painting in solitude. For others, it’s viewing a single piece in a quiet museum or attending an event filled with creative energy. The beauty of art is that there’s no right or wrong way to engage with it.
Bridget Watson Payne explores this beautifully in her book “How Art Can Make You Happy.” She reminds us that “art doesn’t need to be understood; it simply needs to be experienced.”
In the book, Payne dismantles the myth that art is only for the elite or educated. You don’t need a degree in art history or an understanding of abstract symbolism to appreciate it. You don’t have to “get it”. You just have to feel something. Art is for anyone. And it offers something for everyone: joy, curiosity, challenge, comfort, even disruption, all of which add richness to our emotional lives.
Payne writes, “You are allowed to like what you like.” Giving ourselves permission to connect with art in our own way can unlock deep wells of happiness.
Walking into a gallery can be a transportive experience. One moment, we’re in our daily routine; the next, we’re face to face with something that stops us in our tracks. Studies show that viewing art activates the brain’s reward center, the same part triggered by love, music, and delicious food. It’s also linked to reduced stress and greater life satisfaction. Even looking at art online or in books can have a similar effect when we allow ourselves to slow down and really see.
While viewing art is powerful, making art offers another layer of benefit. Whether we’re sketching, painting, sculpting, or collaging, the act of creating can be deeply therapeutic. It doesn’t matter if the result is “good.” What matters is that we’re expressing ourselves and creating something that didn’t exist before.
Art therapists recognize that creative expression allows us to externalize emotions that may be too deep or complex to articulate. The American Art Therapy Association notes that art can help with anxiety, grief, trauma, and depression. It also promotes mindfulness and focus, helping us enter a “flow” state where time seems to disappear and we’re fully present. JSL residents who participate in the arts report feeling uplifted and happier.
Art also strengthens our connections with one another. One of the most powerful aspects of that recent art opening was simply being there with others. There’s something intimate about viewing art together, standing side by side and asking, “What do you see?” and discovering that someone else’s perspective is entirely different. Art opens conversation. It builds relationships. It bridges differences.
Museums and galleries today are more than contemplative spaces; they’re community hubs: places of celebration, dialogue, and healing. Whether we’re attending a neighborhood exhibit, introducing a friend to a new artist, or sharing our work online, art helps us feel seen and helps us see each other.
There’s no formula for the happiness art brings. Sometimes it’s a jolt of inspiration. Other times, it’s quiet comfort. It might be painting in silence or experiencing an art ‘happening’. It might be a poem that finds the exact words for something we didn’t know we needed to say. Art can even unlock memory.
As Payne reminds us, “art is already around us. We don’t have to search far. We just need to look and feel.”
On Sunday, JSL Fleischman residents, families, and friends participated in a collaborative art installation designed by artist Daniel Cascardo. The finished canvas will hang prominently as a celebration of 100 Years of Volunteers. It was a joy-filled event with people of all ages (and even pets!) People stood side by side in groups, taking turns painting the large canvas to produce an artistic representation of life at Fleishman Residence. There will be more painting sessions to involved yourselves in…
Join us at:
Prentis/Coville – September 7.
At Teitel – September 14.
And at Meer October 12.
All sessions begin at 1 pm.
As an artist myself (although one who doesn’t make as much art anymore) I encourage you to go out, find a museum or an exhibit, or drive to the city and appreciate the street art, sculpture and murals found everywhere, or pick up pencils or a paintbrush and try your hand at creating something. Whether we’re making art, viewing it, or exploring creativity with others, we’re doing something that matters, something that can truly make us happier.
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” — Thomas Merton
Shabbat Shalom
