How Creative Expression Improves Mental Health

Practicing creativity can help people process emotions, relieve stress, and heal trauma.

When it comes to art therapy, many people think of painting or drawing, but there are numerous ways to pursue healing through art. Biba Kayewich

In a recent interview, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Shelby Lynne discussed a traumatic event from her growing-up years and how she has dealt with the pain. At age 17, as she and her younger sister were inside the family home, her father stood on the driveway and fatally shot their mother before turning the gun on himself, ending his life as well.

Reflecting on her path toward healing in the years following that heartbreak, she said, “I don’t think you ever get over something like that, but I do think you make peace with it. ... And there’s some holes and valleys and things you fall into. Climbing out, I reckon, is why I write songs—because it’s kind of a ladder to get out of there.”