{"id":33,"date":"2026-05-05T03:58:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T03:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33"},"modified":"2026-05-05T06:20:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T06:20:01","slug":"art-and-the-psyche-whys-it-so-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33","title":{"rendered":"Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why&#8217;s it so important?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Magic of Art<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 1985 book titled <em>\u201cThe Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat\u201d<\/em> written by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks, he writes of a man in his last chapter he describes as \u2018The Autist Artist.\u2019 Jos\u00e9, a twenty-one year old man who had had seizures and a severe intellectual disability. Others had very politely told Sacks that Jos\u00e9 was an \u2018idiot,\u2019 not worth questioning, and emotionally stunted. They immediately, most likely due to the general knowledge of autism and intellectual disabilities at the time, deemed him sub-human without having tried to communicate with him on his terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, when Sacks presented him with a pen, paper, and objects for him to draw, Sacks observed that his art was \u2018richly expressive,\u2019 and revealed a \u2018lively and distinctive imagination \u2014&nbsp;a sense of humour.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the chapter, Sacks puts emphasis on the whimsy that Jos\u00e9\u2019s art brought out of the objects replicated \u2014 Jos\u00e9 seemed to breathe life into everyday mundanity. This art of his acted as a window for Sacks, looking into the untouched, charming personality of Jos\u00e9. It revealed a part of him that possibly nobody had ever seen from him, one that had been put on the backburner while Jos\u00e9\u2019s early-life seizures took the spotlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not just that, but Sacks noticed that Jos\u00e9\u2019s overall mood seemed to miraculously lift while drawing \u2014 and the good mood continued on once drawing had become a regular activity for him. Sacks dictates at the final pages of the book: \u201cNow, finally, he started to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rest of the book comments greatly on the human psyche \u2014 the consciousnesses, the subconscious, the unconsciousnesses; I highly recommend that you, dear reader, to take a good look at Sacks\u2019 depiction of the inner workings of the mind (of course, with the idea in mind that his reports are, indeed, quite exaggerated). That being said, these consciousnesses, however obvious, certainly do come out in art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Art and the Sub-Conscious<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is no coincidence that art has become a psychological tool. I witnessed this first-hand when I got a psychological evaluation of my own, and I was nothing short of astonished when I was handed blank paper and asked to draw a tree, a house, a person. This emotion carried on when they showed me several (rather ambiguous) images and asked me to create a story based on what was happening in these images.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"864\" height=\"704\" src=\"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-37\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.227285179435668;width:291px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-4.png 864w, https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-4-300x244.png 300w, https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-4-768x626.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An image I was shown while taking the TAT. What story would you make of this?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later, to fulfill my own curiosities, I learned that they administered the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the very fittingly named House Tree Person Test (HTP). Serendipitously, psychology has utilized the idea that art is a medium that is ascribed onto by the artist. Thus art can be used as an evaluation tool to measure one\u2019s cognition, in an unbiased manner that questionnaires and interviews miss.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They dub these sorts of tests \u2018projective.\u2019 When given ambiguous stimuli \u2014 simple drawing prompts or images to replicate like as seen with Jos\u00e9 \u2014 one tends to subconsciously reflect their experiences and views onto it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Art Therapy \u2014 an Underrated Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Art therapy has been developed as a sophisticated medium that utilizes different art mediums in order to access the psyche and practically eradicate language and speech as a barrier for communication in therapy. However, many still do not perceive art therapy as a viable science despite evidence of its effectiveness. Rather when I first searched up on art therapy, I received many forum posts questioning whether art therapy was a hoax. I, myself, didn\u2019t know it was its own sophisticated field when I was looking into all the different psychological careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What has made this deeply rich and insightful apparatus so demeaned as a tool to increase well-being and insight into one\u2019s self? This is purely speculative, but perhaps people equate it to the childishness of colouring books, or the unfortunate futility of an art-related career. For years, the subject of art itself has been left underfunded, underproduced and underappreciated. Yet it is extremely non-formulaic, freeing and so utterly human.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-2-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7998413013291014;width:266px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-2-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-2-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-2-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-2.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Some &#8216;vent art&#8217; of my own.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We live in a society that prioritises speed \u2014 instant results, efficient workers; we have lost sight of the craft of taking things slow, introspection and being in the moment. Art in a way is the antithesis to modern society.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes I find myself clouded in my piling workload, and the only thing I can do to relax is to set up my easel and let myself feel through colour. Now, I encourage you, dear reader, to pick up a pencil, or a paintbrush, or any medium you have on you. Let yourself feel through each placement of colour on your canvas, and take it with the same high regard as you would a math worksheet, or any other \u2018useful\u2019 hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps, in this way, the arts and Jos\u00e9 are one in the same: lively, creative, intrinsically human, but monstrously overlooked. And perhaps we should learn to think a little harder about art\u2019s capabilities, and its role in our daily lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Magic of Art In the 1985 book titled \u201cThe Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat\u201d written by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks, he writes of a man in his last chapter he describes as \u2018The Autist Artist.\u2019 Jos\u00e9, a twenty-one year old man who had had seizures and a severe intellectual disability. Others had very politely told Sacks that Jos\u00e9 was an \u2018idiot,\u2019 not worth questioning, and emotionally stunted. They immediately, most likely due to the general knowledge of autism and intellectual disabilities at the time, deemed him sub-human without having tried to communicate with him on his terms. However, when Sacks presented him with a pen, paper, and objects for him to draw, Sacks observed that his art was \u2018richly expressive,\u2019 and revealed a \u2018lively and distinctive imagination \u2014&nbsp;a sense of humour.\u201d&nbsp; Throughout the chapter, Sacks puts emphasis on the whimsy that Jos\u00e9\u2019s art brought out of the objects replicated \u2014 Jos\u00e9 seemed to breathe life into everyday mundanity. This art of his acted as a window for Sacks, looking into the untouched, charming personality of Jos\u00e9. It revealed a part of him that possibly nobody had ever seen from him, one that had been put on the backburner while Jos\u00e9\u2019s early-life seizures took the spotlight. Not just that, but Sacks noticed that Jos\u00e9\u2019s overall mood seemed to miraculously lift while drawing \u2014 and the good mood continued on once drawing had become a regular activity for him. Sacks dictates at the final pages of the book: \u201cNow, finally, he started to speak.\u201d The rest of the book comments greatly on the human psyche \u2014 the consciousnesses, the subconscious, the unconsciousnesses; I highly recommend that you, dear reader, to take a good look at Sacks\u2019 depiction of the inner workings of the mind (of course, with the idea in mind that his reports are, indeed, quite exaggerated). That being said, these consciousnesses, however obvious, certainly do come out in art. Art and the Sub-Conscious It is no coincidence that art has become a psychological tool. I witnessed this first-hand when I got a psychological evaluation of my own, and I was nothing short of astonished when I was handed blank paper and asked to draw a tree, a house, a person. This emotion carried on when they showed me several (rather ambiguous) images and asked me to create a story based on what was happening in these images.&nbsp; Later, to fulfill my own curiosities, I learned that they administered the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the very fittingly named House Tree Person Test (HTP). Serendipitously, psychology has utilized the idea that art is a medium that is ascribed onto by the artist. Thus art can be used as an evaluation tool to measure one\u2019s cognition, in an unbiased manner that questionnaires and interviews miss.\u00a0 They dub these sorts of tests \u2018projective.\u2019 When given ambiguous stimuli \u2014 simple drawing prompts or images to replicate like as seen with Jos\u00e9 \u2014 one tends to subconsciously reflect their experiences and views onto it. Art Therapy \u2014 an Underrated Treatment Art therapy has been developed as a sophisticated medium that utilizes different art mediums in order to access the psyche and practically eradicate language and speech as a barrier for communication in therapy. However, many still do not perceive art therapy as a viable science despite evidence of its effectiveness. Rather when I first searched up on art therapy, I received many forum posts questioning whether art therapy was a hoax. I, myself, didn\u2019t know it was its own sophisticated field when I was looking into all the different psychological careers. What has made this deeply rich and insightful apparatus so demeaned as a tool to increase well-being and insight into one\u2019s self? This is purely speculative, but perhaps people equate it to the childishness of colouring books, or the unfortunate futility of an art-related career. For years, the subject of art itself has been left underfunded, underproduced and underappreciated. Yet it is extremely non-formulaic, freeing and so utterly human. We live in a society that prioritises speed \u2014 instant results, efficient workers; we have lost sight of the craft of taking things slow, introspection and being in the moment. Art in a way is the antithesis to modern society.&nbsp; Sometimes I find myself clouded in my piling workload, and the only thing I can do to relax is to set up my easel and let myself feel through colour. Now, I encourage you, dear reader, to pick up a pencil, or a paintbrush, or any medium you have on you. Let yourself feel through each placement of colour on your canvas, and take it with the same high regard as you would a math worksheet, or any other \u2018useful\u2019 hobby. Perhaps, in this way, the arts and Jos\u00e9 are one in the same: lively, creative, intrinsically human, but monstrously overlooked. And perhaps we should learn to think a little harder about art\u2019s capabilities, and its role in our daily lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why&#039;s it so important? - Psychology and Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why&#039;s it so important? - Psychology and Me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Magic of Art In the 1985 book titled \u201cThe Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat\u201d written by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks, he writes of a man in his last chapter he describes as \u2018The Autist Artist.\u2019 Jos\u00e9, a twenty-one year old man who had had seizures and a severe intellectual disability. Others had very politely told Sacks that Jos\u00e9 was an \u2018idiot,\u2019 not worth questioning, and emotionally stunted. They immediately, most likely due to the general knowledge of autism and intellectual disabilities at the time, deemed him sub-human without having tried to communicate with him on his terms. However, when Sacks presented him with a pen, paper, and objects for him to draw, Sacks observed that his art was \u2018richly expressive,\u2019 and revealed a \u2018lively and distinctive imagination \u2014&nbsp;a sense of humour.\u201d&nbsp; Throughout the chapter, Sacks puts emphasis on the whimsy that Jos\u00e9\u2019s art brought out of the objects replicated \u2014 Jos\u00e9 seemed to breathe life into everyday mundanity. This art of his acted as a window for Sacks, looking into the untouched, charming personality of Jos\u00e9. It revealed a part of him that possibly nobody had ever seen from him, one that had been put on the backburner while Jos\u00e9\u2019s early-life seizures took the spotlight. Not just that, but Sacks noticed that Jos\u00e9\u2019s overall mood seemed to miraculously lift while drawing \u2014 and the good mood continued on once drawing had become a regular activity for him. Sacks dictates at the final pages of the book: \u201cNow, finally, he started to speak.\u201d The rest of the book comments greatly on the human psyche \u2014 the consciousnesses, the subconscious, the unconsciousnesses; I highly recommend that you, dear reader, to take a good look at Sacks\u2019 depiction of the inner workings of the mind (of course, with the idea in mind that his reports are, indeed, quite exaggerated). That being said, these consciousnesses, however obvious, certainly do come out in art. Art and the Sub-Conscious It is no coincidence that art has become a psychological tool. I witnessed this first-hand when I got a psychological evaluation of my own, and I was nothing short of astonished when I was handed blank paper and asked to draw a tree, a house, a person. This emotion carried on when they showed me several (rather ambiguous) images and asked me to create a story based on what was happening in these images.&nbsp; Later, to fulfill my own curiosities, I learned that they administered the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the very fittingly named House Tree Person Test (HTP). Serendipitously, psychology has utilized the idea that art is a medium that is ascribed onto by the artist. Thus art can be used as an evaluation tool to measure one\u2019s cognition, in an unbiased manner that questionnaires and interviews miss.\u00a0 They dub these sorts of tests \u2018projective.\u2019 When given ambiguous stimuli \u2014 simple drawing prompts or images to replicate like as seen with Jos\u00e9 \u2014 one tends to subconsciously reflect their experiences and views onto it. Art Therapy \u2014 an Underrated Treatment Art therapy has been developed as a sophisticated medium that utilizes different art mediums in order to access the psyche and practically eradicate language and speech as a barrier for communication in therapy. However, many still do not perceive art therapy as a viable science despite evidence of its effectiveness. Rather when I first searched up on art therapy, I received many forum posts questioning whether art therapy was a hoax. I, myself, didn\u2019t know it was its own sophisticated field when I was looking into all the different psychological careers. What has made this deeply rich and insightful apparatus so demeaned as a tool to increase well-being and insight into one\u2019s self? This is purely speculative, but perhaps people equate it to the childishness of colouring books, or the unfortunate futility of an art-related career. For years, the subject of art itself has been left underfunded, underproduced and underappreciated. Yet it is extremely non-formulaic, freeing and so utterly human. We live in a society that prioritises speed \u2014 instant results, efficient workers; we have lost sight of the craft of taking things slow, introspection and being in the moment. Art in a way is the antithesis to modern society.&nbsp; Sometimes I find myself clouded in my piling workload, and the only thing I can do to relax is to set up my easel and let myself feel through colour. Now, I encourage you, dear reader, to pick up a pencil, or a paintbrush, or any medium you have on you. Let yourself feel through each placement of colour on your canvas, and take it with the same high regard as you would a math worksheet, or any other \u2018useful\u2019 hobby. Perhaps, in this way, the arts and Jos\u00e9 are one in the same: lively, creative, intrinsically human, but monstrously overlooked. And perhaps we should learn to think a little harder about art\u2019s capabilities, and its role in our daily lives.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Psychology and Me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-05T03:58:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-05T06:20:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9640ED0C-C444-4DD5-8D5B-DB0CBC1C76ED_1_201_a-768x1024.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lily Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lily Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psychologyand.me\\\/?p=33#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psychologyand.me\\\/?p=33\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lily Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba3a827c18fded5d72aaeb9d40d13553\"},\"headline\":\"Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why&#8217;s it so important?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-05T03:58:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-05T06:20:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psychologyand.me\\\/?p=33\"},\"wordCount\":864,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psychologyand.me\\\/?p=33#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psychologyand.me\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/9640ED0C-C444-4DD5-8D5B-DB0CBC1C76ED_1_201_a-scaled.png\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/psychologyand.me\\\/?p=33#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psychologyand.me\\\/?p=33\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psychologyand.me\\\/?p=33\",\"name\":\"Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why's it so important? 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- Psychology and Me","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why's it so important? - Psychology and Me","og_description":"The Magic of Art In the 1985 book titled \u201cThe Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat\u201d written by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks, he writes of a man in his last chapter he describes as \u2018The Autist Artist.\u2019 Jos\u00e9, a twenty-one year old man who had had seizures and a severe intellectual disability. Others had very politely told Sacks that Jos\u00e9 was an \u2018idiot,\u2019 not worth questioning, and emotionally stunted. They immediately, most likely due to the general knowledge of autism and intellectual disabilities at the time, deemed him sub-human without having tried to communicate with him on his terms. However, when Sacks presented him with a pen, paper, and objects for him to draw, Sacks observed that his art was \u2018richly expressive,\u2019 and revealed a \u2018lively and distinctive imagination \u2014&nbsp;a sense of humour.\u201d&nbsp; Throughout the chapter, Sacks puts emphasis on the whimsy that Jos\u00e9\u2019s art brought out of the objects replicated \u2014 Jos\u00e9 seemed to breathe life into everyday mundanity. This art of his acted as a window for Sacks, looking into the untouched, charming personality of Jos\u00e9. It revealed a part of him that possibly nobody had ever seen from him, one that had been put on the backburner while Jos\u00e9\u2019s early-life seizures took the spotlight. Not just that, but Sacks noticed that Jos\u00e9\u2019s overall mood seemed to miraculously lift while drawing \u2014 and the good mood continued on once drawing had become a regular activity for him. Sacks dictates at the final pages of the book: \u201cNow, finally, he started to speak.\u201d The rest of the book comments greatly on the human psyche \u2014 the consciousnesses, the subconscious, the unconsciousnesses; I highly recommend that you, dear reader, to take a good look at Sacks\u2019 depiction of the inner workings of the mind (of course, with the idea in mind that his reports are, indeed, quite exaggerated). That being said, these consciousnesses, however obvious, certainly do come out in art. Art and the Sub-Conscious It is no coincidence that art has become a psychological tool. I witnessed this first-hand when I got a psychological evaluation of my own, and I was nothing short of astonished when I was handed blank paper and asked to draw a tree, a house, a person. This emotion carried on when they showed me several (rather ambiguous) images and asked me to create a story based on what was happening in these images.&nbsp; Later, to fulfill my own curiosities, I learned that they administered the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the very fittingly named House Tree Person Test (HTP). Serendipitously, psychology has utilized the idea that art is a medium that is ascribed onto by the artist. Thus art can be used as an evaluation tool to measure one\u2019s cognition, in an unbiased manner that questionnaires and interviews miss.\u00a0 They dub these sorts of tests \u2018projective.\u2019 When given ambiguous stimuli \u2014 simple drawing prompts or images to replicate like as seen with Jos\u00e9 \u2014 one tends to subconsciously reflect their experiences and views onto it. Art Therapy \u2014 an Underrated Treatment Art therapy has been developed as a sophisticated medium that utilizes different art mediums in order to access the psyche and practically eradicate language and speech as a barrier for communication in therapy. However, many still do not perceive art therapy as a viable science despite evidence of its effectiveness. Rather when I first searched up on art therapy, I received many forum posts questioning whether art therapy was a hoax. I, myself, didn\u2019t know it was its own sophisticated field when I was looking into all the different psychological careers. What has made this deeply rich and insightful apparatus so demeaned as a tool to increase well-being and insight into one\u2019s self? This is purely speculative, but perhaps people equate it to the childishness of colouring books, or the unfortunate futility of an art-related career. For years, the subject of art itself has been left underfunded, underproduced and underappreciated. Yet it is extremely non-formulaic, freeing and so utterly human. We live in a society that prioritises speed \u2014 instant results, efficient workers; we have lost sight of the craft of taking things slow, introspection and being in the moment. Art in a way is the antithesis to modern society.&nbsp; Sometimes I find myself clouded in my piling workload, and the only thing I can do to relax is to set up my easel and let myself feel through colour. Now, I encourage you, dear reader, to pick up a pencil, or a paintbrush, or any medium you have on you. Let yourself feel through each placement of colour on your canvas, and take it with the same high regard as you would a math worksheet, or any other \u2018useful\u2019 hobby. Perhaps, in this way, the arts and Jos\u00e9 are one in the same: lively, creative, intrinsically human, but monstrously overlooked. And perhaps we should learn to think a little harder about art\u2019s capabilities, and its role in our daily lives.","og_url":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33","og_site_name":"Psychology and Me","article_published_time":"2026-05-05T03:58:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-05T06:20:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9640ED0C-C444-4DD5-8D5B-DB0CBC1C76ED_1_201_a-768x1024.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Lily Smith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lily Smith","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33"},"author":{"name":"Lily Smith","@id":"https:\/\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3a827c18fded5d72aaeb9d40d13553"},"headline":"Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why&#8217;s it so important?","datePublished":"2026-05-05T03:58:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-05T06:20:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33"},"wordCount":864,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9640ED0C-C444-4DD5-8D5B-DB0CBC1C76ED_1_201_a-scaled.png","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33","url":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33","name":"Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why's it so important? - Psychology and Me","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9640ED0C-C444-4DD5-8D5B-DB0CBC1C76ED_1_201_a-scaled.png","datePublished":"2026-05-05T03:58:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-05T06:20:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3a827c18fded5d72aaeb9d40d13553"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9640ED0C-C444-4DD5-8D5B-DB0CBC1C76ED_1_201_a-scaled.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9640ED0C-C444-4DD5-8D5B-DB0CBC1C76ED_1_201_a-scaled.png","width":1919,"height":2560,"caption":"A painting, by me!"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?p=33#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Art and the Psyche \u2014 Why&#8217;s it so important?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\/#website","url":"https:\/\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\/","name":"Psychology and Me","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/psychology-me-16c7d9.ingress-daribow.ewp.live\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3a827c18fded5d72aaeb9d40d13553","name":"Lily Smith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/795c982c65497b3b8e05a940a5243b91578730686cc269453096b40d4cce4c32?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/795c982c65497b3b8e05a940a5243b91578730686cc269453096b40d4cce4c32?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/795c982c65497b3b8e05a940a5243b91578730686cc269453096b40d4cce4c32?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lily Smith"},"url":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38,"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions\/38"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/psychologyand.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}