"Scientists carried out a study in 2010 and found that photography helps bring focus to positive life experiences, enhances your self-worth and even reduces the stress hormone cortisol."
A couple of weeks ago, an interesting article from Canva.com dropped into my inbox called 'Photography as therapy: Why taking photos can actually improve your mental health.' This is an interesting concept, because I've often felt as though getting out with the camera is a great way to unwind and disconnect from the everyday routine.
Apparently, scientists carried out a study in 2010 and found that photography helps bring focus to positive life experiences, enhances your self-worth and even reduces the stress hormone cortisol. It's all about the concept of "flow" (i.e. being completely focused on the activity) and representing the world around you as you would like to see it.
In fact, when I researched this idea a bit deeper, I found that photography features in art therapy courses to help people with depression and other mental health conditions. I guess if you think about it, it certainly is a way to seek out and find beauty in the world around us and perhaps reframe our perspectives of things!
For myself, one of the things I love about photography is getting out to somewhere beautiful and/or interesting and seeing what interesting shots I can come up with. Time flies by while I'm trying one shot after another and it's a great excuse to get out in nature. It's very different from just having a walk as you are forced to look more closely at your surroundings, whether that's buildings, landscapes, people or regular everyday objects.
Then, without doubt, the exciting part is uploading them onto the big screen at home and seeing how they turned out, and editing them the way I envisaged them when I took them. Like many creative pursuits, there as is a sense of achievement that comes with taking photos and relaying their meaning to others, so that they get a sense of the beauty and meaning of them too!
It's always been my dream to create pictures that are not only good enough to frame, but also that convey a positive image or a deeper message to whoever views them. For example, a scene might create a relaxing atmosphere that helps you disconnect, or it may show something cultural or intriguing that makes you think a bit. I guess that's why I love landscapes, but also travel and street photography.
There are definitely positive benefits to doing something creative in your free time, and it seems like science backs it up! I also love to make bracelets sometimes when I get the time. How about you, what do you like to do? Tell me in the comments below! Is it time you started a new creative hobby? 😀
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