GPB readers tend to love to making the world around us as green as possible, but why stop there? Art is a perfect way to make our lives colorful in every way.

Whether you’re an art show fanatic or just enjoy coating your walls in posters, there are more benefits to being involved in art than meet the eye.

Here are 3 reasons why creating art has a lot more to offer us than just a pop of color.

3 Reasons to get your Doodle Skills on Fleek

1. Art is good for your mental health

It’s easy to see why kids love coloring: Many find the activity relaxing or a great way to de-compress. Coloring has even been used as a psychological treatment technique for stressed patients.

 Skipping a yoga class this Sunday would be totally warranted if you have been meaning to bust out an old sketchbook or coloring book.

2. Improve critical thinking skills and resourcefulness

Making and appreciating art forces us to analyze and apply critical thinking skills.

By making and appreciating art, we open our eyes to different perspectives on the human condition and our own personal experiences.

This process helps us understand ourselves better as well: by practicing art you may emerge not only with a finished product, but with a greater sense of self. By making connections between objects, their uses and their meanings, we also become more resourceful. Just imagine all the potential to re-purpose old or unconventional materials!

If you never thought of yourself as a creative type, you may be surprised; what’s lurking in that brain of yours could be a hidden gem.

3. Art makes the world a better place to FROLIC

It is said that giving to others, is the only thing more satisfying than giving to ourselves.  What could be better than knowing that you created something amazing that you get to share with others.

Plus, you can stop wasting time shopping for gifts at the mall – your unique creations will fill that void.

If you are looking for a head start, Pinterest is bursting with home project ideas based on repurposing unconventional materials.

 Doodling 101: Where to Start

Spring Cleaning: What’s Laying around your home?

Ready to get started? The good news is that a trip to the art store can be avoided. The hefty prices of art supply distributors should be your last resort.

There was a reason you saved all those fabric swatches and paint samples, and now is your time to dig them out. Why not indulge in an opportunity to test your creativity: can’t part with it, put it to good use!

Not a homebody? Take a walk in the community.

If you’re not feeling particularly creative, you can also find inspiration from a few of Philly’s favorite artists.

Local artists have been known to thrive off of creative re-use. Take Isaiah Zagar for example, the king of PMG, his vision was entirely based on re-use.

As the Philly Dumpster Divers say, anything left out on the street is fair game. If you are unsure of whether it’s OK to use (we like being sanitary around here…) ,the Dumpster Divers site may be able to give you a hint. Or you might get some insight from local art program RAIR.

Here are a few other local artists to get inspired by:

• Sara McCorriston
• Todd Marone
• Margherita Urbani
• Nancy Agati
• Tiffany Tavarez

Who is your greatest artistic inspiration? Tell us in the comments.

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Julia Davis is finishing her second year at Temple University. She has a great love for many art forms including dance, creative writing and visual arts. As a Pittsburgh-native, she has developed a great love for repurposing used or abandoned materials and making art out of them, but most of all loves a good snuggle with her dog Fig. View all posts by Julia Davis