“Are you playing with pictures again, Rena?” said Mom, leaning over my shoulder. My home office is her bedroom, so I can’t tell her to bug off.

“Erm, no. I’m learning a new software program called Paint.” I showed her one of the composite images I’d created (such as the one here) when I really should’ve been working.

“So, basically, you’re playing with pictures.”

“Yes, and I feel more relaxed than I have in days.”

Art Therapy

There’s nothing new about art therapy — the more technical name for playing with pictures for relaxation. Way back in prehistoric times, a caveman was probably stressed out that he hadn’t been able to bring home a deer kill in ages. Concerned abut his deer deficit, he then painted a picture on a cave wall to point to and say, “At least I’ll always have THAT deer.”

OK, that’s probably not why man first began painting on cave walls, but it does show that people find relief from their stress and worries when they create something. This could be painting on cave walls, weaving baskets, cooking a meal, or playing with pictures.

Shaping Our Realities

A lot of stress comes from feeling completely out of control as to what happens to us. We feel like nothing we do matters. But when we play with pictures — or do anything creative — we can see the results of our actions. We made something that seems to have a life of its own. We see that we can shape our realities.

So, I like playing with Paint every now and then when I really need to relax. Sometimes, I even do something like stick Peter Gabriel’s head on a young stud’s body. Even though it’s a silly picture, it makes me smile and relax.

Hope this helps.

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