May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of mental well-being and explore the various ways that art can contribute to our emotional and psychological health.
At , we believe that art is for everyone, and we are dedicated to promoting artistic expression as a means of fostering positive mental practices. In line with this mission, we are thrilled to showcase the works of talented artists, each offering their unique perspectives on the intersection of art and mental health. Our first featured artist is the incredible @amli_art, whose journey in the world of AI art has had a profound impact on her personal well-being.
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@amli_art shares her story of stumbling upon AI art in early 2022, during a time when the art community was just beginning to embrace this emerging form of artistic expression. Curiosity led her to explore the possibilities of AI-generated art, and she was captivated by the groundbreaking techniques and collaborations taking place within the AI art space.
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I got into it because I was messing around with NFTs and jumped onto Twitter for the first time. In those first couple weeks I saw @delta_sauce and some other creator's stuff popping up and I was just like -
She continues, I just started asking questions, and people in the community are always so nice and wonderful. They started pointing me in the right direction and that led me to open up Disco Diffusion for the first time. I had a heart attack, opened it up again for the second time, had another heart attack. I think maybe around the fifth time I finally didn't let it scare me, and sat down and actually started working with it. And after your first successful run, you're hooked.
AI Art as a Lifeline When asked if she noticed any personal mental health benefits from using AI art thus far, Amli agreed saying, For me, yes - 100%. I think most people are creative people. They might not even know that they are, but just being human, we are inherently creative. And I think bringing creativity into your life is something that really enhances it. Whether that's just through play or singing in the shower - just a little bit of creativity really adds positiveness to anyone's life.
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For @amli_art, art has always been an integral part of her life, serving as a means of self-expression and coping with the challenges she faced as a disabled artist.
She talks about how hard that time in her life was, saying; I was eight-years-old doing plays on stage in Washington DC. I pursued that for most of my young life until my disability (of course) made it hard to do that. I moved to visual Arts to fill that void for me because I needed the creative outlet. In a way, it's almost like air for people like me, and we need it. Creating AI-generated art became a lifeline, illuminating a path she didn't realize she had lost and allowing her to reconnect with her innate creativity. AI Art as a Creative Outlet
While @amli_art acknowledges that AI art can be considered therapeutic, she personally views it more as a practice similar to exercise or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She says, I relate to it more like I have to create every day in order to maintain a balanced mental health kinda thing.
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She recognizes, however, that for many individuals within the AI art community, the therapeutic potential of generative art helps with addressing specific traumas or navigating difficult mental health challenges.
She recollects, I've run a bunch of contests and have met a lot of people who have said very similar things about AI art being therapeutic, especially talking to veterans and those with PTSD. A lot of people have said how much it's really saved them, to be able to put their experience into words and to see it visually.
@amli_art has witnessed the transformative power of AI art as it helps people give voice to their experiences, even saying she knew of someone using it for that purpose.
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I have a good friend who is a Special Education teacher for autistic children here in Los Angeles. He started using AI Art with them in the middle of last year and actually completely changed his curriculum because he found it so therapeutic for them. They have speech and communication issues, things along those lines, and now they're able to express themselves in ways they couldn't before with AI art.
AI art has become a medium through which people can explore their emotions, communicate their experiences, and find solace and growth. And while her personal experience may differ from those who specifically use AI art as a therapeutic tool, she wholeheartedly recognizes its potential for healing and self-discovery.
Through the stories and creations of talented artists like @amli_art, we hope to inspire and foster awareness about the significant role creativity plays in supporting our emotional well-being.Sophomore Victoria La Ferla poses in the usual position for sound baths. The gradient colors around her are what she said she often sees during a sound bath. Photo by Lucian Himes and Art by Haley Hoidal
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As I lay down on my meditation mat, my head faces the direction of the sound bowls — metal or crystal bowls practitioners swirl a mallet around to create sound vibrations meant to calm the mind.
I close my eyes and feel my worries and thoughts settle down. I start to see colors. I feel my mind lightly rock from side to side as if I am on a boat.
This is when I set my intention for this meditation and try my best to center myself and let the sound bath take me on a relaxing journey.
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Toward the end of the meditation, my reiki practitioner comes to me and uses her hands to channel light force energy –– reiki –– into me. A feeling of warmth and light spreads from my head to my heart to my toes. I awake and feel lighter, centered, calmer and more balanced.
The meditation guide plays sounds in a specific sequence and frequency to create a harmonic resonance that can shift the brainwaves into a state of deep relaxation and meditation.
Reiki, which is sometimes partnered with a sound bath, is a Japanese healing technique that can help remove mental blockages and restore balance to the body’s energy centers, or chakras, according to The National Library of Medicine.
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While living in the Los Angeles area, Corrêa said she goes to The Mindry in Malibu after classes to meditate and Aziam in Santa Monica during the weekends.
Nicole Rutsch, reiki master teacher and sound healer at The Mindry, said she came to love sound baths and reiki in her healing journey. Rutsch specializes in reducing stress and anxiety and bringing people back into balance and harmony.
“In my experience, reiki has become a special ritual in my week, ” Corrêa said. “After reiki I feel less anxious and more relaxed, I feel more connected to myself and my body.”
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“Be curious and relax, ” Rutsch said. “It’s all you have to do, it’s the most relaxing thing. You don’t have to do anything. Just allow space, allow the practitioner to hold space for you, experience it.”
Chrissy MJ Anderson, studio manager and meditation guide at The Mindry, said she has struggled with depression and anxiety that stemmed from overworking herself.
“I woke up one morning and couldn’t get out of bed, ” Anderson said. “Two years of depression where I didn’t work, and I wasn’t able to do much of anything.”
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Anderson’s psychiatrist recommended a meditation center to Anderson called The Den about four years ago and told her to try natural healing. Anderson said the meditation helped her slowly stop abusing substances, inspired her to start pilates and helped her stop fighting with her boyfriend — all within a span of three weeks.
“I had the profound experience where I had this release and relief and thought, ‘This is how I get better, ’” Anderson said.
“The one-on-one connection with teachers and guides who support your healing journey is a one-of-a-kind experience, and then learning reiki allowed me to do this for others, ” Anderson said.
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“I realized they’re actually this [happy] because there is this beautiful experience on the other side, ” Anderson said. “There’s this whole other world that many don’t access.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re trying so hard to have this transformative spiritual experience, what matters is that you are exploring something new and learning these tools to come back to balance in any situation or feeling that you are in, ” Anderson said.
Those who go to sound baths want to feel relaxed and nurtured, Anderson said. Those who practice reiki want to experience healing at that moment, and they start to realize what they need right then.
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“I was never able to see the light at the end of the tunnel when I wasn’t well, ” Anderson said. “I realized there was a light at the end of the tunnel, now I can see the light, and I walk with it now.”Art has the ability to touch our hearts, spark our imagination, and evoke deep emotions. But did you know that art can also be a powerful tool for healing?