Artful Practices for Well-Being from Coursera

Engaging with art can support well-being by helping us build skills that have value in our daily lives, such as deepening awareness, considering new perspectives, and sparking inspiration. When we tend to our well-being, we cultivate our sense of purpose, identity, insight, and connection with ourselves and others. By taking this course, we hope you discover what well-being looks like, feels like, and means to you and that you find new ways to nurture well-being in your life through art.

Art offers us one approach to the difficulty of slowing down, noticing what’s happening inside ourselves, and feeling present and attuned as we move through the world. In this course you will explore different ways art can support well-being using a wide range of practices and approaches. You’ll hear from mindfulness instructors, therapists, artists, somatic practitioners, educators, researchers, and scientists. You’ll learn about the healing qualities they’ve found in art and the ways art enriches well-being. Along the way, we hope that you’ll discover how art can serve as inspiration for routines and activities that you can bring into your life.

How you approach this course is up to you—there’s no right or wrong way to embark on this journey! Start where you want, go at your own pace, feel free to skip around or engage with your favorite activity more than once. All we ask is that you stay curious along the way. We hope that in taking this course you feel more connected to yourself, others, and the world around you.

Please note: This course is not therapy. While the course may feel therapeutic and includes the perspectives of therapists and practitioners in adjacent fields, it is not clinical. If you're interested in therapy of any kind, we suggest you reach out to a licensed professional or organization to find the best approach for you.

What's inside

Syllabus

Welcome to Artful Practices for Well-Being

Welcome to Artful Practices for Well-Being! In this module you will consider what well-being means to you. You’ll explore how experiences with art can prompt different emotional responses and learn a technique to sift through your feelings and experiences. At the end of the module you will have an opportunity to reflect on the connection between art and well-being.

Humor, Playfulness, Curiosity

Humor, playfulness, and curiosity can be a powerful support for well-being. The ways the artists and artworks use humor, playfulness, and curiosity may inspire new ways of incorporating them into your life and help you be conscious of the impact they can have.

Compassion, Gratitude, Joy

In this module you will discover how recognizing and expressing compassion, gratitude, and joy can support your well-being and cultivate a more flexible nervous system. You’ll explore activities that you might use when gratitude and joy are difficult to access.

Dreaming, Imagining, Envisioning

In this module explore how dreaming, imagining, and envisioning can support your nervous system and help you to integrate complex ideas, thoughts, memories, and feelings in your everyday life.

Grief, Loss, Longing

This module acknowledges grief, loss, and longing in our lives and explores how we might meet ourselves with compassion. You’ll learn about artists who use different materials and forms to express grief, loss, and longing and to move through the grieving process.

Rest, Coziness, Comfort

In this module you’ll discover restful practices to incorporate into your day and different ways to bring a sense of coziness into your life. Learn to recognize the power of comfort in your life and understand when are the best times to turn toward discomfort.

Body, Somatics, Embodiment

In this module you’ll explore what it means to cultivate care for and express gentleness toward your body and others. You’ll explore strategies for deepening your relationship with your nervous system and learn some techniques for becoming more embodied in your sensations.

This is just the beginning...

This module marks the end of the course, but not the end of your exploration of Artful Practices for Well-Being. In this module, you’ll have a chance to reflect back on the themes in this course, and on whether your definition of well-being has changed. You’ll also consider ways you can continue to bring art into your daily life to support your well-being.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores the connection between art and well-being, which can help learners cultivate a sense of purpose, identity, and connection with themselves and others

Features insights from mindfulness instructors, therapists, artists, and researchers, which offers a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to art and well-being

Produced by MoMA, a museum devoted to educating the general public and communities about the world of modern and contemporary art

Examines themes like humor, compassion, grief, and rest, which provides a comprehensive exploration of emotions and experiences relevant to well-being

Emphasizes that it is not a substitute for therapy, which is important for learners to understand when seeking professional mental health support

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Artful Practices for Well-Being with these activities:

The Art of Noticing

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Cultivate mindfulness and observation skills by reading and practicing the exercises in 'The Art of Noticing'.

View The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'The Art of Noticing'.
Read a chapter each week.
Practice at least one exercise daily.
Reflect on your experiences in a journal.

Gratitude Journaling with Art

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Reinforce the connection between gratitude and well-being by creating a visual gratitude journal.

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Gather art supplies.
Dedicate time each day to reflect.
Express gratitude through art.
Document your reflections.

Create a Comfort Collage

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Explore the theme of rest, coziness, and comfort by creating a collage that represents your personal sources of comfort.

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Gather images and materials.
Arrange the images on a surface.
Glue the images to the surface.
Reflect on the meaning of the collage.

Three other activities

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Dream Journal with Visuals

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Enhance your understanding of dreaming and imagination by keeping a dream journal and illustrating your dreams.

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Keep a notebook by your bed.
Record your dreams immediately.
Create visual representations of dreams.
Analyze recurring themes.

Mindfulness and the Art of Drawing

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Deepen your understanding of mindfulness and embodiment by reading 'Mindfulness and the Art of Drawing'.

View Mindfulness in Drawing: Meditations on... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of the book.
Read a chapter each week.
Practice the drawing exercises.
Reflect on your experience.

Create a 'Well-being Toolkit'

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Synthesize your learning by creating a personalized 'Well-being Toolkit' containing art-based practices that resonate with you.

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Review course materials.
Identify favorite practices.
Compile instructions and resources.
Design a physical or digital toolkit.

Career center

Learners who complete Artful Practices for Well-Being will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Wellness Coordinator

A wellness coordinator develops and implements programs that promote health and well-being within a community or organization. This course, which emphasizes artful practices for well-being, aligns perfectly with the core responsibilities of a wellness coordinator, who must understand diverse approaches to nurturing wellbeing. The course introduces various techniques using art to deepen awareness and provides methods to support emotional processing, both of which can be applied to the kinds of programs a wellness coordinator might develop and present.

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Art Therapist

An art therapist uses creative methods to help individuals explore their emotions, improve self-esteem, and manage mental health challenges. While this course is not therapy, it introduces a wide array of artful practices that an art therapist might incorporate in their practice, such as techniques to access joy, address grief, and develop self-compassion. The course's survey of different approaches can be helpful for those pursuing an advanced degree in art therapy, giving them new tools and perspectives.

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Mindfulness Instructor

Mindfulness instructors guide individuals through practices to cultivate present moment awareness and reduce stress. The course covers various approaches to wellbeing, including the uses of art to support emotional processing. The course content, exploring themes like compassion and joy, is similar to what a mindfulness instructor might teach. The course's emphasis on embodiment and the nervous system can also deepen understanding of how these practices work, making it helpful to anyone who looks to practice mindfulness with others.

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Somatic Practitioner

Somatic practitioners use body-based techniques to address trauma and emotional well-being. This course, particularly its module on body, somatics, and embodiment, offers a valuable introduction into these important themes. Somatic practitioners often help clients connect with their physical sensations to promote healing. This course can help build a foundation as it explores gentleness towards the body and techniques for deepening one's relationship with the nervous system through art.

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Life Coach

A life coach helps clients identify and achieve their personal goals and improve wellbeing. The concepts covered in this course align well with the principles often used in life coaching, as many clients seek to address issues similar to those presented here, such as grief, connection with others, and a sense of purpose. Exploring how art supports well-being, as done in this course, introduces the kinds of diverse perspectives a life coach can use to support a client's personal growth.

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Educator

An educator integrates different ways of learning to create holistic environments that support students' well-being. This course, which introduces a broad range of practices that use art to support well-being, may be useful. Educators, especially those in the humanities, might find value in the course's exploration of how art can prompt emotional responses and how to use art to access various feelings. The course's emphasis on curiosity, joy, and rest can provide new ideas for educators looking to create more engaging and supportive classroom experiences.

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Community Arts Program Coordinator

Community arts program coordinators manage and develop art programs for communities, with a focus on inclusion and accessibility. This course on artful practices for well-being can be helpful in offering new perspectives and approaches to use in program design. With its discussion of using art to explore concepts such as compassion, grief, and rest, the course offers a wide range of ideas that such a coordinator might use to engage their communities through various art practices.

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Museum Educator

Museum educators develop learning programs for museum visitors that make art accessible and engaging. This course promotes the use of art in activities that cultivate well-being. A museum educator may find that this course could be useful, especially in the context of designing programs that focus more on audience experience and engagement, since this course emphasizes personal reflection on one's relationship to art.

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Recreational Therapist

Recreational therapists plan and implement activities involving arts, crafts, and games to improve the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their clients. This course, with its focus on different ways art can support well-being, can be useful. Recreational therapists might draw inspiration from the course's emphasis on using art to explore different emotions and to cultivate joy, rest, and connection for their patients or clients.

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Social Worker

Social workers help individuals and communities improve their overall well-being. This course introduces a wide range of artful practices that can support well-being by deepening awareness, considering new perspectives, and sparking inspiration. Social workers may find these techniques beneficial in assisting clients who might be open to engaging with art as part of their journey towards well-being, especially considering the course’s modules on grief, compassion, and embodiment.

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Art Curator

An art curator manages and organizes art collections, and this role may appeal to learners of this course who may be drawn to how art affects our sense of well-being. This course may be useful as it explores how different types of artwork prompt different kinds of emotional responses and how to use art to process complicated feelings. A curator may be better equipped to contextualize and present an exhibition or collection with these considerations in mind.

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Creative Director

A creative director leads the creative vision for projects in various industries. While this role may seem tangential, this course exploring artful practices may be useful in helping creative directors cultivate a sense of well-being in their work. The course’s focus on playfulness and curiosity could encourage creative directors to adopt new approaches to their practice and may help support their capacity for creative inspiration.

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Personal Development Consultant

Personal development consultants work with individuals to support their personal growth and emotional well-being, helping clients explore new perspectives and develop strategies for personal growth. This course, with its emphasis on various artful practices, may be helpful in that art can be a bridge for clients to explore their own internal states. This course may introduce new ways to help clients become more aware of their emotional landscape.

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Human Resources Generalist

Human resources generalists support employee well-being, which is one of the many aspects of human resources. This course may be helpful in providing a new perspective for those in human resources who may be interested in supporting employee well-being through various programs that incorporate art. A deeper understanding of the ways the arts can support well-being may allow HR generalists to develop a richer understanding of the diversity of needs that exist within their company.

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Museum Administrator

Museum administrators oversee the daily operations and management of museums or galleries. This course, which explores artful practices for well-being, may be useful to museum administrators as it could provide a fresh perspective on the role of art. A deeper understanding of how visitors might engage with art emotionally may help a museum administrator better understand the museum's mission and purpose.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Artful Practices for Well-Being.

The Art of Noticing

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Provides practical exercises and prompts to cultivate mindfulness and observation in everyday life. It aligns perfectly with the course's emphasis on deepening awareness and finding inspiration through art. The book encourages readers to engage with their surroundings in new ways, fostering a sense of curiosity and playfulness, which are key themes in the course.

The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity,...

Hardcover

Mindfulness in Drawing

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Explores the intersection of mindfulness and drawing as a means of cultivating presence and reducing stress. It provides practical exercises and guidance on using drawing as a tool for self-discovery and emotional regulation. This book is particularly useful for the 'Body, Somatics, Embodiment' module, offering a tangible way to connect with one's body and sensations through art.

Mindfulness in Drawing: Meditations on Creativity &...

Hardcover

Mindfulness in Drawing: Meditations on Creativity &...

Kindle Edition

Artful Practices for Well-Being

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What's inside

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