“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” Words attributed to the American painter, Edward Hopper. Perhaps some words can be added: "If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to dance, to make music, to sculpt, to build amazing structures, to explore the road less travelled."
Self-expression. Merriam-Webster: "the expression of your thoughts or feelings especially through artistic activities (such as painting, writing, dancing, etc.")
Is self-expression important, and does it necessarily have to involve artistic activities?
In my opinion, ...no.., human activities and behaviours of most kinds, more often than not, involve some form of self-expression of which speech (including braille and sign language), is probably the most common form. Words, as effective as they are for expressing our thoughts and feelings, sometimes can be misunderstood, or misinterpreted.
It is generally agreed by most that human beings have an innate need for connecting with others, and commonly, we do this through sharing our thoughts and feelings. Although, for some of us, this may not be an easy thing to do. As a kid, I found it very difficult to verbalise my thoughts and feelings, not because I couldn't find the "right" words, but because I was afraid of how my words would be received. "What-if's" kept popping up: "what if I what I say makes him/her angry? what if they laugh at me? what if I am misunderstood? what if I have misunderstood the situation?" and so on. So more often than not, I said nothing. What I did do, was to sit down at the piano and play, or listen to some music. Through music, I was able to express my thoughts and emotions.
When, or if, words seem insufficient for expressing what is happening inside of us, some of us seek to express ourselves through other means. Some of us go to the gym, go for a run, do some gardening, get creative in the kitchen, watch a movie, play a computer game, read a book, or do something "artistic" such as play an instrument, paint, draw, dance, write, sculpt, photography, etc..
According to mental health research, expressing ourselves is both emotionally and physically beneficial. "Talking about it" either with words and/or some other "life affirming" way, can be an effective way to "unburden" ourselves, to externalize some of our inner goings-on. Perhaps one can think of it as "emotional sneezing"? Something is "up your nose"(crowding your mind) so your body tells you to.... "sneeze"? Signs of "over-crowding" may be: anxiety, sleeplessness, head-ache, fatigue, apathy, irritation, frustration, to mention a few. If you find yourself feeling irritated with most everything most of the time, is it possible that there is something you need to get of your chest? If you find yourself getting angry and frustrated over the smallest things and don't really know why, is it possible that there may be something you need to talk about? If you find yourself feeling "down" most days and you are not sure as to the reason why, is it possible that there may be someone who could help you find that reason if you shared your concerns with him/her?
Trying to cope with the sudden loss of one of my closest friends, Anders, a Swedish jazz guitarist, I found that neither words nor music, seemed to help. I needed to "sneeze", but somehow I just couldn't. In desperation I decided to try something different. I grabbed a carton with a dozen raw eggs from the fridge, went into the garden, found myself a huge tree, and then proceeded to launch them, one at the time, at the tree. As I threw the eggs, with each egg I screamed: "I hate that you are gone! I am angry with you for dying! This isn't fair!" and other words similar to that effect. When the carton was empty, I had "sneezed" twelve times and as I watched the gooey mess on the tree slither down the trunk, I felt oddly, but thankfully, relieved of some of my "over-crowding".
Interestingly, when something "good" happens, such as a boon of some sort, we can't wait to share it: "It's a boy/girl!, I won the lottery, I got promoted, we sold the house, I bought a house, I got a scholarship, our team won", etc..etc.. but when something "bad" happens, we are often encouraged to "play our cards close to the chest". (It may be different in other cultures, but generally speaking, in Western societies, we seem to tend to "endure" hardships behind closed doors.)
There is a growing body of research showing that talking about our worries and fears lessens their impact, suggesting that by verbalizing them we become better at managing them. Expressing our feelings and thoughts may be experienced by some of us as potentially becoming more vulnerable, on the other hand, by expressing ourselves we may also forge new friendships, deeper connections, and discover alternate ways of expressions beyond the limitations of words.
“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.” (Sigmund Freud)
“Everyone has their own ways of expression. I believe we all have a lot to say, but finding ways to say it is more than half the battle.” (Criss Jami)
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