Most people would automatically answer ‘yes’ to this question, even if they do not believe that they would benefit from art themselves. Countless of studies have proven the therapeutic powers of art, stimulating memories in people with dementia, overcoming traumatic experiences, relieving stress and anxiety, dealing with anger, even overcoming depression and serious mental issues.

However, we are seeing how doing art not just benefits the young or the old or the mentally unstable, but every human being, because art is one of the things that makes us human. We all have creativity inside us, whether we explore it or express it or not.

In every kind of religion or spiritual viewpoint, ‘God’, or the Divine in any form, is the creator force, so creative energy is divine energy and connects us with our higher aspirations.

In TierraMitica, an international community and research center for happiness, founded in 2012 and situated in the high jungle of Peru, art is not just an activity, it is a way of life for all inhabitants, regardless of whether they have experience or feel they have any talent for art, and the benefits are plentiful for everybody:

Finding inspiration: However frustrating doing art may be, especially initially, when one keeps trying and does not give up, eventually comes that moment that makes it all worth it: The moment where we suddenly created something, make a connection, which leaves us awestruck at our capabilities. When we feel like if we really try, we can do anything, which is actually true. By proving it to ourselves through art, our eyes open to the unlimited possibilities we all carry, and new doors open. Two volunteers, Lars and Dani who lived in TierraMitica for 6 months created an entire album during that time, and one of their first songs describes exactly that feeling, of discovering that there are no limits:

Unlimited Possibilities, by 2Cute

First sculpture by Simon, who had never done any kind of art since he was a child.

To see how people evolve, this is the second sculpture of the same guy!

Personal growth: In TierraMitica, we use art as a way to tackle issues head on, and have developed a technique of song writing to help people directly confront traits and emotions that are holding them back, such as feeling worthless or like a loser, feeling unattractive, getting rid of neediness, fear, shame around sexuality, speaking out, belonging, loving, the list is endless. For example, Lis used to feel like I she did not have an interesting life story, but wrote this song about her life, the first song she ever wrote (still to be recorded professionally, this is a first recording with a simple tape recorder): 

Life of Magic, by Lis

‘Success’, an art piece by Koala, who wanted to be successful in life, but did not have clarity on the actual meaning of success, so she went on a search through painting a mural, and succeeded!

Coming together: Through experimenting and research, we are developing our own stream of art: true collective art, where not just one person’s vision is executed by many, but a collective vision is developed by many, everyone is fully interchanging and collaborating in the execution, vision and theme of the final creation. Every artist involved offers their skills and visions to many parts of the final product, often working on different parts of the creations on different moments, discussing openly and evolving the collective vision for the project together and in agreement, shifting the project accordingly, choosing for the final result to fulfill and offer pride equally to every single participant. An example of this is the La Mama pregnant goddess statue in TierraMitica, where 15 members of the community sculpted the 6.5 meter concrete statue in 80 days and together with 10 guests, professional artists and ordinary guests painted it collectively in just five days (watch our documentary!). During our annual free art events, every single person that chooses to participate is welcomed, trusted and invited to participate and share in the pride of creation, the most divine energy humans can experience and share. Currently we are constructing the monument for the next event in January 2017, and we are raising the bar once more, with ‘La Mente’, a giant brain sculpted in the theme of conception which will also house our very own sound and video production studio.

‘The Holy Ladder to the Stars’, a 3 by 2 meter mural by Luis Tamani

The mural above, ‘The Holy Ladder to the Stars’ by Luis Tamani, was created during the second Mythic Party in TierraMitica in 2016, when 19 visionary artists from all over the world came together to paint the Myth of the Goddess Ayahuasca, each artist painting a piece of the story, fusing their individual murals together, creating the collective monument, “La Astronave”.

Detail of ‘La Mente’, to be ready for painting by January 15th, 2018!

Art is not just about painting, sculpting, crafting or singing, art is an essential part of being a human being. By living artfully, creating pieces of art out of everything we do, be it building a house, tending to a garden, making a presentation, cleaning dishes or writing an article, we feel proud about our creations, we feed our self-love, and find happiness.

The answer to the question if art can make us happier? Hell yes, we are the living proof!

The TierraMitica theme song, Paradise Dreamland, by 2Cute!

The Artists of the Mythic Party III!