Engaging in creative activity

Almost anyone working in arts-based interventions has an intuitive understanding of the health and social benefits associated with this work, attributing outcomes to the role of the facilitator, the creative space, the social element and the art-making process. Potential positive benefits can be achieved from the multitude of ways that opportunities are created for engagement in creative activities, in spite of the lack of resources and limited conventional methods. Creative programmes exist in abundance in health organizations, community centres, local neighbourhood houses, schools and learning centres providing opportunities for participation in creative activity. We have lost the historical belief of art as a healing tool and in the value of engaging local communities in creative activity if we do not give voice to the participants of these less publicized, smaller, local art programmes and explore their experiences of engaging in the art-making process.