Use Music, Dance and Art to Channel Expression
I can’t express myself. No, listen, really . . . what I mean is I can’t express myself. It is not that there is anything wrong with my vocals or that I lack vocabulary . . . I just can’t get the words out. Why? I don’t know but it is frustrating. Everyone around me is expressing themselves, and I stand there as their words fly by, trying to keep up. Wait, what did they say? What was that? Slow your words down so I can follow. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I follow the conversation? Time and time again. It is frustrating and painful.
I venture to say that there are too many people who have had a conversation in their head with themselves similar to this one. If it is not addressed it can lead to depression, risky behavior or even to acts of violence. It is through creative expression that some of us have found a way around the debilitating emotions we experience due to our inability to express ourselves.
Anna Clendening brought light to depression and anxiety last night as she took the stage on America’s Got Talent to perform one of my favorite songs – Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Anna’s expression of Hallelujah stopped me in my tracks the minute she started singing. Not a big surprise that she was able to deliver the show stopper as she said that music was her answer to depression and anxiety. She was able to express herself through music in ways she could not otherwise. It was obvious . . . I could hear her feelings flow through the deeply emotional Hallelujah lyrics. You can watch her video on Youtube here.
Additionally, evidence that artistic expression works to alleviate the pain from depression and anxiety is in the work that is done with young people by Express Yourself out of Beverly, Massachusetts. Thank goodness for this organization for they provide young people an outlet for positive expression, a place where they can learn different modes of expression. Its signature program is a year-long “multi-disciplinary arts experience in collaboration with exciting visual and performing artists. Participation in the program encourages self-expression, uncovers individual strengths, and deepens connection.” You can find out more about it on Express Yourself’s website under Our Programs.
The very first benefit Express Yourself points to when describing what the young people in their program experience is the power of self-expression. They say that “We all have a need for self-expression, and by engaging in the creative process, our youth discover healthy ways to be seen and heard.” And, when we learn how to communicate effectively the depression, risky behavior and acts of violence are less likely to occur.
Yet funding for programs like these continues to be cut and hard to find. Thankfully, there are private funds and donations that allow these organizations to exist, but we need more.
What would life be like if we didn’t complain? According to Will Bowen in his book