Happiness is an inside job, as indicated by Lisa Cypers Kamen in this month’s Healing Ways department article Choose Happiness. Southwest Floridians that want to flip on their inner joy switch can apply some of the latest research that indicates the strong connection between happiness and creative activities such as singing, dancing and artful expression.

Singing

The lyrics of “Sing a Song”—When you feel down and out, sing a song. It’ll make your day—made popular in 1975 by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, melodiously indicate what Naples resident Tish Poorman has long known. “After a vocal session I see my client’s joy expressed in their body language, especially the big smile they flash at me,” says the professional vocal performance and acting coach.

Although any style of singing offers rewards, there are good reasons to join a choir. According to studies, group singing releases oxytocin, a chemical that manages anxiety and stress as well as endorphins, the brain’s “feel good chemicals.”

Dancing

According to author Vicki Baum, “There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them.” Lisa Banks, co-owner of Movement 4 Life, in Fort Myers, agrees that this applies to anything from seat bouncing in the car to serious dance training. “There is a solace or comfort zone in moving to music and silencing the noise of everyday life. When I’m finished dancing, I feel like a better version of myself. Dance is life, and with every step, we make the choice to reach beyond our self,” she says.

Multimedia art by Lisa Festa-Estrada's student

Making Art

While the process of making art is good for us at any age, the why—a mind/body connection with the activity—is explained by Dr. Amit Sood in his Mayo Clinic Handbook for Happiness: A Four-Step Plan for Resilient Living. According to Sood, mind/body activities such as those offered by Vino’s Picasso, in Naples and Fort Myers, as well as the Mixed Media Play Day offered at Goddess I AM, in Naples, can function as a natural antidepressant.

Mercedes Price Harry, owner of Vino’s Picasso, a paint studio/bar and art gallery, offers anecdotal evidence of how making art can affect mood and behavior. She gained this awareness through her collaboration with Jane Bell, founder of Supporting Independent Young Adults (SIYA), a Fort Myers nonprofit assisting at-risk young adults, especially those aging out of foster care, by providing individualized support, guidance, life skills and mentoring.

“Following the first painting session here with the kids, Jane observed a significant difference in their behavior in the areas of self-confidence, self-esteem and joy. It’s why she brings them here for three paint therapy sessions every year,” says Price Harry.

“From my experience, when I’m lost in the painting zone, I’m not thinking. Rather, my brain is at rest,” notes Price Harry, who, like Lisa Festa-Estrada, creator of Mixed Media Art Play Day, feels that her creative endeavors leave her energized and joyous.

“The individuals who create art at my workshop are as initially shy and hesitant as those at Vino’s Picasso. After spending two hours in the creative process using ink stamps, paints, watercolor, scraps of paper and texture paste, I see quite a difference. Their self-esteem and self-confidence are boosted by transforming a blank eight-by 10 canvas into a work of their artful expression,” says Festa-Estrada.