How Does Art Stimulate The Brain?

Contrary to the common conception that the arts is just for plain aesthetics, it does more than serve the visual. In fact, numerous studies have proven the positive effects of art—looking at it and even making it, to our brain and overall mental health. Did you know that our brains are originally hardwired to process art? Some parts of the brain that are associated with contemplation are automatically sparked when viewing art, even if they aren’t thinking about it critically. So, whether you like it or not, your brain is activated whenever you see one!

Did you know that our brains see art as a reward?

You may be surprised to know that our brains are programed to consider looking at art a reward. This is according to the findings of one study that explored the movements and state of the brain whilst exposed to art. Viewing the works of famous painters like Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh and other artists more strongly activates the brain’s “reward system” compared to the brain activity that happens when looking at photographs of similar subjects, according to the researchers at Emory University School of Medicine.

Four male volunteers and four females were asked to view paintings made by famous and unknown artists and photographs with the same subject as of the paintings. Imaging technology revealed that when an individual viewed a painting, the ventral striatum (part of the reward system) was more strongly activated, compared to just looking at the photograph version.

The results reveal that not only did art viewing stimulate the ventral striatum, but it also activated the hypothalamus which is the part of the brain that is associated with appetite regulation and the orbitofrontal cortex, which is responsible with calculating risk, impulse control and detection of social rules.

Did you know that art encourages creative thinking?

Contrary to popular belief, creative thinking does not mean using the right side of your brain.

It involves getting both hemispheres of your brain communicating with each other. This is according to Dr. Lawrence Katz, an internationally recognized pioneer in neuron regeneration research. Art enhances problem-solving skills.

A study proved that field trips to art galleries and museums improve the critical thinking skills of students and children. This means that the greater exposure they have to works of art, the higher the rates of brain development is possible.  Art also improves the attention to details ability of the brain.

Did you know that art can give as much joy as being in love?

Scientifically speaking, being in love is characterized by increased blood flow and faster heart beat. The brain releases hormones that makes you feel happy. Well, art can give that similar effects on you.

Some artworks, as perceived most beautiful by participants, increased blood flow in a certain part of the brain by as much as 10 per cent – the equivalent to gazing at a loved one. These are paintings by John Constable, Ingres, the French neoclassical painter, and Guido Reni, the 17th century Italian artist, produced the most powerful ‘pleasure’ response in those taking part in the experiment.

“The reaction was immediate. What we found was the increase in blood flow was in proportion to how much the painting was liked. The blood flow increased for a beautiful painting just as it increases when you look at somebody you love. It tells us art induces a feel good sensation direct to the brain,” says Professor Semir Zeki, chair of neuroaesthetics at University College London and the one who conducted the experiment.

Did you know that art can relieve stress?

Art can decrease stress levels. This is proven by a study conducted by researchers from the University of Westminster. After a lunchtime visit to an art gallery, participants self-reported their stress levels before entering the gallery and then spent 35 minutes exploring the space in any way they wanted. Upon exiting, they expressed being less stressed. Furthermore, they also had lower concentrations of cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone.

Our brain gets excited whenever it is exposed to art. In fact, art therapy is considered one of the possible ways of helping patients with mental illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, since drug treatment for dementia symptoms is generally not very successful.


Site Specific Art: Choose Art that will Accent the Location (Infographic)

Art is no longer for the aesthetic alone, believe it or not, it is now considered an aid for marketing strategy, a way of healing and even viewed as a way of encouraging higher productivity in offices.

Though art remains a tool to make a place more beautiful ****, numerous studies are being considered, saying that art provides more benefits in certain locations, rather than making a statement or ???


How Art Consultants Help Your Business Grow

Art consultants can offer enormous value to anyone hoping to improve their business with the use of arts and the benefits it can offer. Art consultants can guide careers and business owners in using art towards their outmost advantage.

There are many benefits art offers to a certain business. As a matter of fact, one of the biggest trends in the market today is Hospitality Art, which enables businesses such as hotels and hospitals gain more because of artworks carefully and strategically picked by art consultants to accent and boost their sales or revenue. This is fast becoming one of the most effective and proven marketing strategy that business people are beginning to realize and utilize.

But, using arts to your advantage is more critical than you think. Everything should be towards your goals and your business’ aspirations. So picking out art ‘just because’ wont cut it. The role of art consultants in making your business develop is crucial, given their knowledge on how things work together to make a statement is necessary.

What exactly are art consultants?

An art consultant is a person who consults individuals or businesses about which pieces of art they should acquire using insights driven from data, with the purpose of improving customer, as well as employee, brand experiences. Aside from that, the goal of the art consultant should go together with the company’s values and mission as well.

Art consultants should be experts not only in art, but in matching an art to a certain business, person and goal and incorporating a piece of art with a company, making one whole story.

Some art consultants work more closely with interior designers, as part of the design team. Since more and more acknowledge that the use of art in business is not only an “accessory”, art consultants are slowly gaining the power in their name and work nature.

Compared to Interior decorators and designers who see art as a decoration and in search for pieces that will match artwork to color schemes or swatches. Art consultants see art more than its aesthetic prowess but goes beyond and treat art as an investment.

So, how do art consultants really help in making your business grow?

Art consultants understand the art world from a marketing standpoint, and they help you use art to develop the full potential of your business through this kind of marketing that many experts are considering one of the most successful and efficient today.

Art consultants play an integral part in how art gets placed in corporate collections as well as in public and private institutions.

Since Hospitality art and Art tourism are continuously evolving as an effective marketing strategy today, acquiring the help of art consultants will make your business’ expenses gain its value for money, and prevent overspending on art as well.

Companies seeking to invest in prestigious art collections as part of their interior decor will find art consultants to be of tremendous use.

Art consultants use their expertise, contacts and knowledge of the market to source existing works of art and commission new pieces according to the specifications of the client.

Artwork Sourcing & Procurement

The first job of an art consultant is to responsibly source and procure artwork. This means that they should be acquiring art that is fairly-sourced and priced. Since the value of artwork is changing rapidly or slowly depending on industry trends, it’s the job of an art consultant to keep their finger on the pulse of the industry to help guide wise investments for the clients they serve.

Also, they should also be always in the know and aware of the wide variety of local and national artists, which allows clients to discover hidden gems and “wow” pieces that have the power to change the energy of any space, which will be beneficial to your business.

Considerations for art procurement will also be guided by a client’s/business’s specific needs. For instance, artwork in hospitals often reference nature-based imagery on the universal experience of the outdoors, while artworks suited for workspaces and offices should boost the productivity of employees.

Brand Alignment

It is the job of art consultants to establish and relay a story to your business’ clients, through the power of art. Whether organizations employ the power of history walls, custom graphics, commissioned artwork, sculptures or thought-provoking abstract art, the decisions art consultants make are always unique to the particular story of the client they’re serving.

Each business should be a reflection of their goals, values and beliefs as well as their identity as a company. Art consultants treat their line of work to enable a company put their best foot forward, through carefully selecting art that demonstrates a level of brand alignment that actually uplifts brand recognition and customer and employee engagement and satisfaction.

Evidence-Based Design (EBD)

The kind art needed in institutions vary depending on the goals of art itself to the advantage of the business. Healthcare settings, educational institutions and an increasingly widening field of industries even including prisons, museums, libraries and more, evidence-based design (EBD) utilizes data and empirical evidence to inform design decisions that positively affect outcomes.

In healthcare, EBD often focuses on images of nature, utilizes blues and greens, and implies growth to positively affect patient outcomes. In schools, EBD can help students stay motivated and focused. A wealth of knowledge and research exists around the subject, and as more becomes known, art consultants become better at driving tangible results that organizations can appreciate.

The Rise of Art Tourism and Hospitality Art



The rise of Art Tourism and Hospitality Art



Art as an experience





Art as a marketing strategy


Art as identity 



Innovative Art Make Special Art (Infographic)

The best thing about art is that it could be anything and can be presented in any form. Ever since the period man learned how to use their hands, art historians believe that art was made. The hieroglyphics were considered art even before it was considered writing, pottery making using clays and the like. With this context, some may argue that the origins of art are greatly embedded in the use of everyday things and converting it to something artistic—aesthetically and theoretically speaking.

As the world spun and the things we work with are continuously developing, the search for a “modern style” concerned the entire universe of artistic expression, and even the various forms of daily life. The coherence of the new style had to allow for the resumption of the interrupted dialogue between the arts: it recast painting, sculpture, architecture, and the design of everyday objects as uninterrupted variations of a single language, and thus as all sharing the same foundation.

As for the desired dialogue between the various artistic forms, the crucial question posed by the new postwar condition no longer seemed to envisage a conclusion in terms of the creation of a new “art form” that would transform the very essence of the different practices and sweep away the existing differences in the framework of a rediscovered artistic “totality.”

Because of this, gone are the days when you can make art by just using the traditional media which are paint, oil, acrylic, wood, cloth and charcoal. Innovative art is becoming more and more popular, incorporating visual arts and a little bit of architecture with everyday things, or things that were deemed impossible to be artistic before.