3 Ways That Art Makes You Feel Good

Looking at art that makes you happy can give you a ‘love buzz’

I’m a scientist as well as a photographer, so when I came up with the idea of this blog post, I was always going to have to spend a lot of time searching for scientific evidence that art benefits our wellbeing. I quickly came across the name Prof Semir Zeki, a neurobiologist at University College London. Prof Zeki has found that looking at beautiful art work releases dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ chemical, and can lead to the same physical reaction as falling in love!!! Let that soak in for a second……looking at art that makes you happy can give you the same buzz as your teenage crush…..a love buzz… pretty cool, right?! And presumably, without the angst of spending every evening wondering how you’ll make them notice you!! [Aside: I’m not sure I ever did anything to get noticed by ‘the crush’, but my mum once left cakes on a boy’s car 😊]

If you would like to know a bit more about the science read on, otherwise skip to number 2.

Prof Zeki and colleagues devised a pretty elegant study to see if looking at art you love triggers specific parts of your brain. Twenty-one people participated in the study and rated a range of different art – paintings and snippets of music. They rated the art from 1-9, with 9 being the most beautiful, so that the researchers had a feel for what individuals felt were ‘beautiful’, ‘ugly’ or that they were ‘indifferent’ to. The individuals then went into an MRI scanner and were shown the art/heard the music again. When they experienced art that they thought was beautiful, a very specific area of the brain lit up on the scans – the medial orbitofrontal cortex (part of the prefrontal cortex), part of the reward centre of the brain. [1]

An attractive face also lights up this part of the brain and is further enhanced if this face is smiling [2] – remember that feeling of looking at that crush? And if they smiled whilst you were looking? And if they smiled at you……..🤯 You get the idea!

Prof Zeki talks about his research in this excellent, and brief, Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlzanAw0RP4

2. Looking at art can get your brain working

Our brains are always seeking out patterns in the world around us, looking for meaning, piecing together information, forming a ‘full’ picture. In the case of art, it’s working out whether we like it or not, as well. And it’s working extra hard when it comes to abstract art, when it’s trying to fill in the gaps of what the eyes see, to work out what the picture actually is. So, looking at art gets those neurons firing and gives the brain a workout.

If you’re looking at photos or other art from a place you’ve been to or that reminds you of a particular time or place, then it’s also bringing back those (hopefully) happy memories. Music does the same.

There is some evidence that photographs (as part of something called reminiscence therapy) may help people with dementia – so it’s potentially powerful stuff! [3]

3. Doing any kind of ‘art’ is rewarding to us.

This includes the simple act of doodling or colouring – it really doesn’t have to be ‘good’ art to make us feel good.[4] Any kind of art that distracts us enough to get ‘in the zone’ can give us that mindfulness that is so hard to achieve in normal daily life. Immersing yourself in colouring, for example, can lead to a type of meditative state. It’s meditation without the need to sit and actively try to put thoughts aside – you know what I mean, trying to stop thinking about the things bothering you so you can ‘be mindful’, when all you can do is think about the things!! When you get in the zone when colouring, you simply forget to worry about them – passive mindfulness, I guess…..active mindfulness seems like an oxymoron to me!

Art can catch your eye, distract you from the everyday, give you a much needed break from the hamster wheel of life, make you smile, feel happy and feel more at peace. Art is good for your mind, your body, and I’m going to say your soul too – I’ll struggle to find any hard evidence to back that one up, but Pablo Picasso thought the same:

“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life” – Pablo Picasso

[1] Ishizu, T. & Zeki, S. (2011) Toward A Brain-Based Theory of Beauty. PLoS ONE, 6: e21852. doi:10.1371 /journal.pone.0021852.

[2] O’Doherty, J et al. (2003) Beauty in a smile: the role of medial orbitofrontal cortex in facial attractiveness. Neuropsychologia; 41(2): 147-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0028-3932(02)00145-8

[3] Woods B et al. (2018) Reminiscence therapy for dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev; 3(3): CD001120. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001120 .pub3.

[4] Kaimal et al. (2017) Functional near-infrared spectroscopy assessment of reward perception based on visual self-expression: Coloring, doodling and fre drawing. The Arts in Psychotherapy; 55: 85-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2017.05.004

Learning Curve: Product Photos for Small Businesses

During 2020, when we couldn’t really leave our houses, the online world narrowed and I met like-minded people who I would never have met in ‘real’ life. It opened up opportunities to collaborate with, learn from and be inspired by people from a variety of backgrounds. One of these online friendships led to an opportunity for me to try some product photography.

There were a whole host of negative thoughts that rushed into my head – it’s out of my comfort zone, I’ve never done it before, will I be able to? will I be any good? what if they turn out rubbish? where do I start? Pre-covid, I’d have said no to this opportunity, but I’ve learned over these last years that you can’t always wait until you’re ready, so, I said yes. But to reduce the pressure, I said I’d do this shoot for free, and considered it a learning opportunity…… and maybe the beginning of building a portfolio of product photos for small businesses??

I was sent a couple of boxes of products to photograph and I instantly stressed out again – nobody likes that feeling of being out of their depth, and not knowing where to start! But, I knew there was no pressure externally, it was all from me wanting to do a good job.

I did some research, read some tutorials and gathered up my gear – flash, product boards, reflectors, camera….and I set them all up in our spare room, creating a little booth for the products to sit in. Excellent, all ready to go….except now I had to think a bit creatively to get the best out of the product and set up the scene. I honestly thought I’d struggle with this, but once I started, I realised that I really enjoyed setting it all up, adding some props for detail, and trying to create a feeling suitable for the product.

In this case, the product was a wellbeing package designed to help give a calming experience to the buyer – filled with lavender and similarly-themed oils and pots of lotions. As luck would have it, I had some dried lavender around the house, so I gathered that up to add to the scene. I then realised what the critical ingredient for a successful product shoot was….. blutack.

I’m not going to pretend I had some good photos within a few minutes – there was a lot of trial and error with the flash, in half the shots you could see the blutack, in the other half you could see the guitar effects pedal I was propping things up with 😊 After quite a few hours, I got some photos I was happy with. And when I sent them to my ‘client’ she was thrilled with them – the most important thing. Since then, I have done another shoot for her.

During this whole process, I’ve learnt that even though new photography genres are pretty terrifying to begin with, like most things in life, you can learn your way through it. I’m not saying that after a couple of shoots, I’m an expert in product photos, far from it (there were still some rejected shots that had the blutack showing!), but I know that I can get decent shots for small businesses to use in their marketing, I know I can continue to learn and improve with every shoot…..and I really enjoy it.

If you have a small business and would like me to do some product shots for you (especially if its for chocolate or tea!!), please email me at: claremcewenphotography@gmail.com or message me on Instagram @claremcewen

If you’d like to check out any of the above products or need some calming guidance, please check out Empathy Holistics on Instagram: @empathyholisticsbuddies

Have a fab day. x

Beyond the Beauty: Tales of Cornwall

Helston and Loe Pool

Everyone knows that Cornwall is a place of beauty, magical coves and a sub-tropical climate – [beware this last bit, think warm and wet jungle rather than lying on a beach sipping cocktails!] But Cornwall also has a very proud history and heritage that is also well worth exploring….not to mention a bucket load of myths and legends!

I was born and raised in the small market town of Helston, ‘gateway’ to The Lizard Peninsula. It’s a modest town with a rich history. Maybe you’ve heard of the Floral Dance? Yep, that Helston. For those who don’t know, Helston is ‘famous’ for it’s welcoming of Spring festival known as Flora Day. Adults and children alike take part in several formal dances through the streets during the day, led out by the band playing the Floral Dance tune (made famous by Terry Wogan back in the day!!). The dancers dress up, the spectators line the streets, the band take a deep breath, and away we go from around 7am in the morning until the pubs shut in the evening. Street performers re-enact tales of good versus evil whilst waving branches of greenery and sycamore in the Hal-an-Tow, too many pints of the local ale Spingo are consumed, and general mayhem and merriment flows through the fair.

I digress, this blog post is about some of the lesser known tales of Helston, or rather of it’s nearby fresh water lake, Loe Pool. At the bottom of the town of Helston, there is a walk that joins the town to Porthleven on the coast. The area is known as Penrose and passes alongside Loe Pool before going out to the coast – with the coastal side culminating in a sand bar. Loe Pool has a circumference of around 8 miles and is the largest natural lake in Cornwall. It is home to loads of wildlife and is a popular local beauty spot with walkers, runners and cyclists.

But it is also packed full of local legends, including the sinister tale that the pool claims a life every 7 years. I remember being fascinated (and a little scared) by this as a teenager and, unfortunately, there have been quite a number of drownings both accidental and suicidal in and around the pool over the years. Some of these can be attributed to the particularly treacherous section of sea at the sand bar and, despite warning signs on the beach, do continue to happen.

The Pool is said to have had a plane crash into it with the loss of two airmen, and there are tales that a Spanish galleon laden with coins was thrown into the pool over the sand bar in a particularly ferocious storm, but, to be honest, there’s barely a beach on this coast that doesn’t have a similar story of Spanish gold attached to it! It has also been suggested that the Barnes-Wallace bouncing bomb was tested on the Pool too, although I’m not sure there’s any actual evidence of this.

To bring us back to Helston, Flora Day, and more specifically, the Hal-An-Tow, we need to mention that mythical mainstay, the dragon. It is fabled that the tradition of Hal-An-Tow began with a dragon. The people of Helston (known as Helstonians) were one day alarmed to see a dragon flying towards their town (well, you would be, wouldn’t you!) breathing fire and threatening to burn them all to a crisp. In an attempt to escape the fiery beast, they ran towards the surrounding countryside, and as luck would have it, the dragon plopped itself into Loe Pool and extinguished his fire. Phew!

As you can probably tell from this snapshot, there is no shortage of myths and legends in this area. Watch this space, I’ll be adding to this taster in the future.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider coming to look at my Instagram (@claremcewen) and bookmark my website http://www.seethecalm.com. And please, if you know anyone else that make like my blog or enjoy my photos, spread the word.

Thank you for being here 🙂

An artist? Me????

A year or so ago, whilst getting into the stride of the original lockdown, I decided it might be fun to be brave and set up a website to sell some of my coastal photos as prints. I didn’t think too hard about it, it just felt like a time of change and so, maybe, I should take advantage of that and try something new – I like to find positives in as many situations as I can!

I spent some time researching costs, choosing photos and ultimately designing and setting up my website, www.seethecalm.com. What I didn’t plan for was what now seems to be something of an artistic journey of discovery, and a real opportunity for some personal growth. You see, despite loving photography, taking a tonne of photos and continually learning about my craft, I had never once considered myself an artist. It wasn’t until an actual artist referred to me in this way that I started thinking about it. Am I an artist?? Do I create art? Subconsciously, I must believe I create art, after all, I set up an online shop expecting other people to decorate their walls with my photos, but any conscious thought about being an artist feels a bit weird….hard to reconcile with what I’d always believed – I am not the arty one. But, maybe I am…..not only do I take photos, but I also write songs, and I’ve even attempted to write a children’s story about Cornish smugglers! I’m always scribbling down potential song lyrics and giving voice to inanimate objects……hang on a minute, could I actually be a bit creative?!

For those who follow me on Instagram or know me in person, you will likely know that I am a scientist. And I think I’ve always assumed, or been led to believe that science and art are mutually exclusive, that they are at opposite ends of a spectrum and never the twain shall meet. Whether that comes from me, or somewhere else, I can pinpoint the time when I subconsciously, at least, chose science over creativity – when choosing my A’ Levels. You see, as my English teacher at the time put it on my school report that year (with more than a little hint of sour grapes, since I was a good student), “……even though Clare has chosen science over English….”. I had made my choice! It of course wasn’t quite so black and white as that, but I knew I wanted a career in science. It turns out that the branch of science I now do is very much a mixture of science and English since I research and write scientific papers (I think that English teacher might be quite pleased with that!). And although this may not be a popular thought amongst some of my fellow practitioners, I think my scientific discipline is actually a good mix of science and art.

So, maybe I have the odd creative bone in my body and, therefore, maybe I have a creative voice that needs exploring? I hope to explore it a bit through this blog and see where it all leads me…..if you’d like to join me, that would be awesome 😊

My Favourite Coastal Photography Destinations

Although we currently can’t get out and about again in the UK, I thought I’d write a post about where I love to go to take photos of the seaside. Not least because even I, not the most seasoned of travellers, have a bit of wanderlust for my favourite places! And I’m guessing I’m not alone

Coastal photography is not something I get to do very often anyway, since I now live inland, but when I get there, I want to make the best of it.

Naturally, since it’s my home county, Cornwall is my absolute favourite place by the sea. I am from the southern end of Cornwall, and it’s the south coast that I like to photograph the most – rugged, mysterious and full of history. The tiny fishing villages, the remnants of the mining industry, hidden coves, and the weird sense that smugglers could have trodden these very beaches not so long ago. Plus there’s a plethora of unusual features in this part of Cornwall.

I do, of course, also love the more traditional beach scenes for my photos, and for these, a lot are taken in Porthleven, Cornwall. A place I know well, but still has the ability to surprise me with it’s beauty. It’s a sight I took for granted when I was a child, but not any more! It’s often shown in the media when storms are ravaging it’s iconic Institute building, a magnificent sight, but not much fun for the locals!!

Another of my favourite places for seaside photos is North Wales. Much of my most popular photo art has been taken at Rhyl, at sunset on a summer’s evening. The beautiful, bright orange glow of the beach at sunset and the calming purples of the gentle sea have made popular framed prints. For me, it’s a wonderful place to feel calm and relaxed, strolling along the beach at sunset is a hard feeling to beat, right? It’s usually pretty quiet on the beach at that time of night too, which always adds to the sense of peace. Plus, I love a traditional British seaside resort – the charm of the slightly rundown arcades, fish and chips on the seafront, the slight tackiness – all things to be thoroughly embraced if you ask me!

Finally (for now!), the slightly less obvious Fleetwood in Lancashire. It is often described as a bit bleak, and that is definitely fair! The wind is usually blowing across the beach and in winter it is absolutely biting out there on the sand. In summer, it’s a bit better!! However, it’s the bleak feel that really appeals to me. The beach is spread out and you can always find a quiet area to take photos. It is pretty featureless apart from some wonderful groynes and random poles standing in the sea and on the beach. And it’s this that I love! Perfect for minimalist photo art opportunities and the capture of fleeting moments with seagulls as the only feature.

So, there you are, some of my favourite places for coastal photography. Please share any of your favourite seaside places in the comments – virtual wanderlust 🙂

Stay safe.

Clare x

http://www.seethecalm.com

Back once again…. with the Overwhelm Master

Well, we’re back into lockdown in the UK, and although I am very relieved that the decision has been made and steps are finally being taken to get the virus under control, I’m also a muddle of a hundred other emotions. And I know I’m not alone.

I’ll be honest, the word overwhelm felt a bit over-used before all this global pandemic malarkey kicked off, but now…..well….I very much get it! Trying to juggle half a dozen different roles throughout a day – mum, teacher, wife, employee, cook, washer woman, and being something to everyone is hard. I want to know my friends can message me to talk, to laugh, to moan; I want to find time for me, to take photos, to learn new Photoshop skills, to play my guitar, to write songs, read books…..arghhhhh,how is that possible in just one day…… equals overwhelm!

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night, with all this rushing around my head, this plus trying to think of presents for an upcoming birthday, remembering to write thank you letters, planning a cake……you get it…

So why on earth, amongst the first lockdown, did I decide that starting a business selling prints of my photos was a good idea!!! How was more work going to help any level of overwhelm improve? Well, the answer is, it doesn’t! And I am putting way too much pressure on myself to make it happen. Why? The answer is, I don’t know! The plan was to make a few quid selling photos and see where it went, not some great entrepreneurial journey!

So, this week, (whilst home-schooling and writing kick-ass haikus!!) I will sit down and write a list of the most important elements of my life, the things that are important to make time for, and focus on fitting them into my life. Not stressing about things that don’t really matter that much.

After all, I am extremely lucky I have as much time as I do – I’m not a medic on the front line, I’m not a teacher trying to teach both in the classroom and online at the same time, I don’t work in a supermarket trying to break up fights over toilet roll… And I shouldn’t waste precious time listening to the Sound of the Overwhelm (I hope you’re getting these tenuous references or I’m sounding like a complete idiot!).

I encourage you to do the same – listen to the songs you love, dance in the kitchen, read the books that feed your soul, wrap up warm and go for a walk, play games with your kids, watch movies, and do the hoovering when there’s a spare couple of minutes. And I am going to finish writing one song this year!

Stay safe x

www.seethecalm.com

2020: An Unwelcome Odyssey

Well 2020 has been impossible to ignore! It has been an emotional rollercoaster for everyone and a physical rollercoaster for many. It has been a year that has changed us, I hope for the better and I hope forever, but I am an optimist! One thing it has done, is bring us together, we may have been in separate boats, but we’ve all been bashed around by the same tides of change.

It has led to amazing scientific and medical breakthroughs in a ridiculously short period of time, thanks to everyone working against a common enemy – this time last year, we didn’t even know that this particular virus existed, today, in the UK, the NHS are administering the first vaccines against it, as I type! This is incredible, and although not a miracle cure, is a bloody amazing achievement for humankind.

Despite the backdrop of a global pandemic that has side-swiped all our lives, I hope you have found pockets of positivity and joy. For me, these have included:

Getting to home-school my son, which as well as being frustrating was actually extremely rewarding!! And I believe it actually helped him academically

Spending much more time in the garden watching the wildlife – learning which birds visit our garden regularly, discovering we have a little tribe of hedgehog visitors and now seeing the squirrels scuttling back and forth every morning

Realising more how I want to spend my time – less rushing about, more taking pleasure in strolling through the countryside with my family, exploring places we’ve not been before.

And this year feels like a turning point for my photography. I’ve set up a website to sell prints, and I’ve sold some! I’ve watched many online tutorials and seminars about photography and Photoshop and learnt some new skills. And this week, I’ve had one of my favourite photos of the year published in Amateur Photographer magazine – a big deal for me!

The negatives of 2020 are easy to find and require no thinking about, but what are your positives? What have you learnt through this year that you can carry on when the world gradually gets re-started again (hopefully!)? What are you grateful for?

Thank you for reading this blog this year and I’ll see you in 2021.

Best wishes and stay safe.

Clare x

For a community jam full of positivity and fun, come and check out my Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seethecalm

To see more of my photos, come and take a look at http://www.seethecalm.com or follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claremcewen/

Community

OK so this year has been tough, right? But is it just me who’s finding it harder now than when we were in full lockdown?

The rules are more complicated, everyone is arguing about the best ways to proceed, and, where we were coming together as a community, which we definitely were at the start, it feels like that time has quickly passed.

So rather than get sucked into the endless spiral of news and getting involved in futile conversations on social media, I decided I’d start a Facebook group that was a safe haven from the negativity and outside world. In my group, I’d talk about my photography, my love of music and playing the guitar, what we’re reading/listening to/enjoying about Autumn, whether we drink tea or coffee – the important stuff. And I’d try to build a community of like-minded folk who were fed up with the outside world and all that’s going on in it right now.

And do you know what? We’re building a fun, lovely little community! We have a weekly photo challenge, a two weekly music challenge, we share photos of what we’ve been up to, we talk about frivolous, fun things and we treat it like a cafe where we meet friends for a chat.

I hope that we can continue to grow an inclusive community that is about getting away from it all, relaxing, and finding a haven from the madness around us.

Thank you to my tribe for helping to build a positive space amongst the noise of the Internet. 😘

If this sounds like a place where you’d like to hang out, please come and join us at www.facebook.com/groups/616391349045004?ref=bookmarks

Stay safe and smile.

Clare x

The year of ‘different’

2020 has been a year of ‘different’, no doubt about that! So, it seemed an opportunity to embrace different!

At a children’s birthday party not long before lockdown in the UK, another mum at the party commented that she really liked my photos (mostly of my son) and asked if I took family photos. At the time, I had only taken photos of my family (all be it loads of them!) and a few shots of a friend’s family for my Photography Diploma a few years ago. So, I said I didn’t have much experience, but I’d have a think about it.

Later that week, I asked some fellow female photographers what I should do, and was encouraged 100% to book a session with this family and go and do it. Then lockdown happened….

Now I had time to think it over properly and soon decided that I really did want to do a family photo session. After all, I love taking photos of my family and capturing the moments that rush by in a blur, so we can all look back on them in days, weeks, years to come. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that capturing other people’s stories was something that I would love to do more of.

As luck would have it, an opportunity to join an online course on family photography, from an expert in the field came up, so I jumped at the chance. It was an investment, but the course was amazing and taught me so much. Empowered by this, I booked a session with the family on a hot August evening, once our lockdown had started to ease.

I was nervous, but also felt prepared and ready to give it my best shot. I knew the family well enough that we were all pretty relaxed and we had a lot of fun. The two girls were an absolute delight as they just wanted to pose for photos everywhere. They made my job easy, and we spent a happy hour finding spots for photos throughout the park.

I think we all enjoyed it and I had some lovely feedback from them. And here are some of the resulting photos.

I learnt from this that sometimes I need to be shaken out of my comfort zone, and if 2020 has any redeeming features, it’s that it’s taught me that sometimes things are just different! And sometimes, different can be good.

But please 2020, I think that’s enough different for now!

Have fun & stay safe

Clare x

Hello Autumn (farewell summer)

I LOVE Autumn.

It’s my favourite season, plus it’s the best season for getting great photos – the golden leaves, the crispy grass, fabulous light for portraits and backlit shots for a much larger part of the day. Those colours – WOW.

“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” – John Keats

So, I am very much looking forward to getting out and grabbing a few Autumnal photos very soon.

For now, I’m looking back at some of my summer memories, and I took A LOT of photos!

Plenty were taken at home – home schooling, nature in the garden, water fights – all capturing wonderful memories during a weird time. And there were many nature walks…

And eventually, I got to go home to Cornwall and get some photos of the beach. I am currently working my way through them – there are a lot to edit! Here are some of my favourites so far…