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Right Brain, Left Brain

Society divides people from the logical and the creative. People tend to lean to the right

or the left of the brain naturally and don’t expand on what other kinds of interests they can take.

This divide is a missed opportunity for things that should be intertwined but are not. Artsy

activities can help expand thought processes and to keep their lifestyle at a balance. These

activities like crocheting, drawing, reading, playing an instrument, musical theater, and baking

can exercise the brain and make someone more of a well-rounded person.

Crocheting is a skill that only uses two materials: yarn and a hook. If a person doesn’t

believe they have an artistic mind, this hobby consists of working physically and memorization

of patterns. The repetition aspect can be calming when creating bigger projects like blankets or

tote bags. One of the many benefits of Crocheting includes general improvement of well being.

“The three most frequent reasons reported for crocheting were: to be creative, to relax, and for a

sense of accomplishment. Respondents reported that crochet made them feel calmer, happier, and

more useful” (Burns 1). The happiness and accomplishment a person may get from this activity

can enhance independence. These kinds of attributes are similar in many different interests

although starting an interest like this one can make a person stand out for a unique ability.

Having this activity strengthens well-being just taking time to do something for themselves.

Crocheting is one of the many ways that people can take the time to slow down. For

people that are going through hard times, it can be relieving to have a goal for each project a

person completes. “The data suggests that crochet offers positive benefits for personal wellbeing

with many respondents actively using crochet to manage mental health conditions and life events

such as grief, chronic illness and pain” (Burns 1). Having something like crocheting be
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consistent in a person’s life can take away difficult pain that seems as if it will never go away.

Even when someone finishes a new project, that person will be able to start another that can

enhance skills and experience in crocheting. Crocheting can help reevaluate the importance of

self-care and setting personal goals to keep mental health afloat.

People can also gain self-efficiency while learning how to crochet. This idea goes hand-in

hand with independence since the products people make are generally things that others will

make for themselves. Before the 21st century people were always making their own clothes but

being able to create something that others can use in daily life can be very rewarding. “A woman

receives a crochet hook for her birthday, Even though she has never crocheted before, she knows

how to knit and feels confident that she can apply her knitting skills to learn how to crochet”

(Yilmaz 1). The more creative people can get, the more people figure out all the things people

can make with yarn. A small list of the things people can crochet include blouses/sweaters, bags,

purses, jewelry, room decor, and plushies. Going online as a crocheter can make a person realize

that many objects someone could buy at the store another person could make at home. The items

a person makes come with a personal touch and the skill to make more.

Mental intelligence like memory will be diminished as people get older. Spatial ability is

understanding of three dimensional objects. Concepts can be formed mentally before creating the

final product which is why crocheting could help with something like spatial ability. “Three

hundred and three female participants between the ages of 18 and 77 reported their experience in

crafting and completed a measure of spatial ability . . . The results suggested that continued

hands-on experience in spatial domains is a predictor of maintenance of spatial ability across the

life span” (Sims 1). The hands on experience can be seen as a negative and positive. The

negative is how crocheting for long hours at a time can weaken muscles and cause pain in the
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hands. The positive is gaining an interest that is hands on to create muscle memory. That way, if

they regain interest they can pick up the skill backup faster than when they first started. This is a

skill people can continue to work on throughout life and improve mental cognition that many

adults lose.

It can be hard to visualize a product when making something in crocheting. A skill that is

good for visualizing is drawing. Famous artists visualize their emotion into their work whether it

is a sketch or a full digital painting. Art can be a great tool to express emotion. “Individuals

gravitate toward the arts during times of emotional stress. We examined the benefits of drawing

over several sessions to determine whether drawing improves mood and, if so, whether it does so

because it allows for emotional expression or distraction,” (Hastedt 1). Art can improve mood

due to the fact a person can draw anything that comes to mind. The expression aspect to art is

how happy, sad, or angry could take any creative form that comes to the artist. The distraction

aspect of art is being able to manifest a mood through the different works an artist creates.

An artist can bring their own meaning to why they draw. Drawing can help map out in

someone’s head to visualize how their mood should be rather than how it already is. Hastedt

found evidence that the distraction aspect has a stronger effect rather than the expression aspect

of drawing artwork. “We found that drawing to distract improved mood more than drawing to

express, both after a single drawing session and after 4 sessions”(Hastedt 1). Being able to have

something to control mood is a good skill to have moving forward in life. Many situations as

someone enters into adulthood where they are tempted to respond in a negative way when they

would rather aim for a more positive mood. Using art as a way to control negative thoughts is a

healthy way to manage mood in a responsible way.

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One of the many jobs that art has is improving imagination and communication skills.

People have been using art to strengthen imagination and communication skills for decades.

These kinds of skills start to grow at very early ages and are usually developed in an academic

setting. “A new art curriculum was implemented in Chinese infant schools (3-6 year old) in

2022, still in operation today, which instead places an emphasis on the children’s enjoyment of

drawing through making creative and expressive pictures from their imagination,” (Zhang 1).

This emphasis on imagination will help these kids create innovative ideas and set goals they

want to achieve in their future. This could be anything from visualizing future occupations, life

styles, and relationships.

The arts have also made a big impact on technology. Drawing in a 3D space will get

drawings closer to realism and help people visualize accurate sense. “Virtual reality enables us to

draw not just on a flat 2D surface, but in 3D space. Our research aims at showing if and how this

form of 3D drawing can be beneficial for art education,” (Hurst 1). The more people learn how

to draw digitally, the easier a drawing experience can be. In the digital world, there are no ink or

eraser marks that could possibly make the drawing less refined. Drawing digitally has gotten

people to familiarize themselves with the technology and made the drawing experience less

complicated.

Drawing is a skill that can create images psychically but a skill like reading can create

images mentally. When most people start reading a good book, they create a movie in my head

about what the characters look like and what they sound like. Having a strong imagination can

help a reader understand the text and build a higher reading comprehension. “Developmental and

literacy assessments done before and after the reading intervention showed statistically
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significant improvements in the understanding of text and in Social imagination,” (Lysaker 1).

An imagination builder like reading can help people academically and socially.

The data Lysaker proved the link between reading text and social imagination. “Together

these data provide initial evidence linking the understanding of texts to the development of other

relational capacities like social imagination,” (Lysaker 1). Conceptually creating images in the

brain can improve reading comprehension and the ability to imaginate.

Reading is a form of entertainment such as television or video games that provides

storytelling. When it comes to those other forms of entertainment, reading provides a raw

experience. Whether someone is reading to a group of people or they are reading to themselves,

reading can advance an storytelling experience. “Storytelling develops listening skills, literacy

competence, and vocabulary knowledge. The integration of classroom storytelling has been

linked to reading improvement by increasing children’s comprehension and vocabulary

development,” (Moon 1). Storytelling has most of its advantages when people are younger but

still can reinforce these advantages continuing to read as someone gets older.

Like reading, people tend to also learn how to play an instrument at a young age. Most

schools tend to offer students to play an instrument to broaden their music department. Playing

enhances academic skill of goal setting, patience, and the importance of practice. “Stricter

instrumental learning is an effort full activity that needs to be maintained across long periods of

time; it requires regular and motivated practice, learning of new and progressively more difficult

material, and adapting to new contexts,” (Roman-Caballero 1).

Learning an instrument boosts these academic skills by using a repetitive style of

teaching to get the student to learn the instrument at a steady pace. One of the biggest roadblocks
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to learning how to play an instrument is reading music. Most music teachers will go through the

process to understand notes that are given on the sheet music.

One benefit to learning how to play an instrument is the basic need to read music. People

have this ‘learned helplessness’ attitude when it comes to music. People try playing once and

believe they just ‘aren’t a musical person’. Once a person puts in the time and effort to play, the

skill comes with it. “By choosing what to learn and how to do it, and satisfying their need for

achievement, enjoyment and self-confidence, older keyboard learners can use their music

learning to construct a dynamic musical identity as part of their self-fulfillment,”

(Roman-Caballero1).

This skill is something that a person can share with others. Learning an instrument can

broaden the skills in music that a person can carry throughout their life.

Another musical hobby someone can pick up is musical theater. Most people believe they do not

have the skill to dance, sing, or act beforehand so why bother trying. These skills are usually

taught at a younger age which can get them interested in more involved activities like musical

theater. Besides the skill aspect, youth can gain personal connections and confidence by being in

a musical theater group. “As students enter adolescence, it becomes important for them to delve

into new interests, to explore their identity, and to create networks and friendships, all domains in

which extracurricular activity participation can plaster growth,” (Rajan 7). In this kind of setting,

younger ages can put hours into a show while figuring out if they like expressing themselves this

way. Using musical theater outside of the classroom can encourage students to get into a creative

mindset.“As the world becomes more complex and employers seek greater intellectual flexibility

and creative thinking skills, the value of interdisciplinary learning grows,”(Rajan 1). This way

when students enter a classroom they can take in new information as if they were at play practice
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after school. Recent studies have shown that music can help students learn in the classroom

setting as well. Most schools put more emphasis on STEM rather than the arts which is still a key

component of a child’s educational experience. “focus can be placed disproportionately on math

and science learning to the exclusion of arts and language education. Music and arts are a critical

component of childhood education and development,” (Rajan 1). Being a part of musical theater

can improve someone’s education even if they take more interest in math or science. Musical

theater can broaden someone’s personal community and education.

People find personal connections with the songs they sing, and the food they make.

Baking for many people can be very relaxing. The step by step process can get a person learning

more about the culinary arts and learn from their mistakes if the treat does not go as planned.

“Baking, on the other hand, gives you control over your actions and can help you feel

more in tune with your surroundings. It’s much different than cooking as it involves a series of

detailed steps,” (Thomas 1). People who have lost motivation can see how baking it's up to the

baker for the final product. There is no ‘messing up’ it is just being able to try something new

and learn from where a person went wrong.

When cooking, the cook tends to worry so much about the final product they miss the fun

of cooking itself. Baking can reduce anxiety using simple ingredients to make something

delicious.

“Making baking a hobby can increase this sense of mindfulness and can push away symptoms of

depression, as well. In one study, adolescents who took up symptoms of depression compared to

adolescents with fewer skills in the kitchen,” (Thomas 1).

Completing a task like baking cookies can keep people on their toes and appreciate the end goal

while baking the dessert.

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People find self-fulfillment in baking. Baking can be stereotyped as feminine but anyone

can build their baking skills and feel the pride of others enjoying their creation. “At the same

time, alternative discourses of achievability, self-fulfillment, and femininity are offered with

‘easy’ and ‘delicious’ recipes, enabling women to be competent in the kitchen, and by extension,

in life. Cooking is a way to care for the self and realize happiness,” (Matwick 1).

People tend to have family memories connected with certain foods of their heritage or

ones they made together as a family. This way the adults can pass down these skills and

heart-warming memories to next generations.

“It analyses the ways in which memories of childhood influences mothers’ food practices

in their current families, showing how present-day family food practices are embedded in the

relations between parents, grandparents and children and in the experiences of food and eating

from the past,” (Knight 1). Carrying on food traditions can strengthen the bond between someone

and their family members. Spending personal time with family is something that is starting to

drift away as family members act independently rather than as one. A member of the family

could pass the recipes to other loved ones to bring out their heritage or loving family memories.

Getting exposed to these kinds of hobbies can calm someone or excite the other part of

the brain. Someone who thinks logically using their left part of the brain should attempt these

activities to show them different ways to expand their creativity throughout their life. Everyone

should have some skills that balance both sides of their brain to appreciate all aspects of life.

Works Cited
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Bailey, Shannon, and Valerie K. Sims. "Self-reported craft expertise predicts maintenance of

spatial ability in old age." Cognitive Process, 4 Jan. 2014, sec. 15, pp. 227-31. Springer

Link. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

Bolier, Wendy, and Wolfgang Hurst. "Drawing in a Virtual 3D Space - Introducing VR Drawing

in Elementary School Art Education." MM, Oct. 2018, pp. 337-45. ACM Digital Library.

Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

Burns, P. "Happy Hookers: findings from an international study exploring the effects of crochet

on wellbeing." SAGE journals. SAGE Journals Online. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

Hastedt, Drake. "Drawing to distract: Examining the psychological benefits of drawing over

time." Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, pp. 325-31. APA PsycNet.

Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

Jolley, Richard, and Zhi Zhang. "How Drawing is Taught in Chinese Infant Schools."

International Journal of Art & Design Education, vol. 31, no. 1, 8 Feb. 2012, pp. 30-43.

Wiley Online Library. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.

Knight, Abigail. "The temporality of food practices: inter generational relations, childhood

memories and mothers' food practices in working families with young children." Policy

Press, vol. 3, no. 2, July 2014, pp. 303-18. ingentaconnect. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.

Lukawecki, Francois. Benefits of Extracurricular Participation for Youths: A Musical Theatre

Production and Proposal. McGill University, Apr. 2013. escholarship. Accessed 14 Mar.

2022.

Lysaker, Judith T., et al. "Reading and Social Imagination: What Relationally Oriented Reading

Instruction Can Do for Children." Reading Psychology, vol. 32, no. 6, 23 Nov. 2011, pp.

520-66. tandfonline. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.

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Matwick, Kelsi. "Language and gender in female celebrity chef cookbooks: cooking to show care

for the family and for the self." Critical Discourse Studies, vol. 14, no. 5, 11 Apr. 2017,

pp. 532-47. tandfonline. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.

Moon, Jeongin, and Unkyoung Maeng. A Comparison Study of the Effect of Reading Instruction

Using Storytelling and Storysinging. Paljapan. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.

Rajan, Rekha. "Beyond Broadway: Connecting Musical Theater and Academic Learning."

Childhood Education, vol. 92, no. 2, 12 Feb. 2016, pp. 118-25. tandfonline. Accessed 14

Mar. 2022.

Roman-Caballero, Rafael, et al. "Please Don't Stop the Music: A Meta-Analysis of the Benefits

of Learning to Play an Instrument on Cognitive and Academic Skills." PsyArXiv, Apr.

2021. PsyArXiv. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.

Thomas, Sarah. "Why You Should Bake: The Benefits of the Great Quarantine Bake-Off."

Moosmosis. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.

Yilmaz, Eser. "Self-Efficacy: Theory, Examples, and Tips." Berkeley Well-Being Institute.

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