[Intro] Sculpture and Self-Care – How art is being influenced by a trend towards personal development and self-acceptance
Once deflected to the discount shelves of your local bookstore, self-help has made its way into vogue.
Shifts in sociopolitical dynamics around the globe have inspired cultural “clapbacks” in the form of body positivity, social inclusivity and self-acceptance. As these changes in expression and perception become the welcomed norm, the aesthetics behind this new self-care wave have taken on physical shapes.
Self-care, self-help, and self-love are each separate, but balanced elements of an overarching trend towards self-acceptance and self-expression in contemporary society. The general sentiment behind each is grounded in a personal desire to grow, to accept perceived flaws, and to express that acceptance publicly (and often encourage others to do so as well). It may once have been considered taboo to take a “self-care” day off of work; it’s now more broadly considered a priority in the name of mental health.
Artists and non-artists alike are turning to creative practices in an effort to explore self-acceptance, develop self-love, and redefine self-expression. In an age where inclusivity, fluidity and boundary-pushing is common law, art is bonafide self-care.
Sculpture is a ready medium for this trend. Accessible to both established artists and those seeking an expressive outlet in the name of self-love, 3-dimensional art provides a tactile, tangible allusion to the artist’s ego.
Once deflected to the discount shelves of your local bookstore, self-help has made its way into vogue.
Shifts in sociopolitical dynamics around the globe have inspired cultural “clapbacks” in the form of body positivity, social inclusivity and self-acceptance. As these changes in expression and perception become the welcomed norm, the aesthetics behind this new self-care wave have taken on physical shapes.
Self-care, self-help, and self-love are each separate, but balanced elements of an overarching trend towards self-acceptance and self-expression in contemporary society. The general sentiment behind each is grounded in a personal desire to grow, to accept perceived flaws, and to express that acceptance publicly (and often encourage others to do so as well). It may once have been considered taboo to take a “self-care” day off of work; it’s now more broadly considered a priority in the name of mental health.
Artists and non-artists alike are turning to creative practices in an effort to explore self-acceptance, develop self-love, and redefine self-expression. In an age where inclusivity, fluidity and boundary-pushing is common law, art is bonafide self-care.
Sculpture is a ready medium for this trend. Accessible to both established artists and those seeking an expressive outlet in the name of self-love, 3-dimensional art provides a tactile, tangible allusion to the artist’s ego.
