Wellness needs a dose of art!

Briefly back in time

 I remember as a small child overhearing a conversation between my mother and father as to whether they could afford more dancing lessons.  Here’s how my memory recalls the story:

Mom: “Kris wants to do more classes at the dance studio. Do you think we can swing it financially?”

Dad: “Does she enjoy it?”

Mom: “She Loves It!”

Dad: “We’ll figure it out then.”

If you have looked at my bio you know that worked out pretty well for me. I had a 30+ yearlong career as a professional dancer. The reason I point out this story is I think worksite wellness needs a large dose of the artistic side of life.

At present much controversy surrounds the validity of wellness programs. The majority of this conversation rests on whether or not these programs produce actual and quantified healthcare cost savings dollars. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, if the only reason you have a wellness program is to save money on your employee’s health care expenses, don’t do it!

Get over yourself and spend the money on something else. I wholeheartedly applaud Al Lewis and Vik Khanna for starting this needed debate on what the real purpose of wellness is and should be. They did this by pointing out many false claims and highlighting the shaky road certain programs are built on by prying, poking and prodding employees.

This pry and poke method consists of needless health risk assessments, promoting unnecessary tests and basically intimidating employees to participate in programs that may or may not interest them. So what’s the point?

There is more to wellness that tests!

“There are many things you can do to help yourself age well. Physical activity, exercise, and making healthy food choices are the cornerstones for most suggestions about healthy aging. But emerging research also indicates the possibility that engaging in social and productive activities you enjoy, like taking an art class or volunteering in your community or with your place of worship, may also help maintain your wellbeing.”

National Institute on Aging

So simply said, art and hobbies open up a fresh avenue for wellness to explore. They provide a much needed break from the usual suspects in wellness that reach only a selected few fitness or nutrition fanatics. It also presents opportunities for employees to show their passions, either by leading a group or simply sharing their artistic or hobby endeavors.

Just a few examples are collecting things and maintaining that collection, performing arts such as dance and singing, painting, drawing, textile arts, sculpture, sewing, scale modeling, cooking, gardening, and reading. The list is endless.

Going back to my introduction and the thought process our parents utilized “We’ll figure it out.” Mind you they were a middle income family living on a teacher’s salary, thus similar to wellness programs on a budget. What if we applied a similar kind of thinking to wellness programs?

Pure and simple, find out where employee’s passions, hobbies and artistic desires lie, and let enjoyment lead the way. Let them share in the design and unleash some creative spirit along the way.

Final Note

The art pictured above the blog is by Ann Miller Titus of Quincy, Illinois. In one of Ann’s quilts titled “Life rearranging itself” she eloquently states:

“This is my most recent and most personal work.  It’s about how life changes after the diagnosis of a life threatening illness.  As a friend so aptly put it, “Life rearranges itself in seconds.”

These quilts are about the effort it takes to reclaim the scattered pieces, the fear of confronting our own mortality, and the clarity that comes from living in the present.”

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.

Pablo Picasso