Dear Art,Be the Voice of My Emotions

Isn’t it remarkable how much a person experiences, how much they manage to fit into this brief life? Memories pile up, time passes, we change, the world changes. We perceive it all, we experience it, we feel it—if we don’t reject the emotions the moment brings.

How do we face our emotions? How do we soothe our anger, for example, or amplify our happiness and excitement? Can we confront our fears? One of the most powerful and effective ways to express ‘those emotions’—the ones we can’t speak of, can’t describe, or keep silent about, or simply don’t know how to express—is through art. Instead of letting them flow inward and tie us in knots, let them flow outward and become hope.

Painting: Let Colours Speak for You

When art is chosen as a means to express emotions, painting is often the first that comes to mind. Shapes, textures, and colours have accompanied you since childhood, serving as the voice of your feelings.

You can convey joy and energy through vibrant colours, or express sorrow, grief, or mourning with darker tones. In painting, where freedom is the first step, you are in control. You can strike the brushstrokes as you wish and draw whatever flows from your heart. For instance, the vivid colours and swirling brushstrokes in Van Gogh’s Starry Night reflect the emotional turbulence the artist was experiencing, while the deep blue and yellow tones in the painting reveal the delicate balance between melancholy and hope.

A person’s inner response—the impression, the echo, the effect, the reaction that an event, person, or object awakens within: emotion.

Music: A Whisper to the Soul

To be able to join in—simply by listening, feeling, and surrendering to it—without needing to understand its language, is itself a form of art. This is precisely why music is universal.

Rhythms, melodies, and harmonies have long claimed their permanent place in human history as means of revealing emotions. The choice of instrument, tempo, and tone are essential elements that reflect a person’s emotional state and mood. Works like Beethoven’s 9th Symphony explores the depths of the human soul by merging both dramatic and joyful moments within a single piece.

You can bring to light both a victory you’ve achieved and the heartache you’ve suffered, using the same notes but with different emotions. In this case, you are the art and also the artist.

Literature: The Healing Power of Words

Writing is a soothing activity that brings clarity of mind for people. It is undoubtedly one of the best ways to express emotions, which is why psychologists often emphasize the importance of writing.

There are various metaphors, similes, descriptions and symbols used in literature. These tools greatly aid in making emotions and thoughts more understandable and expressible. From a literary perspective, not only writing but also reading can help you explore your emotions.

Through their characters and stories, writers convey their own emotional worlds to the reader. For example, Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway offers glimpses into the psychological depths of its characters through inner monologues and the stream-of-consciousness technique. The thoughts and feelings of the characters allow the reader to connect with their own emotional experiences.

Sculpture: Making Emotions Visible in Infinity

What do you wish to make visible, and what do you want to echo in eternity? A sculpture you create can endure—unless someone decides to destroy it—and it can proclaim to the world, “I am here!” on your behalf, representing your emotions.

The artist brings together the materials chosen for their work with a form that represents them. This is where emotional intensity is directed: soft curves reflecting compassion and tenderness, or sharp, harsh lines representing anger, fear, and horror.

Do only the events of our own lives evoke our emotions, or can the experiences of other lives stir movement within us as well? “If you feel pain, you are alive. If you feel other people’s pain, you are a human being,” said Leo Tolstoy. Perhaps, in Michelangelo’s Pietà, as he depicts the Virgin Mary holding the lifeless body of her son Jesus, he also felt the sorrow and serenity within himself.

Modern Art: Discover Yourself

Sometimes, after creating a work, artists step back allowing others to interpret what the piece conveys. This approach, which focuses on the intuitive expression of emotions rather than their direct definition, is known as abstract art.

Examples of this method include the drip paintings created by Jackson Pollock. Offering libertarian and chaotic works, the artist encourages viewers not to search for a specific meaning in the paintings but to concentrate on what they feel and think as they gaze upon them.

Allowing your emotions to transcend your walls and touch you may sometimes lead you through modern art.