133. How Art and Creativity Transform Our Well-Being with Tasha Golden, PhD
Overview
How can the arts support our ability to thrive and flourish in life and work?
Humans have been making, sharing, and interacting with art since time immemorial and modern research bears out its positive impacts on our wellbeing. Art helps us connect with ourselves and each other, it helps us make sense of our stories, and it helps us heal.
As part of my continuing conversations about creativity and how it intersects with Sustainable Ambition, I’m talking with Dr. Tasha Golden about the role of art in our evolution and its power to help us express ourselves more fully.
We explore the dangers of “robotic” behavioral norms to our physical and mental wellbeing and how reimagining identity as an evolving narrative rather than a fixed point can help us let go of (some of) our angst and uncertainty as we grow.
Listen below or on your favorite podcast player.
More About Our Guest
Tasha Golden, PhD is a singer/songwriter turned public health scientist, and a leading expert in creativity and wellbeing. Dr. Golden has published extensively on the impacts of creativity, aesthetics, and the arts on health and well-being. She leads research at the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University, serves as adjunct faculty for the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine, and is lead author of “Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities.”
Golden’s work is informed by her history as a career artist and entrepreneur. As singer-songwriter for the critically acclaimed band Ellery, she toured full-time in the US and abroad, and her songs appear in feature films and TV dramas. She is a published poet, founder of Project Uncaged, a trauma-informed creative writing program for incarcerated girls, and developer of “How We Human,” a training in mental health and trauma-informed practice designed specially for creative professions.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
Tasha's journey from performer to health scientist
The importance of art as expression
The role of art in human evolution and its importance in well-being
The disconnect between individual enjoyment of art and societal norms
Tips for integrating art and creativity into daily life
How reimagining identity as a story and not a fixed anchor helps us grow
Learn more about Tasha Golden:
Instagram: @tasha.golden
Resources Mentioned
Thanks for Listening!
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