Arts in Health, also known as Arts for Health, is an umbrella term used to describe the domain of using the arts to enhance our (mental) health and well-being. It involves a heterogeneous range of professionals who use the arts in various ways, with different goals and outcomes. The practices of these professionals can be placed on a continuum based on the variety of goals and outcomes, ranging from promoting social connection or well-being to treating (mental) health conditions. Recent discussions in the Netherlands have raised questions about the position of creative arts therapists on this continuum. This opinion paper addresses this issue by providing a brief overview of the development of the profession of creative arts therapists, the working areas of creative arts therapists and the growing evidence base of creative arts therapeutic interventions. The practices of creative arts therapists are positioned on the continuum, where the emphasis on and accountability for the clients’ (mental) health increases and evidence-informed use of the arts within a more clearly delineated and legally safeguarded professional framework are present. Knowing where the practices of creative arts therapists are placed can assist in identifying when to choose creative arts therapists, other professionals combining arts and healthcare, or a combination of professionals.
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When conducting research in and for the creative industries, there are a wealth of different possible research approaches that can be taken - reflecting the diverse nature of the disciplines (design, arts and crafts, advertising, architecture, fashion, film, music, TV, radio performing arts, publishing and interactive software) and academic contexts (art schools, business schools and universities) involved. The result is that there are variations in the emphasis and approach taken to how students are taught to link theory with practice, and how they view and engage with the concept ʻresearchʼ. The need for understanding and awareness of a range of approaches is critical for anyone learning about and working within design, business and the creative industries today.
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Empirical studies in the creative arts therapies (CATs; i.e., art therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, psychodrama, and poetry/bibliotherapy) have grown rapidly in the last 10 years, documenting their positive impact on a wide range of psychological and physiological outcomes (e.g., stress, trauma, depression, anxiety, and pain). However, it remains unclear how and why the CATs have positive effects, and which therapeutic factors account for these changes. Research that specifically focuses on the therapeutic factors and/or mechanisms of change in CATs is only beginning to emerge. To gain more insight into how and why the CATs influence outcomes, we conducted a scoping review (Nstudies = 67) to pinpoint therapeutic factors specific to each CATs discipline, joint factors of CATs, and more generic common factors across all psychotherapy approaches. This review therefore provides an overview of empirical CATs studies dealing with therapeutic factors and/or mechanisms of change, and a detailed analysis of these therapeutic factors which are grouped into domains. A framework of 19 domains of CATs therapeutic factors is proposed, of which the three domains are composed solely of factors unique to the CATs: “embodiment,” “concretization,” and “symbolism and metaphors.” The terminology used in change process research is clarified, and the implications for future research, clinical practice, and CATs education are discussed.
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The report from Inholland University is dedicated to the impacts of data-driven practices on non-journalistic media production and creative industries. It explores trends, showcases advancements, and highlights opportunities and threats in this dynamic landscape. Examining various stakeholders' perspectives provides actionable insights for navigating challenges and leveraging opportunities. Through curated showcases and analyses, the report underscores the transformative potential of data-driven work while addressing concerns such as copyright issues and AI's role in replacing human artists. The findings culminate in a comprehensive overview that guides informed decision-making in the creative industry.
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Twenty sixteen year old fourth-graders of the School for Young Talent (School voor Jong Talent) in The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Design, Music and Dance (Hogeschool van Beeldende Kunsten, Muziek en Dans) participated in a pilot project that combined music, dance and visual arts in a creative process. A group of six teachers from three different disciplines guided the young artists. This report shows how this process took place and indicates some of the issues that were encountered along the way.
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In this paper, we report on the initial results of an explorative study that aims to investigate the occurrence of cognitive biases when designers use generative AI in the ideation phase of a creative design process. When observing current AI models utilised as creative design tools, potential negative impacts on creativity can be identified, namely deepening already existing cognitive biases but also introducing new ones that might not have been present before. Within our study, we analysed the emergence of several cognitive biases and the possible appearance of a negative synergy when designers use generative AI tools in a creative ideation process. Additionally, we identified a new potential bias that emerges from interacting with AI tools, namely prompt bias.
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The road to science for the arts therapies requires research on the full breadths of the spectrum, from systematic case studies to RCTs. It is important that arts therapists and arts therapeutic researchers reflect on the typical characteristics of each research paradigm, research type and research method and select what is appropriate with regard to the particular research question. Questions rather differ. Finding out whether a certain intervention has a particular effect with a large group of clients differs from wanting to know which change occurs at which moment by which interventions in the treatment of an individual client. Research in practice remains close to questions encountered by arts therapists in their daily practice. It concerns questions arts therapists have about their lived experience of acting due to the complexity and variability of practice. By carrying out research in practice that links up with those questions, evidence evolves; evidence that enables the professional to proceed and that makes explicit what often remains implicit and unsaid. What is explicit can be communicated, can be criticised and tested. The professional himself does the road to science of the profession. The investment in professionals’ research in practice is the motor of knowledge-productivity that bridges the theory-practice gap. Research in the arts therapies should lead to ‘knowledge’ in which the ‘art’, nor the ‘subject’ of therapist and client have been lost.
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An EU-Mexican panel discussing the needs of creative industries mid- and post-pandemic, and how the cultural sector is fundamental for the health and wellbeing of society. Discussions touched on employment, policy, and education, along with sector-specific opportunities and cross-sectoral challenges. The name 'creative industries' was challenged for its divergent uses: many cultural sector workers believe it encompasses them, but policy often regards 'creative industries' as a branch of industrial design. There was significant criticism of social organisation that orients purely towards 'productivity' and the generation of revenue, while ignoring happiness as a goal.
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Verandering en innovatie zijn een zaak van lange adem. Ook bij praktijkgericht onderzoek in het sociaal domein vergt de introductie van nieuwe manieren van werken vaak geduld en tijd. In ons dagelijks werk ervaren wij dat bestaande perspectieven op onderzoek nog beperkt ruimte bieden aan de mogelijkheden die de kunsten kunnen creëren. Tegelijkertijd is er in de Angelsaksische literatuur een “nieuwe loot” aan de (praktijkgerichte) onderzoekstam ontsproten: ‘Arts-Based Research (ABR)’. Volgens ons krijgt ABR als praktijkgericht onderzoek nog niet de aandacht die het verdient. In Nederlandstalige rapportages en literatuur over praktijkgericht onderzoek vinden we er weinig over terug. Binnen het onderwijs en de beroepspraktijk in het brede sociaal domein bestaat er echter wel een lange traditie van het werken met kunst en creativiteit. Het gaat dan bijvoorbeeld om creatief agogisch werken, projecten en activiteiten gericht op sociaal-culturele participatie of kunst- en cultuureducatie in school of wijk. Het is zaak het praktijkgericht onderzoek hierop aan te sluiten, met als inzet het opleiden tot de onderzoekende creatieve sociale professional van de 21e eeuw. Dat is een professional met onderzoekend vermogen (Greve, Munneke & Andriessen, 2015) die steeds weer doet wat nodig is in de specifieke context. Door de inzet van Arts-Based Research bij sociale vraagstukken wordt onzes inziens een nieuw perspectief toegevoegd dat andere mogelijkheden creëert om een bijdrage te leveren aan verandering in de complexe praktijk van het brede sociaal domein
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Een neerslag van het onderzoek dat is gedaan door de leden van de onderzoeksgroep die verbonden is aan het lectoraat Creative Industries and Social Innovation
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