In a study with N = 204 participants, artists (painters) demonstrated significantly higher levels of the trait of Engagement with Beauty than non-artists (medium effect size). Artists also showed significantly higher levels of trait Happiness than non-artists (small effect size). There appear to be no published studies comparing artists’ and non-artists’ levels of the trait of Engagement with Beauty nor trait Happiness. There was no difference in levels of engaging with moral beauty between artists and non-artists; but artists scored significantly higher on engagement with natural beauty (medium effect size), and engagement with artistic beauty (large effect size). The correlations between Engagement with Beauty and trait Happiness, and with Openness, were both positive and significant. However, artists showed no relationship between Openness and Happiness, whereas nonartists did; and the correlation between Engagement with Beauty and Happiness remained significant when controlling for Openness.
In this article, a variety of what the author refers to as creative artists support groups are described. The descriptions illustrate a great deal of divergence in terms of structure and range of group leadership or facilitation, ranging from virtually leaderless groups modeled along the lines of the structure of 12-step support groups, to groups led by a trained psychotherapist who directs the group with a series of structured therapeutic techniques, to a Rogerian person-centered facilitator who gently guides the group with little or no structure whatsoever. Furthermore, person-centered group facilitators of creative artists support groups may adhere to the basic ingredients of Rogerian person-centered psychotherapy by relating to the essence of the person, but may do so in a flexible way that allows for occasional active interventions. Utilizing auto ethnographic research, inclusive of a description of the author's motivation in writing this article, illustrations are given of some therapeutic interactions from the author's own creative artists support group to demonstrate this kind of flexibility in the facilitation of a person-centered creative artists support group. It is concluded that a common foundational ingredient in all the creative artists support groups described in this article is the dual focus on creativity and mental health.