Art creation lowers stress-related hormone

Researchers have been investigating the positive effects of creating art, and have found that it reduces stress:

Whether you’re Van Gogh or a stick-figure sketcher, a new Drexel University study found that making art can significantly reduce stress-related hormones in your body.

Although the researchers from Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions believed that past experience in creating art might amplify the activity’s stress-reducing effects, their study found that everyone seems to benefit equally.
(source)

Read more about it at:
https://www.psypost.org/2016/06/skill-level-making-art-reduces-stress-hormone-cortisol-43362?fbclid=IwAR0oQlZec7iKQUieQBvlwcllPhop9Rzy95Li0L20Ui5FdQWes1czShJDaY0

The difference between creating art and art therapy, is that the art therapist uses art as part of the therapeutic process. They might ask the client to draw a picture of something particular -- for example, a picture of a happy memory from childhood or a picture of themselves after they lost a loved one -- as a way of helping the client express and access emotions and as a bridge to talking about that time.