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Event curator, founder of Colored Colors and artist Jose Tutiven will tell you that art literally saved his life after pulling him out of a dark place.
"Art to me became my therapy," said Tutiven. "I would sit in my room for hours and just paint my feelings, which would bring me a sense of relief."
Tutiven claims he owes his life to art and that's why he decided to highlight his favorite form of self-expression with his company Colored Colors by showcasing it with events like his latest showcase, The Art of Brunch'n.
The event held at Bar Louie in Commack sold out with around 300 attendees. Similar to his last event, The Next Big Wave, paint, mixed media, poetry and music were put on display.
Poet and Brentwood resident Jessica Payes started off the live performance portion of the event with two personal spoken word poems that resonated with the crowd.
"I let everything out when writing my poetry," said Payes. "It's how I cope and I don't hold anything back."
Payes began writing poetry at the young age of 10. Initially, she didn't have any intentions of performing for an audience. Then, a friend exposed her to open mic nights at her college and her passion for spoken word blossomed.
"It's just a way to let others know it's ok to feel the way that they're feeling," said Payes. "If someone can feel what I'm writing, then that means the most to me."
Art has often been used to express feelings that words cannot. Several studies show that activities like drawing, sculpting, painting and photography help reduce stress and anxiety and increase self-esteem, which are valuable effects this day in age when anxiety, depression and suicide rates have been increasing.
Mental health is a topic that is often stressed because of these statistics. The suicides of prominent figures such as Robin Williams, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain have pushed mental health to the forefront along with tragic stories of everyday people as young as 10-year-old Kevin Reese Jr. who committed suicide after being bullied.
Kings Park resident and The Art of Brunch'n showcase attendee Alisha Khan studied psychology at Old Westbury and agrees that art can be a good form of therapy at an early age.
"Even with children, you give them a paper and a crayon, they work through their own things even if they don't know it," said Khan.
According to ArtsEdSearch, art can also encourage creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Artist Alex Diaz from Long Beach started pursuing art at a young age after being inspired by her father, who is also an artist. What she loves about art is the focus that's needed to create something, because it gives her a sense of accomplishment. After two years of focus and preparation, she was able to produce the pieces shown at The Art of Brunch'n.
"You want to spend your time in a way that's enriching to you," said Diaz. "How you invest your time is really who you become."
Street photographer and Brentwood resident Felipe Catano went from capturing art on paper through sketching and painting to capturing it through his camera lens. He said his work allows him to convey certain feelings to people and reflect make them reflect on life.
"It's my way of capturing the beauty in the world so it's definitely therapeutic," said Catano.
On top of being able to show his work, Catano was also looking forward to the connections he would make.
One could also argue that artist showcases like The Art of Brunch'n can help combat stress and low self-esteem for artists and attendees who come together to talk, laugh and enjoy each other's company.
"This opened up a whole other world to me," said Catano.
"It makes me feel like I'm not the only one with crazy ideas," said Amityville native Jason Griffin who attended the event.
"It's very nice to see how different artists are expressing themselves," said Sofia Fugon who came from the Bronx to support her cousin. "Maybe you as an artist can come and find out a little bit about yourself?"
Tutiven realizes the impact art had on him and the impact it can have on others because it can connect them to a certain time period in their life.
"It can bring a different array of emotions to both the artist and the viewer ranging from joy to sadness to relief," said Tutiven. "People can use it as an escape to go and connect with artists who may be going through the same things. That's why with these events, I feel responsible for how successful they become. I can't let them down, and I won't let them down."
To check out more performances and pieces from The Art of Brunch'n look below:
