Understanding your Mood as Artist: A Key Element in Artistic Creation
- lafrappiere
- Sep 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 25
Art is never just about form, color, or technique — it’s also about the inner state of the artist. The mood of the artist during the process of creation can deeply influence not only the outcome of the work but also how viewers experience it. Understanding this connection reveals both the psychology of the artist and the power of art as emotional communication.
Key takeaway: The mood of the artist is a significant factor that shapes their artistic expression and evokes powerful emotional responses in viewers.
In recent years, museums like MoMA have begun to integrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into their educational programs, recognizing that art is not only a vehicle for visual literacy but also a powerful catalyst for emotional awareness, empathy, and social connection. According to MoMA, their curriculum includes prompts and guided discussion to help students observe, describe, interpret, and connect — effectively using artworks to nurture self-awareness, social awareness, and emotional regulation (MoMA resource).
Through this approach, art becomes a space for learners to confront their own moods, reflect on relationships, and practice perspective-taking — the very skills that are essential for understanding how mood operates within artistic creation.
An artist’s ability to convey emotion depends not only on their mood but also on their level of self-awareness. Self-awareness allows artists to recognize their internal states, tap into them intentionally, and translate them into form, color, or gesture. This cognitive processing shapes the viewer’s emotional response, forming a dialogue between the creator’s psyche and the audience’s perception.
