Retirement and My Personal “Arts Prescription”: Monthly Doses of Rainbow Jane

Retirement has given me a gift I never quite had the time to fully enjoy before: space for creativity. After years of busy schedules and responsibilities, I now find myself intentionally carving out time to explore, create, and simply be. And as I’ve discovered, this isn’t just fun — it’s good for me, in ways that I'm really only just beginning to fully understand.

I've been walking and listening to Daisy Fancourt’s book Art Cure. The book makes a compelling case for what I’m experiencing: that engaging with the arts — making, listening, watching, and sharing — is a powerful prescription for health and well-being. Her research shows that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s essential. It can reduce stress and anxiety, strengthen our brains, connect us with others, and even improve physical health. In short, the arts help us flourish.

For me, this flourishing comes through my monthly Rainbow Jane sessions, and the fun I have coming up with ideas and preparing for them — time to explore colors, textures, different materials, processes and my imagination. Just like Fancourt describes, these moments are deeply restorative. I feel my mind quiet, my heart lift, and my sense of connection to myself — and others — deepen.

Retirement has turned my life into a kind of “arts prescription.”  Rainbow Jane, nourishes both my mind, heart and soul.

The book Art Cure, and the science in it, backs this up. Fancourt shows that regular engagement with the arts reduces depression and anxiety, strengthens memory and cognition, and fosters social connection. Even brief, enjoyable creative activities — like my Rainbow Jane sessions — activate these benefits. It’s a reminder that taking care of ourselves doesn’t always need to be complicated; sometimes it’s as simple as making time to play, imagine, and create.

As I continue to explore retirement through this lens, I’m learning that creativity is not just a hobby; it’s a life-enhancing practice. My “arts prescription” has become my daily medicine for joy, curiosity, and connection — and each month, Rainbow Jane delivers it in spades.

So here’s to finding your own arts prescription, whether it’s painting, writing, dancing, or singing - and, of course, I'd love you to come along to Rainbow Jane too!

The science is clear, and my experience confirms it: creativity is health, joy, and well-being in action.