Whether you’re battling an illness or just feeling down, glancing at a beautiful piece of art, digital or otherwise, can promote healing and help lift your spirits. Studies show that creative expression helps relieve stress, cope with grief and loss, soothe pain and discomfort, alleviate depression and elevate mood.

Even labor, chemotherapy, and surgery are more tolerable when beautiful imagery is around, according to a study carried out by CW+, the charity for London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. It found that labor was two hours shorter when art was present, while levels of the stress hormone cortisol and feelings of depression dropped by a third for those undergoing chemotherapy. For those having surgery, less anesthetic was needed, hospital stays were an average of one day shorter and levels of cortisol nearly halved.

But there are a few advantages that digital art has over more traditional mediums. Being more versatile, engaging and dynamic, digital art stands as an enticing alternative to consider for better health and wellbeing.

It’s one of the easiest, most effective ways to bridge the health benefits of art with the home environment. And, thanks to new services, platforms, and technologies, anyone struggling with mental and physical health issues can conveniently explore the healing power of art.

Digital Art Syncs with Your Symptoms

What type of artwork moves you? Are there certain colors, designs, or textures that evoke specific emotions?

The elements comprising a piece of art that affect your mental and physical state today are likely quite different from what resonated with you several weeks ago. That sea of blue might have helped you relax during a stressful period of your life, but now you could use something more uplifting.

Here’s where digital art offers several advantages.

Unlike the typical process of purchasing art—browsing a gallery, choosing and purchasing what speaks to you in the moment, and bringing the art home to hang on the wall—digital art streams from an online curation gallery service to a standard TV display in a home. No more effort than the point and click of a smartphone cursor required.

All that’s needed is an Internet connection, a TV or video projector, and a subscription to a digital art platform like Blackdove or Niio. From there, you can instantly access thousands of curated artworks—from landscapes and portraits to abstracts and photography. The versatility, accessibility, and immediacy of digital art is similar to that of streaming music and video.

You can even alter your selection as mood, environment, or needs change. Plus, the library of art on digital platforms is constantly growing and evolving, so there’s always something fresh and new to explore.

Who knows—maybe a colorful painting of a field of poppies makes you feel better than a serene photograph of the ocean. Being able to freely exchange art for “healthier” alternatives is a great perk.

Art-Inspired TVs

Minimizing the effort and maximizing the health benefits further are TVs that link directly to digital art galleries.

The Samsung Frame TV, for example, switches from a standard TV into a framed piece of art at the tap of a button. In Art Mode, preloaded art populates on the screen, and the brightness, contrast, and colors adjust automatically based on the room’s existing lighting conditions.

LG’s Direct View LED Extreme Home Cinema displays, meanwhile, connect to Blackdove’s digital art gallery. The TV is ready to display art right out of the box. Simple setup is always good for one’s mental health.

Create Your Own Digital Canvas

While TV is a natural first choice as a place to display digital art, technology knows no boundaries. Entire walls can be transformed into life-size digital canvases. 

A blend of art and architecture, digital canvases are expanding the healing powers of beautiful imagery. A digital canvas can be of any size or shape, making the experience more immersive and therapeutic. You don’t just see a beach; you feel as if you’re standing on the beach.

Paired with a Niio or Blackdove platform, these projection mapping technologies can integrate seamlessly with lighting and climate controls to transform ordinary living rooms, bedrooms, dens and other spaces into healthy escapes.

Regardless of its mode of delivery or the technologies employed, the impact digital art has on human health is profound. It’s a medium that’s making inroads in both residential and commercial settings, merging art, wellness and architecture to create peaceful, soothing and therapeutic environments.