Many artists express their emotions and feelings through various artistic mediums so that others can absorb and cultivate their own unique interpretations.

Through painting, for example, different colours evoke different emotions setting the tone of how the observer should feel. Warm colours like yellow and orange evoke feelings of happiness whereas colder ones, like blue or purple, bring sadness. Painters utilize these colours to tell a story throughout the painting where they build a connection with the person looking at it.

The same idea comes into play with musicians who use music to display their feelings through sound. Through different instrumental compositions or poetic lyrics, musicians not only use music to express themselves but also use music as a means of therapy to improve their mental health.

According to a study done by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), music has the power to positively impact someone's mental health in a variety of different ways. Research shows that it can reduce cortisol, the anxiety-inducing hormone, and can also boost someone's overall mood with upbeat rhythms.

“From my experience, having that creative freedom compared to something else like a nine-to-five job is great,” said Fanshawe Music Industry Arts (MIA) grad Evan Veillette, who also goes by the stage name Fluid.

Veillette also credited his passion for music as a factor in building relationships as a professional, which in turn makes the creative process an all-around enjoyable experience.

“While collaborating with other people, you get to talk to people that are into the same thing as you are and it just becomes a really fun project which has a positive impact for me,” said Veillette.

As an artist, Veillette has experimented with and tested different musical compositions that explore different emotional landscapes for songs. At the beginning of the creation process, he fuels his inspiration and motivation with the mood he’s feeling at the moment.

“If I was feeling sad, I’d make something depressing by throwing more minor chord progressions than usual. For me, I put emotion into something that I'm working on creatively that shows in my work, so that's usually how I do it,” said Veillette.

When times get tough, Veillette uses his creativity with music as a way to channel and express himself. He uses this as a method to relieve any negativity that may be clouding his mind.

“It's another way of expressing myself, so instead of me holding my feelings back, putting that into something, like art, in general, has a story behind it, there's some sort of meaning and it touches people which makes me feel good,” said Veillette.

As a songwriter, he hopes his songs feel relatable for listeners and let them know that they are not alone when it comes to tough times.

“I hope my music serves as a message of motivation and inspiration for people to do something with their lives so that they say, ‘Oh, maybe I'm not alone after all,’” said Veillette.