The Science Behind My Art: How Affirmations and Neuroplasticity Work

florencefrasierco
Sep 5
5 min read

When I first began creating my art, I had this deep sense that what we surround ourselves with shapes how we feel. I didn’t have all the words for it then, but I knew there was something powerful about the quiet reminders we see every day. Over time, and with study, I learned there’s real science behind it and that’s where affirmations and neuroplasticity come in.

This post isn’t just about the science, though. It’s about how you can use it in your own life in ways that feel gentle, achievable, and lasting.

The Power of Neuroplasticity

For decades, people believed the brain was set in stone that after childhood, your patterns of thought and behaviour couldn’t change. But in the last 30 - 40 years, research has completely shifted that view. Scientists discovered something incredible, that the brain is not fixed. It is flexible, and capable of rewiring itself throughout our entire lives. This ability is called neuroplasticity.

Here’s what that means in our everyday lives:

Every time you think a thought, you strengthen a neural pathway.

The more often you think that thought, the easier it becomes to repeat.
Over time, these pathways become your “default setting.”

Old pathways that aren’t used begin to fade, while new ones get stronger.

This explains why habits and beliefs, even the ones that feel so ingrained, are not permanent. You can create new ones. You can literally change the way your brain works.

Reflection: Think of one belief you hold about yourself that feels limiting. Now imagine what might change if you began gently repeating a new, kinder thought each day. What pathway would you want to strengthen instead?

Takeaway: You’re not stuck. Neuroplasticity means your brain is always listening and always capable of change.

" The most powerful affirmation is not the boldest, its the one you can quietly believe in today! "

How Affirmations Work

Affirmations are a simple but powerful way to harness neuroplasticity. They’re positive statements we choose to repeat, often enough that the subconscious begins to accept them as truth. A scientific study found that future oriented affirmations, engage areas of the brain for reward and self processing, suggesting they genuinely shape how we value ourselves and our future.

But here’s something many people miss, not all affirmations are effective. The key is that an affirmation has to feel believable and achievable right now. A 2016 meta analysis found that affirmations can backfire if they feel unrealistic.

If you try to leap too far, for example, saying “I completely love and accept myself” when you’re still struggling with self-doubt, your subconscious may reject it. The statement feels false, and instead of shifting you forward, it can create resistance.

That’s why the most powerful affirmations meet you where you are. They feel like a gentle step forward and a bridge between your current reality and where you want to be.

Examples of some bridge Affirmations:

Instead of “I am confident in everything I do” → try “I am learning to trust myself more each day.”

Instead of “I am wealthy and abundant” → try “I am open to new opportunities that support me financially.”

Instead of “I love my body completely” → try “I am beginning to treat my body with more kindness.”

When these smaller truths begin to feel natural, you can expand them further. This step-by-step approach builds belief without forcing it.

Reflection: What’s one affirmation that feels just believable enough for you today? Write it down in your journal, or even say it out loud. Notice how it feels in your body, is there a sense of ease, or does it feel too much of a stretch?

One other key to affirmations is when you say an affirmation and actually connect with is emotionally, even for a second, your engaging the brains reward and motivation systems. The words are the spark, but the feeling is what fuels the change.

Takeaway: Affirmations only work when your heart can connect with them. Start small, then grow. Choose words that give you even a small spark of hope, safety, or possibility.

Why Surroundings Matter

Our subconscious mind learns not just through words, but through environment and repetition. This is where affirmations and neuroplasticity meet art.

" Your environment is not just background, its training your brain, moment by moment. "

Think of your surroundings as an extension of your subconscious. The things you see most often, the pictures on your wall, the notes on your desk, even the background of your phone, all send signals to your brain. Over time, those signals become anchors for your thoughts and feelings.

Memory also responds to context, studies on the Encoding specificity principle show we recall things better when we're in the same environment where they were learned. That's why placing your affirmation art in a trusted space makes your brain more likely to remember and internalise it.

Beauty makes it stick because it adds emotion, and emotion is what tells the brain: this matters, remember this.

Reflection: Look around your space right now. What cues are you repeatedly seeing? Do they support the person you’re becoming, or do they reflect an old version of you?

Takeaway: Surround yourself with beauty and intention. Your environment is teaching your brain even when you’re not aware of it.

Small Shifts, Big Change

The truth about rewiring the brain is that it rarely happens in one dramatic breakthrough. It happens through small, repeated moments. One phrase you whisper to yourself each morning. One print you glance at on your wall each night. One conscious redirection from an old thought to a new one.

" Small doesn't mean insignificant, small is how change begins "

A scientific study of micro habits by UC Berkeley, had students practice self compassion affirmations for just 20 seconds a day. Over a month, participants reported an increase in emotional wellbeing, self compassion, and reduced stress, highlighting how tiny, consistent habits have meaningful impact.

Neuroplasticity rewards consistency. Affirmations reward gentleness. And art makes it all more enjoyable. Together, they create a quiet form of transformation that doesn’t overwhelm but instead builds over time.

Actionable Practice You Can Start Today:

1. Choose your affirmation - one that feels believable but forward-moving.

2. Place it in your environment - on your wall, your mirror, your desk, or your phone screen.

3. Repeat it daily - every time you see it, say it to yourself. Out loud if you can, if you can feel the emotion of it too, all the better.

4. Notice the shift - check in after a week, a month, then two. Has the phrase started to feel lighter? More natural? More possible?

Final Thought

The science of neuroplasticity shows us that change is always possible. Affirmations give us the words to guide that change. And art gives those words a home in your everyday environment.

When you surround yourself with gentle, achievable affirmations presented beautifully, you’re not just decorating your space. You’re shaping the way you think, the way you feel, and ultimately, the way you live.

Because transformation doesn’t have to come from big leaps. Often, it begins with one small phrase, one visual reminder, one quiet shift that grows into something much bigger over time.