Studies show that listening to music can promote divergent thinking, something that is essential when you're wanting to create expressive artworks.

Researcher Barbara Fredrickson says that listening to music broadens our mindset and enhances our desire to explore and play. One new study explores music as a source of creativity. Since music has been shown to improve cognition and enhance learning and memory in other studies, it makes sense that perhaps it has an impact on creative thinking, too. 

"The results suggest that listening to happy music increases performance on overall divergent thinking,” write the authors, suggesting that it enhances the cognitive flexibility needed to come up with innovative solutions—the ability to switch between different concepts and perspectives, rather than seeing the problem from a rigid point of view.

The Art Station team love listening to music when we are creating. We are always on the lookout for awesome new music to inspire us. Follow us on instagram and use the hashtag #artstationvibes to let us know what you are listening to!