From Rush Hour to Brush Hour 

At 7:15 AM, Siti was already running late. She squeezed into an overcrowded LRT carriage, coffee sloshing in one hand, phone in the other, scrolling through urgent emails before the day had even begun. By the time she got home that evening—after rush hour traffic, back-to-back meetings, and dinner over her laptop—her body was exhausted but her mind wouldn’t stop buzzing.

Sound familiar? Urban life doesn’t just make us tired—it drains us. And science explains why.

Why City Life Feels Like a Slow Leak

Research from the University of Michigan shows that living in a high-density urban environment floods your senses with constant stimuli—traffic noise, billboards, phone notifications, conversations, deadlines. Your brain’s attentional system is forced to stay “on guard” all day.

This is called cognitive fatigue, and it’s not just mental—it affects your mood, memory, and even your immune system.

The American Psychological Association also warns that prolonged urban stress can increase cortisol (the stress hormone) to levels that disrupt sleep, digestion, and emotional stability.
And yet, most of us just push through, waiting for weekends or short holidays to “recharge”—a recharge that never seems enough.

Siti's Turning Point

On one Saturday afternoon, Siti reluctantly joined a friend at our studio for a beginner’s acrylic class.

She sat down in front of a blank canvas, sceptical.  But as the minutes passed, something happened—her phone stayed in her bag. The noise in her head began to fade. She focused only on the way colours mixed under her brush, how each stroke felt like exhaling.

A couple of hours later, she left smiling—a smile she realised she hadn’t worn in weeks. “I thought I needed more sleep,” she told me. “But I think I needed this more.”

The Science of Why a Canvas Works

Art is not just “relaxing.” It creates measurable changes in your brain and body:

• Interrupts the Stress Cycle – Making art moves your brain from the reactive “fight or flight” mode into the calm, problem-solving prefrontal cortex.

• Activates Flow State – Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s research shows that “flow” is one of the most fulfilling states a human can experience—time disappears, stress melts.

• Boosts Mood Chemicals – Studies from Drexel University found that art-making increases dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter linked to motivation and pleasure.

It’s not about talent.
It’s about giving your brain and body a reset button in the middle of urban overload.

Brush Hour: Your Personal Rush Hour Exit

Unlike a holiday that comes once a year, art can be a weekly—or even daily—escape route from the city’s demands.

• No commute to nature needed.

• No perfect conditions required.

• Just a canvas, some paint, and a willingness to start.
  
  

And the benefits spill over—people who engage in creative activities regularly report greater focus, patience, and resilience in their work and relationships.