Art

Maximum Potential, Not the Best Version: Neuroaesthetics and Mental Health

In conversation with Guillermina Neri, a facilitator of creative processes who works at the intersection of neuroaesthetics and mental health, I find that art can give anxiety somewhere to go, and that reinvention belongs to every stage of life. If we are artistic projects, everything we have lived becomes material.

By Majo Velásquez

Updated 04:51 pm EDT, Oct 13, 2026

Published 01:53 pm EDT, Oct 13, 2026

Photo Courtesy: Guillermina Neri

Art

Maximum Potential, Not the Best Version: Neuroaesthetics and Mental Health

By Majo Velásquez

Updated 04:51 pm EDT, October 13, 2026

Published 01:53 pm EDT, October 13, 2026

Photo Courtesy: Guillermina Neri

Updated 04:51 pm EDT, October 13, 2026

Published 01:53 pm EDT, October 13, 2026

Photo Courtesy: Guillermina Neri

On Neuroaesthetics and Mental Health

Guillermina Neri, a facilitator of creative processes and the mastermind behind Experiencia Existencia, and Experiencia Alquimizarte, understands art as a language. To express something, she explains, is to bring it outside of yourself. Art can create space for concentration, mindfulness, and emotional expression when words are not enough.

There was a moment in my conversation with Guillermina Neri when the subject of art stopped being about art.

We were discussing creativity, the brain, expression, and mental health when I brought up anxiety. It is personal for me. I have always been interested in how something creative like writing, movement or painting can take an emotion that feels impossible to organize internally and give it somewhere else to go.

That idea sits at the center of her work around neuroaesthetics, neuroart, and mental health. Neuroaesthetics explores how the brain responds to art, beauty, and aesthetic experiences, while neuroart involves creative activities and movement as ways to explore emotions and develop self-awareness. Her approach invites us to consider how art can support emotional wellbeing and self-discovery.

But her work ultimately asks something larger: What happens when we use creativity to look at ourselves?

Neri questions the familiar pressure to become the best version of ourselves. “I do not talk about the best version”, she told me. “I talk about maximum potential”. The distinction stayed with me. A best version suggests a final destination. Maximum potential leaves room for change. Bodies change, relationships evolve, careers begin and end. Who we imagine becoming at 25 may be different from who we need to become at 50, 60, or 70.

This philosophy is especially present in Neri’s work with adults over 50 through Cátedra Evolución Senior, part of UCEL’s Diploma Program in Longevity and Wellbeing in Rosario, Argentina. There, creativity becomes a tool for navigating new stages of life. Some participants have retired or find that familiar roles no longer define them. Neri describes creativity as a way to reformulate ourselves rather than erase everything that came before.

We Are Artistic Projects

That brought me back to one big highlight she made during our conversation: We are artistic projects.

An artistic project changes as it takes shape. Lines move; something gets erased. What initially looks like a mistake can become the most interesting part. Why should we expect a human life to be more linear?

I entered the conversation wanting to understand neuroaesthetics and mental health. I left thinking about potential. Creativity is not reserved for artists, and reinvention is not reserved for the young. If we are artistic projects, everything we have lived becomes material. And as long as we are still here, the work is not finished.

Majo Velásquez

Associate Fashion Editor

Fashion student and writer Maria Jose is on a mission to reveal the stories behind the clothes we wear. Combining her love for literature, research, and storytelling, she uses fashion as her primary lens to explore the industry. For her, writing means taking something seemingly distant and making it feel personal, meaningful, and alive.