News Buzz: To cope with his divorce, Channing Tatum is channeling his creative side.
If you are a man who has ever been through a breakup, you already know the emotional pain can be excruciating. Not only must you deal with the realities of being single again, you’ve also got to come to grips with the crushing sadness.
Which is why a recent story that hit the newswires about actor Channing Tatum is so inspiring. As you may know, the popular star recently announced a split with his wife of nine years, Jenna Dewan.
For some guys, coping with a divorce means turning to unhealthy sources, like alcohol, to medicate the pain. Other men simply clamp up and keep to themselves because, as a tribe, we’re not always great at talking about our feelings.
In the case of Channing Tatum, he’s decided to channel his creative side as a conduit to healing. Specifically, he’s taken up sculpting as a way of working through.
We’ve at his work and all we can say is – WOW – the man appears to be naturally gifted. And apparently, he may have taken a cue from another mega-watt celebrity, Brad Pitt.
Yep, it’s true. As revealed in the Hollywood Reporter, Pitt missed the 2017 Oscar Awards because he was tied up “holed up creating a sculpture at British artist Thomas Houseago’s Frogtown studio”.
That’s right – Pitt, too, was struggling through a split with wife, Jennifer Aniston. As of the date of this post, their divorce has yet to be finalized.
Here’s what Channing Tatum said about his sculpture on Instagram with fans:
“This was my attempt at creating a sculpture of Picasso’s Guitarist,” the 38-year-old wrote. “It was starting out ok. Then I had to get different clay for the hands.”
Sadly, the piece he created did not last long. Tatum adds:
“Then my [four-year-old] daughter destroyed it. Hahahaha oh well. Start anew.”
Obviously, the man has a sense of humor and is rolling with the punches. But to keep it real, we shouldn’t be surprised at the green-eyed actor’s creative skills.
If you have ever watched him dance, you can easily see he’s got a chip for this kind of thing.
Sculpting and Men
Guy Counseling spoke to licensed psychotherapist Costa Provis about the benefits of sculpting. Here’s what he told us about this activity.
“Men like to work with their hands and so sculpting provides an excellent pathway for self-expression. Not only is it therapeutic but it’s also very cathartic,” says Provis.
Indeed, the clinical literature is filled with research showing the many benefits of expressive art, such as sculpting. As a helping professional, I’ve certainly tried to encourage the men I work with to tap into their creative sides on the road to personal growth.
Now that Channing Tatum is sharing his work with the public, maybe more guys will follow his lead and partake in this activity?
When you were going through a split, what did you do to cope? Would you have considered an activity like sculpting? Share your comments below.
