By Hannah G. Morris, Columnist
As many children and young adults head back to school, scholars of psychology say that adults should keep learning too. Continued learning opportunities, whether academic or creative, offer a significant mental fitness advantage as people age. And in the Los Angeles Harbor Area, such opportunities are plenty, ranging from art classes at Angels Gate Cultural Center and Crafted to non-credit classes at the nearby community colleges.
Local adults can enroll in free non-credit classes at Los Angeles Harbor College or fee-based non-credit classes at El Camino College. At Harbor College, class offerings include instruction in basic computer skills, culinary arts, Spanish and marketing. At El Camino, craft classes such as soap and candle making are available, as well as classes to develop financial literacy and research skills.
At Angels Gate Cultural Center or AGCC, instructors offer classes including ceramics, wood carving, dance, print-making and ukulele, with either a drop-in or class package price. Down towards the waterfront, Crafted offers classes with a host of local vendors, with focuses such as fused glass artistry and candle-making, with prices depending on the item made.
“As people get older, it can be easy to fall into the same routines and habits where learning becomes less common,” said Dr. Masha Vodyanyk, a postdoctoral research associate at the Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Wellbeing at Northeastern University, in an email. “When we learn, however, our brain is very engaged. It involves a coordination of different cognitive processes, depending on what the task is. Researchers now know that the brain is plastic throughout the lifespan, and it is that late-life engagement that is particularly beneficial for healthy aging and preventing cognitive decline, including both typical cognitive decline and atypical cognitive decline like dementia.”
According to Anna Erneholm, an artist and wood-carving class instructor at AGCC, the mindful creative practice offered in her class can help one enter an “amazing flow.” Dr. Vodyanyk described this flow as “a state where we optimize feeling skilled and challenged, and where we become so immersed in the present moment that time starts to lose its meaning.” She noted that “creative arts are really good at getting us into this flow state, all the while engaging different cognitive processes.”
Participants in Erneholm’s 10-session workshop engage in hands-on learning as they go through the steps of the wood-carving process: from inspiration to design choices to using new tools as they create. And on Saturday mornings, with an ocean view and refreshing breeze, she says the class has become a space to build community as well.
“Older adults report feeling better about themselves and their life when they choose learning opportunities that are in social settings, such as taking group classes to learn a new language, computer skill, or art technique,” said Dr. Ilana Bennett, an associate professor in the University of California, Riverside’s psychology department.
At Crafted, classes have a similar group-learning structure. April Adewole, a fused-glass class instructor and business owner, said her classes are open to both individuals and large groups, such as parties or coworkers. She noted that her classes are very beginner friendly and offer a variety of project options, such as dishes, ornaments and plant stands.
Dr. Alan Castel, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, noted that learning new skills can help to improve other areas of cognitive function such as memory. He emphasized the role of curiosity as a driver for this lifelong learning.
“(The class) gives people an opportunity to kind of tap out of everything else and go into the quietness of themselves or tap into their creativity, do something fun,” Adewole said. “Plus learning something new just always opens up new pathways. It makes your brain work better. It makes everything feel better and more alive.”
Roy Kunisaki offers pottery classes multiple times per week at AGCC in which students can learn to make one or multiple ceramic pieces. He emphasized his focus on step-by-step demonstrations to help make pottery accessible to his students. He added that students can develop a personal connection to ceramics, with some having noted a deeper appreciation for the ceramic art pieces seen during their travels.
Kunisaki said some of his students have attended classes for several years and have become “more friends than students.” He explained that the general energy between students in the classes is supportive, motivational and uplifting.
“Learning new skills is a necessity to remain independently living as an older adult,” said Rachel Wu, a psychology professor at the UC Riverside, in an email. “However, it is also a luxury not afforded equally to everyone, because it requires a lot of resources (time, money, energy, growth mindset/motivation, etc.). Therefore, we should make sure to provide resources to help learners of all ages, not just infants and children, to achieve more than we think is possible.”
In AGCC’s print-making classes, instructor and studio manager Nguyen Ly exposes students to various forms of printmaking, which he said involve elements of the major art forms: painting, drawing and sculpture. He noted that his classes draw both beginners and explorative artists who typically work in another medium, with many students being middle-aged or older adults.
Ly added that print-making serves not only as an artistic outlet, but also as an exercise in patience, diligence and discipline as one works toward the fun surprise of their custom finalized print.
“It’s all these more traditional practices and processes that have been around for hundreds of years,” Ly said. “And it’s good that people know about it and learn to enjoy the process.”