Art therapy has been on the rise as a leading form of alternative therapy in recent years, and we at Trueself are constantly on the lookout for new ways to help our readers become healthier, happier versions of themselves. After the success of our travel pieces for the How to Visit column, we're extremely happy to announce a new column dedicated to art therapy, interviewing collectives and artists, and walking through museums and galleries.

With How to Visit Museums, we'll take you inside the best of the best of the art world, both in the States and abroad. We'll take you inside galleries, and into the minds of those who help curate them and populate them with great works. We'll give you tips on how to best tackle some of the world's most monumental collections, and still make the most out of your visit. We'll take you inside those hole-in-the-wall art shows. We'll put art therapy and mental health experts in the hot seat to talk about why exactly art therapy is so important and, now more than ever, more prevalent.

Artists have found joy and relief in expressing their pain through art, no matter their particular medium. For those who aren't artistically inclined, visiting museums or galleries is a way to attempt to understand the thought process of the artist, and an exercise in putting our own emotions on display. For those who try and look deeper than individual works, the curation and organization of a museum provides a base for theories and for awe at a particularly well-done space. Still, for those who are neither art junkies or theorists, a museum is simply another place to relax and seek out truth through beauty. That's where we come in.

2017 is looking to be a difficult, interesting year; following the chaotic storm that was 2016, this isn't particularly good news. How can we even attempt to be healthy, better versions of ourselves in a world that holds so much chaos? Through art, anything is possible, especially healing. Whether we produce it or not, it's important to know how to truly visit a museum, and take in the lessons within its well-decorated walls. At their best, museums are sites for social change; at their most base, they're welcome escapes from reality.

In 2017, let us take you deep into the art world in an accessible, unpretentious way. Come with us as we go gallery-hopping through small towns and metropolitan landscapes, traverse the best modern art museums, and talk to the people who make it happen about how best to traverse these expansive, gorgeous locales. This is your guide to seeking a better you through art. This is how we can help you heal by creation and the enjoyment of it.

This is How to Visit Museums.