Yes as you say, but the concept of doodling is good for your health is pretty new ( I see a tendency of more acceptable things since the last 10 years like hypnosis, acupuncture, lucid dreaming... and art is part of that too haha) And I agree also about Art in galleries or as a hobby. It kinda sucks.
At the same time though, I can see the art field blossom in another way through movies, design and videogames and the competition there is tough. I mean, it is very easy to find a tight community of artists striving to be the best of their craft. But it is production driven and most of the time, you don't do art for the sake of art but for a team goal. But the end vision is still the same, trigger the emotion in the viewer (how we do that especially in movies is very questionable though haha).
If people don't see a purpose to art in general though I think they are quite narrow minded. When you look around, everything we have is visual and artificially created (for a good part at least). Even pens were drew before we could use it. ( But not something to teach at school, because 'Art' haha)
(sorry for the long answer, I really like the topic x))
Good points!
I think the art field may also be growing in an "accidental" way as a result of technology. At our gallery, we see more and more people who tell us they are doing "creative things" because they MISS actually "using their hands" to create. These days, all we seem to do is type on a keyboard or use a touchpad... people are starting to miss actually using their hands-- rather than technology-- to create. And so, some of the "art therapy" (and other things) you mention are becoming more and more popular.