For the past several years, a lighthearted debate has played out over the internet as to whether Bob Ross, the beloved television painting instructor and host of The Joy of Painting, incidentally invented ASMR.
ASMR, meaning autonomous sensory meridian response, is a term coined in 2010 to describe the pleasurable, tingly sensation felt across a person’s scalp, neck, and back activated by certain soothing sights and sounds—whispered voices, crackles of paper, or, yes, indeed, the mixing of paint.
With Ross’s deep voice, rhythmic cadence, and seemingly magical handling of paint (where did those “happy little trees” come from?!), it’s easy to see how he has become a de facto patron saint of the ASMR community.
Nowadays, a whole world of ASMR videos lives on the internet just waiting to be explored. And many of these videos are art-adjacent! We rounded up 7 we liked especially… enjoy.
The Sounds of Art History
A Soothing Restoration
Artistic Balloon Popping
Fantastical Fabergé
Keeping a Teeny-Tiny, Very Soothing Zen Garden
Art History Facts Whispered Oh So Softly
Glorious Gold Leaf
An Finally, One From the Incidental ASMR King
