Add creativity to your life and improve your wellbeing!
Creativity and mindfulness go together like cheese and crackers. Using your creativity gets you in a state of flow, similar to meditation, while meditation and mindful activities enhance your ability to be creative. Both of these bring a calmness to your life that allows you to get through the tough stuff a lot easier, whether it be a toddler’s tantrum, an employee’s insubordination, or some of life’s worse stressors.
Many studies have been done worldwide, with results showing that meditating for as little as 10 minutes can help your mood and decision making. So, if getting creative can put you in a similar state, why not give it a go?
Here are my top 3 tips to bring creativity into your life
- SPACE: If you have the space, make an area purely for creating. Your space could be a spare room, a desk or a table in a family room. Set it up with paper, visual diaries, canvasses, pens, pencils, paint… whatever you would like to use. If you don’t have the space in your home, you could put together a bag of arty essentials so you can create anywhere, anytime.
- INSPIRATION: You will be able to find inspiration everywhere you go – from magazines to Instagram; galleries to street art. Go on an art excursion and take it all in. You will soon find what you like and what you don’t like. Create an inspiration album on your phone and start taking photos – my phone is full of them! See a color palette you could use; snap it! See a painting you like; snap it. See a beautiful view you could paint; snap it! If you want to get more hands-on, create a vision board instead, which itself is a great creative activity.
- TIME: You don’t need hours to get creative. If you have a spare 10 minutes for a cupper, grab your journal or go to your creative space and color in, sketch, doodle, or write a list of ideas. These little moments are enough to calm the mind. Have more time? Great! Use those sketches and ideas and start a painting.
What supplies do you need to get started? Here are some suggestions:
- pencil
- sketching pencils
- color red pencils
- eraser
- sharpener
- fine liners
- black text (like a Sharpie)
- acrylic pens (like Posca pens)
- compact watercolor palette and brushes
- charcoal
- a journal
- a visual diary
- watercolor pad
- paper towel
You may not think of yourself as creative, but I guarantee that you will realise that creativity lives within us all; it just sometimes needs a little push. And remember, be gentle with yourself. We are our own worst critics, and you will likely have a picture in your mind of what your drawing or painting will look like. That’s great, but don’t throw it away if it doesn’t meet your expectations. Pause, think about what you could improve, and try again. If you keep your artwork, you will see how much you have improved with consistent practice over time.
Sharon has been drawing, writing and painting for as long as she can remember. Every part of her life has involved art in some way and continues to do so. She has over 20 years of experience as a graphic designer, with almost half of that operating her own business, and now also runs children’s art classes from her home studio. These art classes and a life-changing experience in Fiji led her to create Artfulness Retreats – small-group weekend art and meditation retreats. In 2021, Sharon wrote her first book, Unmasking the Past, and has started writing her second book.
To find out more about Sharon’s retreats, head to artfulnessretreats.com.au, or to buy a copy of Sharon’s book, head to unmaskingthepast.com.au.
Stay up to date on socials: FB: Artfulness Retreats and Sharon Westin * Author | Insta: artfulness_retreats
Photo by Sema Martin on Unsplash
