In this day in age with social media, technology etc… to find stillness can sometimes feel impossible. Notifications, to do lists and the pressure to be productive can cause stress and anxiety, but what if I told you there was a way you could escape, slow down and embrace calm. Taking the time for yourself and creating art mindfully offers a creative escape from the hustle of life and to be present in the moment.
Creating art is not about creating something perfect or a masterpiece, it’s about slowing down and connecting with your art process to bring more calm into your life.
What Is Mindful Art?
At the core of mindful art is centering yourself with the process of creating. It does not matter what your art piece looks like, it’s about creating and being in the moment and letting go of judgements.
Common techniques to engage in mindful art is through mandalas, stippling, abstract art, or mark making. I have a blog that talks about stippling here if you want to learn more about it. It does not matter what technique you use, what matters is that you are focused on the process.
How Does Mindful Art Help Escape the Hustle?
I don’t know about you, but it can be exhausting when your life revolves around, obligations, deadlines, and the need to be doing something all the time. It can leave you feeling burnt out and overwhelmed.
Mindful art can help you to slow down and not feel so rushed. Here are some other ways mindful art can help.
- Slow Down the Pace: There is no need to rush in mindful art, at the core of mindful art is that is forces you to shift your pace and slow down and focus on your creative process.
The stippling technique forces me to slow down and focus. Placing each dot on my paper brings me gratification and more peace. When I notice that I am rushing I quickly stop and recenter myself with my process
2. Focusing On the Moment:
When you are engaged with your art applying dots, patterns or strokes your attention shifts from your stress and anxiety to the present moment. The longer you are focused on your art process there is less noise and stresses from the outside world.
3. Reconnecting With Yourself:
With the busyness of life, we sometimes lose ourselves and become disconnected. Mindful art can provide an outlet for you to tune back into yourself. Setting aside time for yourself every day to destress is crucial for your mental well-being. Mindful art is a great way to do this.
4. Letting Go of Perfectionism:
The freedom to create what you want without feeling the need to be perfect is what you should be striving for with mindful art. I personally struggled with this back when I started creating art. There is no need to compare your work to others, your paper is your own personal space to express yourself.
Simple Mindful Art Practices to Get Started
- Stippling: This technique involves creating patterns using dots. To make it simple you could draw shapes, like a circle and stipple in the shape focusing on each dot.
- Mandalas: Mandalas are designs that you typically create in a circle. Drawing mandalas are a very mindful activity. You can choose different shapes and repeat patterns in the circle and slowly building out.
- Doodling: Doodling is also a great way to destress. You can start drawing random shapes and patterns. This technique can be spontaneous with no preplanning involved.
Bringing Mindful Art into Your Life
Making time with what you have in your day to create mindful art can help reduce stress. You will see the benefits of mindful art even if you dedicate 20 minutes a day.
The beauty of mindful art drawing is that you can create anything anywhere. All you need is a piece of paper and a writing tool. You could also purchase a little sketch book to keep with you.
If your feeling overwhelmed this simple practice is a great escape from all the noise and also a good way to reconnect with yourself.
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Keri Inks 🙂
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