5 Reasons Why Art Should Be Part of Your Self-Care Routine.
Art can be a really helpful activity when it comes to self-care. The art of putting paint to canvas can lead to improving physical and mental health.Â
The best self-care tips start with everyday activities that can help with emotions. With this in mind, one of the best self-care activities is mindful art-making.
Creating art as a consistent practice can enhance your wellbeing and boost your sense of living in the present moment. It’s very zen, and we all need a little zen in our lives. Read on to find out how making art can help with self compassion, feeling stress-free and self care.
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5 Self-Care Benefits of Art:
1. Enhances Self Expression
The beauty of creating art as self-care is that it allows you to put your emotions onto your canvas. Self expression through art can be shown through colour and patterns. Mindful art is always judgement-free and enables self expression in a creative way.
2. Builds Confidence and Self Esteem
Releasing emotions in this way can provide a sense of relief and can better your understanding of your own thought processes. Deep.Â
Getting creative with painting and your ideas can build confidence and self esteem. Building a solid foundation for these to grow can have more positive impacts in your personal life, workplace and with friends.
3. Distracts Your Mind
Practice makes perfect, and mastering a visual art skill can work wonders for improving the way you think about yourself.Â
Want a break your thoughts? Art can help us stay sane and reduce stress by providing a constructive distraction. If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed, making art can help us focus on the present moment, find balance, and enjoy exploring your own creativity.
4. Helps the Healing Process
We all love a bit of self discovery. You can learn a lot about yourself by putting paint to a blank canvas and creating mindful art. Create art based on your feelings and let the process of painting unveil your mindset. This is the powerful role art can play in your self-care routine.
5. Connects You With Others
A benefit of art is that it allows you to connect with others through creativity. Art is a powerful social tool when it comes to making new friends, connecting with loved ones or those with similar interests to you.
Ways to Use Art to Practise Self Care:
1. Create a Vision Board
Get creative about your life with a vision board. Be in the present moment while finding inspiration for your future. Pinterest is a popular platform where art and other pins can be a helpful tool to organising elements of your life.
2. Mindful Meditative Art
Practice mindfulness by painting your own masterpiece. With busy lives, art allows you to stay focused as a meditation exercise. Focus on the precise movements of putting paint to canvas, how it makes you feel and any ideas it inspires.
3. Create an Emotion Wheel
Focus on your mental health with your own emotion wheel. Using all the colours, draw a wheel with different colours representing comfortable and uncomfortable emotions you come across in your life. This enables you to open up and gain a better understanding of your inner feelings.
4. Design a Postcard that will Never be Sent
Put all your thoughts onto a postcard filled with either feel good moments or something you’ve wanted to get off your chest. This is a fun way to express your feelings and is something you can read again and again when you need to.
5. Create a Painting Only Using Colours that Calm You
Reduce your stress level and anxiety by painting with colours that bring you joy and happiness. Express your creativity with self care art that will encourage you to feel calm, relaxed and inspire hope.
6. Mindful Colouring
Practising mindful art is the perfect way to take time to focus on your own world. Mindful colouring doesn’t require a great deal of artistic skill, but the results can be absolutely beautiful. It’s an amazing way to practise mindful art and enjoy all the mental health benefits it provides.Â
7. Attend a Paint and Sip Session
Want to create art with your friends? Pinot & Picasso is a paint and sip experience which focuses on connecting people through colour and creativity. With popular music creating a fun atmosphere, you’ll have an artist guide you step-by-step through an artwork of your choice.
Socialise and brighten your mood with a three hour session dedicated to creating art with a side of wine. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages can be purchased at the studio, helping you create a masterpiece and experience the therapeutic joys of creating art.
8. Keep an Art Journal
Explore your creative mind by creating your own art journal. Put your everyday life into art by dedicating time at the end of the day to expressing yourself.
9. Draw a Body Image Sketch
Drawing might be considered the most simple form of art, but it’s a great way to tap into your innermost feelings. Get a sketch pad and draw your own body onto canvas. Focusing your own form is a great way to explore self care and show your body the love it deserves.
10. Create a Past, Present and Future Portrait
Ready to get deep? Create multiple portraits for yourself in the past, present and future. This activity is personal to you, showing how you feel towards yourself as you make art about your world.
Struggling With Your Mental Health?
Talk to Your GP:
If you’re struggling, talking to your GP is a great place to start. Your GP will guide you in the right direction to finding professional support.
Workplace Support:
Sometimes our biggest life stresses come from our job. Talk to your workplace support to see how you can implement self care actions that can help with your mental wellbeing.
