In order to create, we draw from our inner well. This inner well, an artistic reservoir, is ideally like a well-stocked fish pond… If we don’t give some attention to upkeep, our well is apt to become depleted, stagnant, or blocked…As artists, we must learn to be self-nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we draw on them — to restock the trout pond, so to speak.
—Julia Cameron
The slideshow images were taken from a magazine printed in the UK called “Art to Reduce Anxiety.” One of the amazing benefits of therapeutic art is that you can use it to relax and ground. The above activity is from the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding activity that is helpful when you are feeling very anxious, flooded with emotions, or overwhelmed.
I also use this practice before bed to transition to sleep, helping my busy mind let go of thinking. Normally I name in the room – 5 things I can see, 5 things I can hear, 5 things that I smell, 5 things that I feel in my body and then repeat the sequence with 4 things, 3 things, 2 things, and 1 thing. To get creative benefits of this practice, you can draw items instead of name them. It adds a soothing tactile quality to this grounding practice. Adult coloring books have become popular -because they promote relaxation through mindfulness and the felt sense of the hand moving on the page.
Just think about how people sew, knit, bake, or do many tactile creative activities. They are soothing. They are grounding. You can also use music, movement, or writing for relaxation. You can combine music with a progressive muscle relaxation sequence. You can do gentle yoga with music. There are so many possibilities of using creative activities for relaxation. You can also add sensory experiences – candles, essential oils, soft lighting, gentle sound – while making art or doing creative activities to enhance the activity’s relaxing benefits.
Also, therapeutic creativity can be done in nature or while interacting with nature. People make art in nature, play music, and even dance. People use natural elements – rocks, branches, stones – to make art. Nature adds both grounding and connection to a creative practice. Most people find their nervous systems slow down in nature. Here are images from a summer walk at the beach. I was inspired to take pictures. I felt both relaxed and connected.
How do you use your creativity for relaxation?
For me tactile activities are very soothing. Tending the garden, cooking, art making, and organization are all things that relax me. I also find singing, humming, dancing, and music ways of regulating or shifting my energy from anxious or overwhelmed to relaxed.
When I think of rest and creativity, I also think of reading and books. Reading can be a creative act as our imaginations fill with an author’s words, creating images and further imaginative thinking. When I remember reading as teen in our family’s hammock on a summer’s day. I can remember the buzz of the flies, the warmth of the sun, the sway of the hammock, and the beauty of the surrounding gardens. The setting was as relaxing as the reading.
How do you use creativity to rest?
It is the end of August now and fall is around the corner. I hope you all take moments in your week to relax and rest, perhaps incorporating creativity into your relaxation 💙💙💙Meegan
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