During this pandemic specifically I think it’s important we all recognise a certain practice we can do to free up our mind when we become too emotional or overwhelmed. That practice will work differently between people but to have something to take you very much out of a stressful situation is so important – for anyone. If we consider some ideas, some of my friends like reading, working out, watching Netflix, going on Instagram (careful here haha), dancing, prayer… for me, it’s to make art.
Making art does several things for me. To start with, it’s physically a very soothing practice when I’m overthinking a situation. That pure motion of having a paintbrush to hand and releasing some feeling into the movement really works! I also think it’s the reason why some of the more active therapies in healthcare are more successful than just talking with patients. To have an activity – something where you are moving and releasing is a good way to calm your situation down.
Moving on more emotionally (oh just in case I wasn’t emotional enough already in my blogs), my artwork allows me to put to paper something I might not necessarily be able to articulate. There’s a lot to be said about conveying a message through imagery rather than words which might lose effect if they’ve been said enough times too loosely. Even the words ‘I love you’ tend to be overused and underrated today. At times I think I feel safer putting my emotions into art compared with the concreteness of words. That’s not to say my art doesn’t make me feel incredibly vulnerable at times – especially as I share some of the pieces online, but part of me wants the viewer to feel that vulnerability too. There have been times I’ve felt so consumed or absorbed by a piece I make, I forget that the viewer could be moved to a very similar extent but from a whole other perspective. And this is great because it invites conversation and openness and suddenly there are more ways to get out of your head! Whatever your resolution, make sure you find something that you can turn to each week to rejuvenate yourself and have you in a position to think and make decisions with clarity.
Now go find that thing.
