Getting Started
Make time for creative activities in your life. Tapping into your inner creativity can help you to feel more connected to your authentic self. Creative activities are an excellent form of self-care. Studies have shown that engaging in a creative activity can lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), leaving you feeling more relaxed.
Creativity takes courage though. It comes from a place of vulnerability. It pulls you out of your comfort zone. This can be somewhat scary or intimidating. Working through these initial fears is where growth happens! Adopting an attitude of mindful bravery will help you get started in your own creative self-care practice. Practicing mindful bravery allows you to be present in the moment with the activity on hand. It allows you to bravely release all judgements about yourself and your ability, allowing the creative process to unfold without expectation by simply focusing instead on the experience of creating. This is the space where the magic happens!
My creative self-care process is designed to meet your creativity level wherever you currently are. You do not need to consider yourself an artist to explore creativity as a form of self-care. The more experience you gain the further you can take your creative practice. Allow yourself to simply be where you are creatively. All of my prompts are designed to be open ended and accessible. I encourage you to play and to follow your curiosity!
Starting Your Personal Creative Self-Care Practice
Step 1: Set An Intention
A practice is something that you commit to doing regularly. You get to decide what that looks like for you. There is no one way to commit to a practice. For some this might be a set time each day or week. For others it may be something you do on a regular basis but not necessarily at a specific time. You choose what works best for you.
I Know that it can sometimes be very difficult to find time in your busy schedule to to add anything else, but I also know that most of us have unclaimed time here and there that often gets overlooked or even wasted. This unclaimed time is exactly what you need to claim for yourself if you want to start a new habit such as a creative self-care practice. You don’t need large blocks of time 15 minutes here or there is a great place to start!
When I am trying to find time in my schedule to incorporate a new habit I use what I call my highlighter method. Use the link below to see a short video where I describe my method of reclaiming that precious me time!
Recommended Reading
“Find your Unicorn Space” by Eve Rodsky is an excellent book to read this month to support you in the beginning stages of setting your own personal creative self-care practice. She offers a wealth of advice! Topics Covered:
- Why creativity is essential.
- Granting yourself permission.
- Cultivating your creativity.
- Knowing your why, and more!
Step 2: Set yourself up for success!
Gather your supplies and dedicate some time and space for your creative practice. Setting yourself up for success means being prepared with space, time, and the materials needed to create. You can work anywhere, you don’t need to have a whole studio. Start with what you do have, you can always add more as you go.
Month 1: Art Journal Prompt
This month is all about embracing your own inner creativity. All humans are creative but sometimes we don’t necessarily FEEL creative. For this prompt we are going to explore process art background pages for our journal. Then we will confront our fear of failure by drawing with our non-dominate hand. Finally we will explore the ways creativity plays out in our own life with a written journal prompt.
Related Blog Posts
Other written journal prompts to explore this month.
- Tarot or Oracle Card Journaling, Read Blog Post Here. I love to use cards as a way to see a different perspective. It is not about fortune telling fir me, but instead about opening my mind to other possibilities.
- Release old messages that no longer serve you. What stories do you tell yourself about your own creativity? Spend some time reflecting on the stories you tell yourself. Are they helpful? If not how could you reframe the story to serve you better?
For more fun prompts follow me on Instagram @creative_self_care where I post “Art-Breaks” prompts and journal prompts regularly. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter where you will receive tips, inspirations, updates, and special offers directly to your inbox!
“The practice of art isn’t to make a living. It’s to make your soul grow.”
Kurt Vonnegut
art-breaks.com 