If you can hold a pen and sign your name, you can create something beautiful while improving your focus, creativity and mental health. Discover the benefits of mindful art and how you can start.
If I asked if you can draw, would you raise your hand?
If I asked if you are artistic, would you raise your hand?
If you ask a room full of young children if they can draw, most likely all will raise their hands enthusiastically. They do it every day in pre-school, kindergarten and at home because it's a form of self-expression and it's fun.
But as you ask the same question of "Can you draw?" to older children, youth and adults, the number of hands raised becomes fewer and fewer. The question becomes muddled with self-doubt, judgement and comparison to what we learn with age to be considered art.
The question of "Can you draw?" becomes perceived as "Are you artistic?"
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
– Pablo Picasso
I agree with Picasso. I believe that if you can hold a pen and make lines on a piece of paper, you are capable of drawing and creating art.
When I watched my young children draw, I love their pure focus and creativity and their pride and confidence in their creations. Art activities were encouraged as a part of their childhood development. It helps their cognitive and emotional development and the development of fine motor skills.
But as they grew older, there seemed to be less time for creativity. The growth and development focus turned to academics and sports instead. The pursuit of artistic endeavours became sidelined as hobbies for when there was time.
That's how we lose the artist that once existed in each of us. That's also how we lose the benefits of creating art for our creativity, focus, relaxation, confidence, mental health and the list goes on...
In my blog Doodling to Mindfulness, I shared how practicing art has helped me combat anxiety, stress and depression during the height of the pandemic in 2021. Since then, my passion for my art and mindful art habits have become a staple in my self-care routine.
I love sharing my creations with family and friends as wishes for their wellness. Now I am starting to teach others to discover their creativity and experience the benefits of mindful art.
What started as a hobby for my own need to find relaxation and calm has become a passion that I want to share with others.
In my own battle to deal with lingering anxiety and melancholy, mindful art practices have given me confidence in my ability to be creative and helped me to focus on hope and gratitude. That's what I want to share with others.
What is Mindfulness?
The American Psychological Association defines mindfulness "as a moment-to-moment awareness of one's experience without judgment." Activities that cultivate a state of mindfulness can help foster general mental well-being as it promotes calmness, clarity, concentration and emotion regulation. Mindfulness can be cultivated through activities such as yoga, tai chi, qigong and meditation.
Various research shows the following benefits of practicing mindfulness:
Reduces rumination and depressive symptoms.
Reduces stress and anxiety.
Improves working memory.
Improves ability to focus.
Decreases emotional reactivity.
Increases cognitive flexibility.
Improves relationship satisfaction.
Enhances self-awareness.
Increases compassion and empathy.
Improves the body's immune function.
Source: What Are the Benefits of Mindfulness - apa.org
What is Mindful Art?
Mindful art is a creative form of meditation that combines mindfulness exercises with simple art activities. Creating mindful art focuses on the process and not the end result. It is about connecting to the present moment, de-stressing and creating art without judgment.
"Art is a natural way to practice mindfulness. The colors, textures, and sounds of creating pull us into the moment. You don’t need any previous training to meditate through art, just a willingness to draw like a child, with freedom and a sense of curiosity."
-Amy Maricle, Author and Art Therapist
Practicing art has the following benefits for your mental health.
Can help you to envision a more hopeful future.
Activates our brain's reward center by increasing blood flow to the prefrontal cortex.
Lower stress and anxiety by lowering cortisol levels in your brain.
Helps you to focus deeply by inducing a flow-state which "activates several networks including relaxed reflective state, focused attention to task and sense of pleasure." says Girija Kaimal, a professor at Drexel University
Source: How Making Art Helps Your Brain - npr.org
Mindful art is an easy way to achieve a focused state of in-the-moment awareness and gain benefits similar to other meditation activities.
An Easy-to-Start Mindful Art
My journey in practicing mindful art started with the discovery of the Zentangle method. I came across a video on YouTube and 15 minutes later, I made a beautiful little art piece simply drawing one stroke at a time.
I am not sponsored by or in affiliation with Zentangle. I am sharing my learning and experience with the Zentangle method because it has helped me to find calm, build focus, and improve my creativity and sense of gratitude.
"The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns...Zentangle art is non-representational and unplanned so you can focus on each stroke and not worry about the result...As you use the Zentangle Method to create beautiful images, you likely will enjoy increased focus, creativity, self-confidence and increased sense of well-being."
"We believe that life is an art form and that each person is an artist. The Zentangle Method is an elegant metaphor and model for inspiring deliberate artistry in life."
Zentangle founders Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas
The 8 steps of the Zentangle method are:
1. Gratitude and Appreciation
Relax and take a moment to appreciate what you are about to experience.
2. Corner Dots
Place a light pencil dot on each of the corners of your tile and break the fear of the blank space.
3. Border
Connect the dots with a light pencil line to create a border and a frame for what you are about to create.
4. String
Inside the border, draw a light pencil string that separates the tile into sections.
5. Tangle
Draw simple predefined patterns with a pen, focusing on one stroke at a time. Trust the process of creating the tangle pattern without fear of mistakes as there are no mistakes in a tangle.
6. Shade
Use a pencil to add shading and add dimension to your tangles.
7. Initial and Sign
Place your initials on the front of your tile proudly. Sign and date the back of the tile and note your observations of the process and your creation.
8. Appreciate
Hold the tile at arm's length, turn the tile in different directions and appreciate your creation.
All you need is paper, a pencil, a fine felt tip pen and a Tortillon or cotton bud for blending.
While the Zentangle method is taught on their branded art paper tiles and using their specific partner branded felt tip pens, it can be done on what you have available at home. I have tangled on Post-it notes, my notebook and even in my journal.
I started learning with my sketchbook and whatever fine-tip felt pens I had at home, an HB pencil and cotton buds for blending.
Once you start this self-care activity, I do suggest treating yourself to art paper sketch pads and quality felt tip pens to elevate the experience and the results. I eventually treated myself to project packs from Zentangle.
If you want to start learning the Zentangle method, you can check out their Zentangle YouTube channel and their Zentagle.com website which have great free resources as a place to begin.
I recommend starting with the two videos below that introduce you to the Zentangle method and basics. Even if you don't have their products in the video, you can try with what you have at home.
It All Starts With That First Line
The hardest part of creating art is getting over self-imposed perceptions, limitations and perfectionism. The beauty in mindful art activities is putting faith in the process instead of fixating on the end result.
Since I started using the Zentangle method as a part of my mindful art, I find myself less fearful of starting art projects and better at working in a creative flow state. I have even discovered the opportunity to help others by becoming a certified Zentangle teacher.
And it all started one stroke at a time.
"In Zentangle art, there are no mistakes, only opportunities. As you practice the Zentangle Method you will understand why we say, 'Anything is possible, one stroke at a time.™'"
Zentangle founders Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas
Additional Articles:
What Is Zentangle and Can It Improve Your Mental Health? - Online Article - psychcentral.com
The Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy - Online Article - Verywellmind.com
Unleash the Childhood Artist Within and Reclaim Your Creativity - Online Article - AYCLimitless.com
I would love to hear your comments!
What stops you from creating art?
What mindfulness activities have you tried and how did they help you?
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