Reconnect with inner your childhood artist and spark more creative joy in everyday life. Three challenge exercises to help reclaim your creative confidence, improve focus and build mindfulness.
Can you draw?
Ask a classroom full of children if they can draw and probably 98% of the room would raise their hands excitedly. If you ask a conference room full of adults to raise their hands if they can draw, you may get 2% who would raise their hands reluctantly.
Ask that same conference room full of adults if they feel it's important for their children to learn how to draw and paint, 100% would likely say yes. As parents, they know that the arts provide important benefits for their child's development such as:
Fine motor skill development.
Stimulates creativity and problem-solving skills.
Development of visual-spatial processing.
Promotes self-esteem and self-expression.
Reduces stress and improves focus.
Stimulates neuro connections and improves memory.
Helps them to understand the world and themselves.
Helps them to connect to others.
Source: The Benefit of Arts for Kids - Online Article - Artfulparent.com
With so many benefits, why have so many adults given up their childhood artistry skills?
All of us were children at one time. And 98% of us would have definitely raised our hands in the classroom when asked if we could draw. So what happened to that artistic confidence and creative imagination?
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Unfortunately, our childhood freedom from inhibition gives way to teenage angst and adult self-consciousness. The world knowledge and skills we learn to become functioning adults in some ways restrain us from thinking outside the box.
Somewhere along the way, we were told to only colour inside the lines. And that according to colour theory, only certain colours look good together.
We were exposed to stunning examples of artistry and told that these skills only exist in the rare divinely talented few. We experienced comparison and criticism of our skills and talents academically and in our professions. We discovered that self-esteem and self-worth were things that we had to protect.
Why would we risk raising our hand in a room full of other adults when asked if we can draw?
We are so used to the rigidity of our hectic schedules and being compliant with the various productivity demands in our lives that we have long forgotten the carefree creative enjoyment of the arts.
As adults, the benefits of the arts are just as valid as they were when we were children. Especially for reducing stress, improving focus and building mindfulness. And especially for the freeing enjoyment of the creative process.
This week, I challenge you to reconnect with your inner child artist and reclaim your carefree creativity. Here are challenge exercises to help you let go of limiting inhibition and spark more creative joy and build in moments of mindfulness.
All you need to take the challenge are:
- 2 Post-it Notes (or small 3"x 3" pieces of blank note paper)
- any colour of ballpoint pen or marker
- 2-4 minutes per challenge exercise
Challenge 1: Start With No End In Mind
As adults, we have been trained to be productivity-focused and goal-oriented. This is fine for work and personal to-do lists. However, with creativity, reducing stress and building mindfulness, we need to let go of our need to control the process and the results.
Creativity comes from awareness, observation, reflection and making connections for new possibilities. It's hard to be creative on a fixed productivity schedule. (Like the challenge of coming up with creative weekly blogs. 😅)
In fact, sometimes having a fixed result in mind causes more stress during the creation process because it may not work out the way you thought it would.
So clear your mind and just go with the flow of your pen on paper with exercise one.
Challenge Exercise 1:
Step 1:
Write the letter O in the center of a Post-it Note - it can be as big or small as you like.
(or in the middle of the first quarter of your A4 page)
Step 2:
Surround the O in the center with more Os of different sizes until the entire Post-it Note is full. Take your time and try to make your Os as round as you can.
Step 3:
Look for any gaps between your Os and fill up those gaps with tiny Os until there are no more empty gaps.
Step 4:
Step back, observe and reflect on your creation. What does it look like to you? Pebbles on a beach? Bubbles in a bubble bath? A bowl of M & M's? Give your creation a name and write it on the back of the Post-it Note.
Reflection:
How did not having an end in mind for your creation feel?
How was your focus as you filled the Post-it note with more and more Os?
How many possibilities are there for what you can see in your O's?
Challenge 2: Create What You Feel
One of the best benefits of arts for children and adults is helping them to express their thoughts and emotions. Sometimes it's easier to let lines, shapes and colours express how we are feeling. Art can also help us connect to how we are feeling.
In art, lines represent emotions and movement and we have a psychological response to different types of lines:
Curved lines suggest comfort and ease
Horizontal lines suggest distance and calm
Vertical lines suggest height and strength
Jagged lines suggest turmoil and anxiety
Sourced from: The Visual Elements - Line - Online Article - Artyfactory.com
Challenge Exercise 2:
Step 1:
Looking at your blank Post-it Note, take 4 deep breaths. Clear your mind of clutter and let your heartbeat slow. Identify how you are feeling at this moment. Are you comfortable and at ease? Are you feeling stress and anxiety?
Step 2:
Make your first line in the center of the Post-it note. Match your line style to how you feel. If you are at ease, use curved lines. If you are calm, use horizontal lines. If you are feeling strong, use vertical lines. If you are feeling stressed, use zig-zag lines.
Step 3:
Fill up the Post-it Note with your lines. Following the same line shape of your first line, create as many parallel lines on either side until your Post-it Note is full. You can vary the spacing between the lines or keep them equally distanced or in a combination.
Step 4:
Step back, observe and reflect on your creation. How does your creation feel? Strong like vertical lines of tree trunks? Soft and easy like the wavy lines of the ocean? Sharp and jagged like the pointed blade of a saw? Give your creation a name and write it on the back of the Post-it Note.
Reflection:
How does your emotion affect your pen strokes?
How did you feel as you were creating the lines?
How did you feel after you completed your creation?
Challenge 3: Share Your Creations
When we were children, all our creations and attempts at artistry were received with encouragement and support from parents and teachers who applauded our creativity. Our bedroom walls and refrigerator doors showcased our creations, big or small.
For children, sharing and displaying their creations are an important part of developing self-esteem and self-confidence. The same applies to us as adults.
Sharing the process of creating and reflecting on our creations are forms of self-expression. Getting feedback good or bad can help us to grow our creativity. We can learn from seeing other people's creations and perspectives too.
Aren't you curious to see what other people's Post-it Note exercises look like? I would love to see them!
Challenge Exercise 3:
Option 1:
Take a picture of your Post-it Note creations and share them on Instagram with #ayclimitless so we can see and celebrate the diversity of your creations.
Option 2:
Send me the photos of your Post-it Note creations at contact@ayclimitless.com so that I can feature them on my website gallery wall. You can also upload it with your comments to this blog.
You Can Draw!
Oh to be carefree and confident with the innocent heart of a child who is free from self-doubt, insecurities and societal expectations.
We encourage children to be curious, creative and confident. We hope that they can express their emotions and connect with others. We tell them that they are capable of anything that they put their mind to and work at.
Those are the same things that our parents wanted for us.
I encourage you to try these creativity challenge exercises. Experiment and expand on them into little mindful art practices for whenever you need to find calm and focus. Perhaps even expand into other creative hobbies.
Learn more about mindful art habits and other meditative art techniques in my blogs Doodling to Mindfulness and Strengthen Creativity With a Mindful Art Habit.
You can also see examples of how I create mindful art on YouTube at AYC Limitless Mindful Creativity.
I end this week's post with a fun video demonstrating that we all can draw and why it's important that we break through our limiting self-beliefs.
So the next time someone asks if you can draw, raise your hand confidently and say YES!
Here are some great articles on the benefits of including art and creativity in your everyday life.
8 Bad Habits That Destroy Your Creativity - Online Article - Inc.com
6 Ways to Make Creativity a Part of Your Everyday Life - Online Article - NPR.org
The Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy - Online Article - Verywellmind.com
I would love to hear your comments!
What was your favourite childhood art activity?
When was the last time you did something artistic?
What is a creative hobby you would like to learn?
Thank you for spending time on AYCLimitless.com
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