Mindful Art
Most of us have had an experience at some point in our lives of being so immersed in art making that we lost track of time. This happens because creative activities ease us into a process of focus, concentration, absorption and flow, which is the same process we experience when we’re meditating.
This is why drawing, painting, colouring, photography, art journaling and writing are naturally mindful. If you've no meditation experience, or find it hard to calm your mind or sit still and meditate, then creative activities are a wonderful way to enhance your capacity for focus, concentration, inner peace and calm through this natural mindfulness.
The Art of Mindfulness
In traditional mindfulness meditation we develop awareness of the breath, the body, thoughts and emotions, making them our focus. We become aware of what our experience is right in the very moment we’re experiencing it.
When we combine this steady, kindly, embodied awareness with naturally mindful creating then we are practicing creative mindfulness.
Creative Mindfulness
Adding moment by moment mindfulness to our creativity helps us to just enjoy the process rather than focusing on end results, which means we draw, colour, write, journal or paint more freely and more joyfully.
When we practice mindfulness whilst we’re actually in the process of creating we are also able to befriend and gradually change the habits of negative self-talk, inner criticism, perfectionism and self-doubt that often cause us to feel creatively blocked.
By bringing first a curious, lively awareness, and then a kindly, gentle attitude to what we’re making, we can change how we relate to ourselves, our creativity, and the world around us forever.
Creative Mindfulness is for Everyone
Creative mindfulness is for everyone - absolute beginners who've never meditated or who've not created a thing since school, as well as experienced meditators and professional artists. Why not listen to this short podcast to find out more?
Wendy Ann Greenhalgh - blogging on mindfulness, creativity, mindful drawing & photography
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Join the Art of Mindfulness community and share your creative mindfulness moment
We all need community. It's so much easier to meditate with others to support us. And making art with friends is a great way to stay inspired. So wherever you are, I'm inviting you to join our friendly, supportive Art of Mindfulness community in the following ways.
Community eNews
Sign up for the monthly Art of Mindfulness community eNews. Guided meditations, podcasts and blogs direct to your inbox. You'll get the FREE 3 Challenge eCourse as a welcome gift too.
Instagram Friends
Like social media? Then why not post your mindful art, drawing, photography and writing on Instagram using the hashtag #stoplookbreathecreate - you'll find lots more of us doing it daily too.
Facebook Group
Want a little privacy? Then join our closed Stop Look Breathe Create Facebook Group - it's the place for you to chat, ask questions, share your own mindful creativity and enjoy other people's too.
Daily Posts on Facebook
Want more inspiration? Then follow me on my Facebook page where I share my own #stoplookbreathecreate practice and daily links to the best articles on art, creativity and mindfulness.
You can get the Art of Mindfulness community eNews here too.
I practice Stop Look Breathe Create every day of my life - and I share my mindful photography, drawing and writing on Instagram and Facebook - so do come and say hello. All you need to do is click one of the social buttons below my art.
Is it ever possible to 'complete' an art-work, and should we even want to?The other night I was having a very interesting chat with an artist over on Instagram about creative process and trust (which is one of the core creative mindfulness attitudes) and she brought up the idea of 'completion'. And this idea of completion struck me as very interesting and one that I needed to reflect on and unpack a little. There was something about the idea of working towards completion in the creative process that bugged me a little and I wondered why that was. So I sat down and had a little think, and this is what I thought...