How to Facilitate Your Creativity

Artist's mind or creativity is in every one of us! The part of us wanting to express ourselves and the innate desire to share and connect is just part of being human.

Believe it or not, You are born an Artist!

Have you wondered why you stopped making art? Have you noticed when you were told you should draw a certain way? The external rules quelled your creativity. You probably were super excited to show your parents your first selfie or family portrait. Their response--provided helpful solutions to draw it more realistically--made your little heart sink. The inner critic starts, "Oh, I guess I am not supposed to draw like this; I am not good with art. I am not creative!"

So, how can we rekindle our inner creativity?

Start with a structured and simple art material!

No one wants to feel nervous about making art because it is supposed to be fun, relaxing, or healing. I get it! Let me share a tip I have seen results for myself and with my clients:

• Start with the most structured art materials, the easiest to manipulate and control art medium! On the infographic, from left to right, you can see the art medium is becoming harder to control. If you are easily frustrated and anxious, please try the most structured pencil with an eraser to draw or doodle. As time passes, you'll feel more familiar with free drawing or doodling, then try mixed media or paint.

• Start with mindful breathing to clear your mind! While you adjust yourself to be free of making art, you want to clear your head and kick out all the inner critics or doubts. "Am I good at this? How should I do it? What if I made a mistake?" Those thoughts sound familiar? You are not alone! Don't let them stop you from starting!

• Start with a doodle, or write down your thoughts. I usually just give my clients simple directives, no fancy ones. A lof of the time, we just want to unload our busy thoughts; we have had enough stress, so why stress ourselves out with this relaxing activity? One simple directive you can try yourself or with your clients is "Write down your thoughts." Yea, just that! Try it!

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to make art for expression. You are not in an art class or competition. You are free and safe; you can use your journal book or piece of paper, and there is no judgment! Have fun!

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