When many of us think of  "self-care" we tend to think of activities such as massage, yoga, physical activity, hanging out in nature, sleep, meditation, etc.  We don't think much about doing art or some other creative activity as a form of "self-care".   But I invite you to think of it in this way. 

For me, my creative practice is one of my favorite self-care activities.  Of course there is "work" involved, looking at composition, the images, thinking of what I want to convey, etc.  But it is my favorite form of work....I get lost in it...I forget about the craziness in the world...my only focus is that art piece.  I put on music that soothes my soul, scents that inspires and relaxes me whether it is essential oils or incense and I become one with my art.  

A creative practice connects us to another place and a product of this connection is what ever we produce as a result. It is also a stress reliever and can be a way to deal with anxiety.  An asociate of mine, who found himself caring for his elderly parents full time, would spend his time either in nature or creating art...using alcohol inks on small tiles, creating the most beautiful abstract pieces.  At my last count, he was approaching somewhere between an impressive 80 and over 100 pieces of small abstract art as a result.  

In a recent blog article from PsychCentral by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. on this topic included some ways that art and creativity can be utilized as a source of self-care from artist Stephanie Medford and  Natalie Foster, LAMFT, ATR, an intuitive mentor and registered art therapist.  I share a few from this article below: 

"Collage your emotions. Self-care includes acknowledging, honoring and holding space for our emotions. When Medford is stuck on a difficult emotion, she creates a collage about it using old magazines and found papers. She looks for images, colors and shapes that express how she’s feeling. It’s a quick and messy process. Which is the point: These collages “are more about processing the feeling than making ‘art.’” "
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"Play with clay. “Clay is a very kinesthetic and grounding media that helps us feel in control when things are not so orderly in the ongoings of our lives,” Foster said. Crayola makes an air-dry clay, or you can get non-drying modeling clay and store it in an air-tight container, she said."

"Draw your mood daily. Medford has a journal that contains pages with 2 x 2 inch squares. Every day she fills in one square expressing her mood that morning. “A big part of working through my anxiety is noticing how it feels in my body, and what images and colors it brings to mind,” Medford said. “Paying close attention to my experience, and drawing what I find, helps me to take some of the power away from the feelings and gives it back to me and my creativity.”

"Tell your story. Foster suggested creating an altered book. For instance, every day or once a week, you decorate the pages in any way you like. You might include important mementos or personal photos. “Over time the right story will come out—whether it’s your whole life story, or the story of your growth in the past year.”

"Write About Your Art. Writing about your art can spark important insights. Foster recommended journaling after you’ve completed a piece or project and then returning to it weeks or months later: “How have you changed since making the piece? How do you still think you need to adapt in order to reflect what you are creating in your life?”

Again, I invite you to explore how art and creativity can connect you to your emotions.  What other ways has your creativity has helped to address your own self-care needs?  Feel free in the comments below!

​Many people ask me how I make time to create with so much going on in my life.  Part of it is because I am a Gemini (ha,ha)...but mostly is because I learned the hard way what it feels like to not be able to create.  I decided once I unblocked myself, it was important for me to nurture and encourage my creative muse at all costs.  

To say that it has been easy would be untrue....there are days and weeks when my other world takes precedent and I am unable to make my creative practice a priority.  But in those times, I make note of the things that inspire me, the ideas that come to me, and the images that get my attention.  When the time comes again for me to resume my creative practice, I collect the ideas, images, etc., that I found during the time of unproductivity which helps me jump start my creative practice without searching for ideas. 

So you may be telling yourself, that's great for you, but how can I possibly fit in my creative practice when I have a household to run, a full-time job, care taking of elderly parents, and other demands on my time?  Here are a few ideas to help you determine whether or not that is truly a reality for you:

1. Decide how much your creative practice or life means to you.  Do you feel like it is something that needs attention?  Or is it not such a big deal?   How does it feel when you create?  Does it give you joy?  Improve your mood?  Help you de-stress?  Do you feel alive and accomplished?  Only you know the answer to these questions. Those answers will guide you in making a decision whether or not creativity will need to play a larger role in your life. 
2. If your creative practice means a great deal to you, decide that it will now become one of the priorities in your life.  Make a commitment to yourself that your creativity will now become a must-do part of your weekly schedule.  You may want to formalize it as a contract to yourself  or create an affirmation about it that you can post where you can see it.  Doing something in writing or tangibly gives your brain the message that this is serious.
3. Check your calendar of to-dos daily and for the week.  What activities are you doing that you must complete?  How much of that is for other people?  What is truly something that can be put off or really doesn't need to be completed?  Is there something that someone else can be delegated to do in the household (ex: are you the only one in the entire household that has to walk the dog?   Is there another family member that can help you with caregiving duties for mom?  Can someone give you a hand with picking up your son from soccer practice?
4. If you can find ways to de-obligate some tasks that someone can do, decide whether or not other stuff are on the agenda because of an inability to say "no".  Sometimes we are our own worst enemy when we obligate ourselves to things we really don't need or want to do because we don't want the people in our lives to think negatively of us.   
5. Think creatively about your schedule.  Could you get up a few hours before the house wakes up to work on your creative practice?  What about when you are at the swim meet watching your child, could you work on it then?  What about lunch time?  
6. Start viewing your creative practice as a means of self-care.  See it just as important as getting your nails done, a haircut, or a massage.  It is a part of your DNA, your soul.  It is precious time for yourself to regroup and re-connect to your spirit.  
7. Talk to your family members about how important it is to have time for your creativity.  If you do so much for others, why not sit everyone down and let them know that you are now going to schedule time for your creative practice and ask for everyone's support to help you stick to it?
8. Find a squad of like-minded creatives to schedule some time to work on your practice together.  Or discuss your challenges and get ideas and tips.  Support groups are a great way to meet like-minded people who are also creatives and can be easily scheduled on the calendar for meetings. 
9. Just schedule a time each week that you are dedicating for your creative practice.  If it is just 30 minutes, put it on your calendar in your phone or computer and put a reminder on it.  As you schedule this time, continue to look for opportunities to schedule more time in each week. 

Once you decide that your creativity IS an important part of your life that should not be given to chance, you can take the steps to infuse it into your schedule.  Don't worry about how much time you can spend right away, as you move forward and become more disciplined, you will find that it will take the right place in your schedule naturally. 

September is "Self–Care Awareness Month" which is a time to remind ourselves that taking care of ourselves, first and foremost, is our priority.  Self-care is often neglected in our everyday lives and especially for those of us who are creative.  When we don't take care of ourselves, our creative life along with everything else can suffer.  We may burn candles at both ends....maintaining a family, full time jobs, extra-curricular activites, etc. and put our creative pursuits on the backburner.  By the time we chose to pursue our creative practice, we are burned out, uninspired or frustrated with the results of our attempts. 

Or we may be active in pursuing a number of creative passions/projects and trying to do them all at the same time.  Creative burn-out is real as well, and can leave you just as depleted as those who are managing a number of outside interests.  You may feel you are feeding the muse, but what you might be doing is the opposite, leading to a major creative block. 

Self-care is something that cannot be neglected.  When you are tired, burned-out or focusing on so many things, after awhile, our bodies rebel by fatigue, illness, mental health concerns or other matters.  Here are some self-care tips to help you actively maintain a healthy and creative life:

• Pay attention about how you feel at each moment.  Are you feeling your best? If not, how do you feel and what might be contributing to it?  Is a trip to the doctor's office in order?
• Speak up for yourself and say "No" when needed.  Sometimes we feel we must say "yes" to that one more thing even when we know that we are over extended.  Ask yourself how saying "yes" would benefit you?  What can you say "no" to accomodate this activity?  How will this affect your creative practice?  Would saying "not now" be a possible option?
• Shift how you think about having "too much to do."  Look at everything on your plate and priortize what is important.  Is there something that you can get help or support with?  Why are you still involved with certain activities that are no longer bringing you joy?  How much time could be loosened up for what you enjoy if you get rid of certain activities that are becoming more of burden?
• Make sleep a priority.  Do you get plenty of rest at night?  Do you need to consider going to bed earlier?  Ending activities after a certain time? A good night's sleep is essential for feeling good, alert and inspired.
• What are your self-care rituals?   A self-care ritual may be taking a long bath at the end of each day, journaling first thing in the morning, prayer, meditating, yoga, exercise, etc.   What has fallen off in regards to our daily or weekly rituals that help you relax?  What can you incorporate or re-introduce?
• Spend time in nature.  Learn the benefits of this for your creativity here. 
• Pay attention to your thoughts and how you feel mentally and emotionally.  Are you feeling generally happy or depressed?  Are you having trouble focusing or feeling inspired about life? Isolated and lonely?  Consider talking to a trusted friend or a therapist to talk through some of what you are feeling.  Know that you are not alone and people are available to help.
• Think about what you consume on a regular basis and how it affects you.  The old adage, you are what you eat applies here...if junk food (fried, fatty foods, caffeine, etc.) is your go to everyday.  A healthy, balanced diet can help keep you alert, focused and effective.  Also,  over consumption of drugs or alcohol may also be something to examine.  Many creatives have historically sworn by drugs and other substances as inspiration for their work, but on the other hand, many have burned out too early (Janis Joplin, John Belushi, Rick James, and Amy Winehouse come to mind).   A quick high can feel good for a moment, but has many times proven not to be effective in dealing with stress in the long run. Seek help if it playing more of a role in your life than it may need to be. 
• Examine your personal relationships to see how they are affecting you.  Sometimes the people around us can contribute to our quality of life.  Are your friends and family supportive?  Are they contributing to unnecessary stress in your life?  
• Consider taking a break off social media and other distractions.  People are increasingly finding themselves addicted to their smart phones, computers and other technological gadget participating in social media sites.  Or binge watch TV shows or Netflix programs.  How is that contributing your well-being?  Taking a break periodically can help you focus on your self, the present as well as the people around you. 
• Treat yourself to something nurturing.  A massage, a short trip to the beach or a trip away, a wholistic retreat at a spiritual center, a nice dinner at a restaurant, an "Artist's Date" to inspire your creativity are some examples of self-care and nurturing activities. 

Use this month to start taking some steps, whether hourly, daily or weekly to help you stay positive, replenished energetic to open yourself for creative ideas and inspirations for your practice.  What are some of you favorite self-care rituals or practices that you engage in to help you stay focused and healthy?  Please share in the comments below!