Just Do It.

a therapeutic approach to art and more

I stay creative so that I can more easily process my feelings. What I’ve noticed is that when I’m not creative, I struggle. I don’t feel good. I get more stressed. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s not super easy to be creative when things aren’t going smoothly. Often we only allow ourselves time for creativity when everything else is taken care of, orderly and on track.

When I can be stressed and tired and still choose to create - even for 20 minutes out of my day- that is when I know I am still hanging on to deepest self -even if only by a bare thread.

In the past, the problem I had with art was there was always a pressure for me to make money by doing it. I’ve shared at length about how this happened with songwriting but it’s happened in other ways, too. Now that I am employed outside of the arts, I am free to create without pressure. (By the way, I’m not saying I’ll never sell my art again, but I’ll never feel pressured to do so. Good news is it only took me about 35 years to get to that realization.)

Today the outside world, for some of us, is not quite a comforting place. When we try to look at the bigger picture of our lives, things can feel uncertain or unstable. But within our own little microcosm we can find a place to feel grounded and connected.

I love to crochet (like an old granny.) It’s comforting that women before me have done this art form for years upon years. I just taught myself how to crochet a month or so ago and I’m so glad I did. Square by square, working towards a blanket, I allow my hands to help me find that little bit of quiet and peace. I also recently started making these bird “sewn sketches” (I used to sell similar art pieces in my past.) I take my time with them, sometimes just a few stitches a day. No rush. No plans.

Here is something else that seems wholly unrelated to what I’m talking about (but it’s not.) We get a weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box every week. Basically, a big box of farmers market produce that is based on whatever is seasonal. One of my clients inspired me to do this some months ago and it’s one of the best recent decisions I’ve made. For the last couple months I’ve been wanting to add the “Juice Feast” box on to our original order. I have this vision of myself juicing every few days (if not every day) and having it become something that we just do in this house. I’ve done it before, but recently, with my life being so busy with work and family stuff it’s been a challenge to shop effectively for all the juicing ingredients.

Finally yesterday, after months of hemming and hawing, I added the “Juice Feast” box to our regular CSA order so that the ingredients for making juice come to my door. We are going to be getting so much produce now that I’m not sure how we will even fit it into our fridge. Brad may pass through some irritation at the sheer volume of produce clogging our small fridge space. But- I have a vision, and I’d like to let it play out (a good marriage will ultimately allow for this.)

I’ve put a lot of restrictions and rules and regulations on myself in my past (I’ve been known to be extremely hard on myself) and I’m at a point when I’m actually pretty damn tired of that! I will allow myself to be the vision of who I want to be without policing myself. I can be the quiet artist with the homemade green juice who is creating art without pressure.

It doesn’t have to be complicated: make time for ourselves. Draw, write, take a run, put seeds in the garden. Make the recipe that’s been bookmarked for the last 3 months. Commit to juicing everyday for a while. These are some of the ways I gather the strength to take on life. How about you?