Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Mindfulness is a state of being where you are fully present and paying attention. Engaging in creative activity is one of the easiest ways to practice mindfulness and experience a deeply relaxed state. You follow a flow of ideas, and it’s a river that takes you to new destinations.
To me, watercolor painting is soothing. Researching, planning, and drawing a picture engages the analytical mind, whereas painting allows for an easy, free flow of creativity. Using color with any medium, be it watercolor, colored pencils, acrylics, or whatever, is often a door to an expanded mindful awareness.
I want to share the experience of mindful creativity with simple means. For this reason, I make so many line drawings freely available on this blog. You don’t need to draw; you can focus fully on playing with color. One Tree Art Club is a free resource for people to explore mindfulness through art.
Finding beauty in unexpected places
The more you experiment with colors, the more you will start to pay attention to the beauty in your environment, often in unexpected places. Instead of being absorbed in worries or things that upset you, your attention is drawn towards a beautiful, fallen leaf on the road, the smell of a flower wafting underneath your nose, or the amazing pattern in an old concrete wall. But we’re not just talking flowers and butterflies here. Anything can bring joy to mindful eyes that see beyond the obvious.
Inspiration from nature walks
Nature herself is a great teacher of mindfulness. Her beauty, the sound of birds, the rustling of wind… it’s a set-up for mindfulness. Allow yourself to get enchanted. And take advantage of the fact that walking outdoors relieves the nervous system of much negativity. I read somewhere that walking in nature has as much effect as therapy. Scientifically.
In Norwegian, we have a saying: “Ut på tur, aldri sur.”. It loosely translates to “Out walking (or hiking), never glum or grumpy.”. Walking in nature provides the double benefit of relief from stress and worry and the joy of mindful absorption in the beauty of nature. More often than not, creative insights sneak in, too. Get inspired!
Creative joy is there for the taking. You only need to allow yourself a block of time to play with colors. Mindfulness through art is a tool to steer your daily life towards joy.
Do some mindful watercolor painting: