Blog Post #14
The power of creating more and consuming media less.. JUST CAUSE
The topic of discussion today:
The state of the world we live in currently and the lost art of creating art just BECAUSE. Personally, as someone who was born in a world where technology was just born as well, and together we have grown up. I remember going outside to play, or being bored and having to find ways to entertain myself by using my imagination, but I also recall the time when that slowly but at the same time rapidly started to change drastically. Now it seems like I don’t know how to be bored anymore! Anytime I feel the smallest sense of boredom I pick up my phone to distract my mind. Usually, I try to use creatively encouraging apps like Pinterest or puzzles (sudoku is my fav) but, even I too fall into the rabbit hole of the endless scrolling cycle on social media. Next thing I know I look up and I’ve easily and mindlessly spent several hours scrolling while I have a list of things I could and probably should be doing. But if I know better why is it so HARD to DO better? Our minds tend to cling to comfort and scrolling on social media after a long day of working for 8 hours is a lot more attractive than doing that thing you know you’ve been needing to get done for the last day or so but keeping putting it off but then complaining of not having “enough time”. We do make time for the things that truly matter, I know we have all heard that before. While scrolling is not the WORST thing you could be doing with your time, I think we as a human race have found ourselves in a place of disparity of a global mental health crisis.
What is the link between social media and mental health?- According to a research study of American teens ages 12-15, those who used social media over three hours each day faced twice the risk of having negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety symptoms. (https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide) I’m not telling you this to deter you from ever using social media because I believe in the positives that come from it when used in moderation but that’s the issue I am raising.. Most of us are NOT using it in moderation which is why we are in a crisis.
Benefits of creating art daily.
-Mental health -Art can help relieve stress, promote relaxation, and improve cognitive and tactile abilities. It can also help with depression, boost self-esteem, and increase positive emotions.
-Creativity -Art can encourage creativity, help you explore your imagination, and build self-expression.
-Brain health -Art can strengthen the connection between the brain's left and right hemispheres, enhance focus, and improve memory.
-Social skills -Art can help you connect with others, improve communication skills, and build a healthy social life.
-Other benefits -Art can help you learn new skills, provide a sense of accomplishment, and increase empathy, tolerance, and feelings of love.
Creating in replace of social media for at least 5–15 minutes (or more depending on your specific schedule or if you subtract it from how many hours you spend on pointless scrolling) lights up the pleasure centers of our brains, creating a warm feeling that encourages us to want more. This is a similar way our brains respond to fulfilling basic needs, like food and sex. Creating more and scrolling less can quite frankly and maybe even literally if I may say so, can save your life!
#TyistightArtTherapyThursdays
For today’s art therapy exercise, I wanted to do something that reiterates the beauty in mindfulness boredom.
ACTIVITY
Blot art -
Blot art is when you add a few drops of paint to one side of a piece of paper, fold the other side of the paper over the paint, and press the paper together with your hands.
MATERIALS NEEDED
Paint
Sharpie/black marker
Paper (heavy-duty enough to hold paint if possible, if not try to go easy on the amount of paint you use)
Keep in mind ***
Pick some colors that resonate with you, don’t spend too much time picking colors if you have a lot to choose from, just let your instincts take over. If you have a limited palette, that is okay, this activity will work the same! Once you have your colors picked out, easily enough, start randomly dropping little paint drops all around the paper. I tried to avoid making mine too symmetric to give it a more organic feel but honestly go with your heart! This exercise is to connect with yourself and enjoy being mindfully bored. The beauty in this exercise is it takes a few minutes to complete. Once you have placed all of your colors on the paper and you are happy with it, fold it in half (hamburger or hotdog style, your call! I did hamburger) and try not to move the paint around too much to avoid muddying up the colors, but be sure to apply light pressure to the paper everywhere there is paint and then open the paper you will have beautiful, unique blot art!
MY ARTWORK AND REFLECTION
TIME TO REFLECT
Once you have completed your artwork I challenge you to take a piece of paper, or maybe jot it down in the notes on your phone but take a moment to reflect on your art and ask yourself questions to gain a deeper understanding of your emotions and yourself.
Example reflection questions:
What parts of your artwork do you feel are most successful?
Did your artwork turn out how you intended? Or did it take a different direction?
What would you do differently if you were to create this artwork again?
What did you enjoy most about this process?
What did you learn from creating this artwork?
CALL TO ACTION > POST IT TO INSTAGRAM!
Like usual, please be sure if you are comfortable sharing your artwork from today’s exercise tag me on Instagram @Tyistight_creatives and be sure to use hashtag #TyistightArtTherapyThrusdays
I would LOVE to see your work! If you don’t feel comfortable sharing on social media you can send it directly to me either by DM on Instagram or to my email: Tyistight.creatives@gmail.com
QUOTE OF THE WEEK :
Photo found on Pinterest
