If your only exposure to making art was high school art class— well, you’re more experienced than I am! I went to a school that didn’t value visual arts. Like, at all. Literature, music, and drama made it into the curriculum, but art disappeared after elementary school projects involving Elmer’s glue and pipe cleaners. Art, I gathered from the adults around me, was somehow dangerous and threatening. In college, I focused on literature, journalism, and creative writing classes. I was too busy to try another creative medium.

Unsurprisingly, I had a hard time trying to engage in any kind of visual arts practice later. Both a lack of basic skills and experience and absorbing the message, “Art is for other people,” came up every time I sat down to draw or paint. It wasn’t until I started to combine mindful art practices and journaling that I understood why I had such internal resistance.

I’m finding that mindful art practices are a lot like journaling, a near daily habit I’ve kept for close to two decades. When I journal, I’m not creating beautiful literature. I’m priming the pump. I’m clearing the blockages in the pipes. And I’m finding my voice as a writer.

Mindful art is like that. Instead of focusing on an end product that you can frame, gift, or sell, you’re learning to enjoy the process. You’re mindful about your breath and where you hold tension. Along the way you may discover your artistic voice, but you’re really discovering yourself. Which means mindful art is for anyone who finds it helpful, including newbs like me.

Is mindful art making me a better artist? I trust that it is. The play and practice of journaling has helped make me a better, more relaxed, and confident writer. In the meantime, I’m working through emotions, values, and ideas. I think mindful art is the same way.

So what is a mindful art journal? And what are a few mindful art practices you can try? Stay tuned to posts over the next week to learn how you can make mindful art a part of your life too, and why I combine it with journaling and yoga for better self-care and -expression.