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15 Easy Mindful Art Journaling Ideas for Beginners | Self Art Therapy Exercises
Have you ever experienced feeling less stressed after mindful art activities or journaling?
Today, I’ll be sharing 15 Art Therapy Exercises and easy Mindful Art Journaling Ideas for beginners. These art journaling ideas are a combination of Art Therapy Activities and prompts from an Art Therapy group I attend, as well as some favorite Mindful Art Activities I teach. Some of the art journaling ideas shared include: Mindful Mandalas, Meditative Watercolor Doodling, Expressive Arts Exercises, Meditative Art, and Art Journaling, etc.
Many of these prompts are very simple (and open to interpretation), so it gives you permission to create and express yourself freely. I hope they inspire your own art journaling practice whether you’re in your mindful art studio, at home, or on the go.
15 easy Mindful Art journaling prompts (and self art therapy exercises):
Drawing the Breath Meditation exercise
Where do you feel stuck?
Where do you get your strength?
Growth
Treasure
Possibilities
What are your values?
8. Meditative Watercolor Doodling exercise
9. Gratitude
10. Choose a letter from the alphabet to make your intuitive marks
11. Choose a part of your body to feel into and inspire your art making
12. Reflect and Express your Year exercise
13. Transitions
14. Transformation
15. For more details, Watch the Full Video Below (including examples of each self art therapy exercise and prompts, art making tips, and art material recommendations).
FREE
MINDFUL ART WORKBOOK HERE
This 10-page workbook includes 8 common ways we get creatively blocked, 8 creative tips and solutions, and more mindful art journaling prompts to help you stress less and create more.
learn more and join our online mindful art classes here
MINDFUL ART ACTIVITIES VIDEOS:
- Draw the Breath Meditation Video
- Draw Simple Mindful Mandalas E-Course
- Mindful Art Activities Playlist
MINDFUL ART workshops online:
- Mindful Mandalas for Relaxation here
- More Classes & Teacher Trainings Online here
LIST OF RECOMMENDED MINDFUL ART SUPPLIES:
Arches Watercolor Paper Block, 9x12
Mungyo Professional Water Colors Set (24 Colors)
Watercolor Paint Brushes Squirrel Hair Professional 4Pcs:
Micron Ink Pen Set, Ass't 6CT Set
DISCLAIMER:
The Art Therapy Exercise prompts and Mindful Art Activities shared here may seem similar to a self art therapy session, but doing these mindful art actvities is not the same as Art Therapy. You may want to work with a professional Art Therapist for support. Some links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with these links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you! Thank you for supporting MindfulCreativeMuse.com, so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
Creatively Blocked? 5 Steps to Tap into your Creative Muse:
In 2005, during my first semester at a graduate Studio Arts program in Firenze, Italy, I found myself creatively blocked. I'd paint one small stroke, then stand back and evaluate. I'd make another small, timid stroke and stand back. I was practically begging for permission from some divine force to step in and ALLOW me to actually create. I was stuck. Can you relate?
Have you ever felt creatively stuck?
does your inner critic limit your creativity?
Maybe you're feeling that now (and that's okay!). Keep reading as this was written especially for you, my creative kindred spirit! ...
I still showed up to my canvas with a paintbrush in hand, because I was in a school program with a schedule and deadlines (or I may have given up for a while). My Inner Critic had taken over, and I had allowed my inner creative voice to be quieted. Squelched. Silenced.
My professor at the time kept pressuring me to "strike while the iron was hot." I didn't have a good understanding of this concept, so I internalized her statement as shame that I wasn't producing enough work. Enough good work.
Thankfully, I flew home to the US during our holiday break for some much needed rest, relaxation, and connecting with my friends and family who I missed dearly. When I returned to my art studio after my trip, I had found my fire again. I started creating vastly different work than anything I had created before. I switched from oil paints to spray paint. From small canvases to mural-sized loose canvas nailed onto the wall. The materials felt freeing, and so I was free to work.
I was able to create because I had quieted my Inner Critic. I had reconnected to myself and a supportive community. I had given myself time to rest and de-stress. Because I was trying something completely new, I felt inspired and gave myself permission to play and experiment.
If you're struggling with feeling creatively blocked, I hope these 5 Steps to Tap into your Creative Muse serve as a reminder and inspiration for you.
Be Patient with yourself and do simple mindful art exercises:
I didn't realize that for me my rhythm of creating (and inspiration!) ebbed and flowed. It wasn't static or steady. I was sometimes in a flow state and sometimes I felt stuck. Sometimes my thoughts were brewing and incubating work that would come to fruition minutes, moments, or months later. Capturing my ideas down in a notebook or on my phone was a way of fueling the fire and noticing my desires to create. Exploring simple, fun and quick art exercises also helped free up my creativity. I'll be sharing more simple Mindful Art exercises here soon!Show up and let go of expectations:
"Strike while the iron is hot" meant to continue to show up and do the work. To not silence the Inner Critic, but be with it. To show up and let go of: the expectations, the judgment, the harsh criticism, and perfectionism. It meant to playfully be curious to the unfolding of mark making and words and images and trusting in the process. What I also learned about showing up, is that once I arrived and was in a good "flow," I often felt better and didn't want to stop creating. When your Inner Critic is beating you up, you're in a heightened state of arousal and it's not possible to be in a creative flow state. I'll be sharing practices to help you Embrace your Inner Critic, calm and sooth feelings of anxiety or worry, be in a Flow state, and let go of expectations.Make time for your unique Creative Self-Care needs:
For me, I needed a balanced life. I needed a support system and space. I needed to create and share the work, and I needed to create for only me. I was a walking contradiction, and that's beautiful, because humans are complex and so is life. Art is a mirror for all of these complexities, contradictions, frustrations, and joys. While you may have different needs, I think it's so important to dive into and discover what you find supportive. What does Creative Self-Care look and feel like for you? I'll be sharing more tips and suggestions in my blog about this soon!Creativity is Sacred. Trust the Process:
Art was sacred time for me. Something to be cherished. Something to be grateful for. Something to be celebrated and shared. Something to be discovered. Something that was continually changing as I was continually changing. Something that couldn't 100% be explained or put into words. Sometimes you have to trust the process, and allow what wants to unfold or bubble up to surprise you.Embrace your Inner Critic:
I am my own worst critic. My inner critic didn't need to be abandoned or quieted - it needed to be heard, held, comforted, supported, and appreciated. It needed to know: "YES I hear you, thank you for having my back, I know you're scared, but I've got this." I'll be sharing some tips and techniques to Uncover your Inner Critic's Voice, how to Embrace your Inner Critic, and how to use simple, mindful self-compassion practices so you can move forward!
That's Creativity for you.
It's simple. Accessible to us all...
We have to be willing to listen to our Creative Muse. To create the space for us to remember and tap into it. To be curious. Most of all, we have to be non-judgmental so we're free to create and play.
I suppose that's why I see Creativity and Mindfulness as always connected, because if you show up to create with a huge inner critic you'll be not only miserable in the process, you'll block the true inner muse and creativity and the moments where we "collaborate with chance" from happening.
Mindful art activities and self-compassion practices can help see, hear and acknowledge your Inner Critic while nurturing your heart's desires and Creative Muse. I find these expressive art activities so nurturing, and I'm excited to share them so you can step more fully into the beautiful creative being that you are... until next time, Happy Creating!