Painting Self-care

Looking around your home, there are surely paintings or some type of art on your walls. Have you ever thought about the effort it takes to create a painting? This week, I want you to go to the Dollar Store and purchase a canvas and a paint tray with primary colors; most come with a brush.

When you're ready to paint, I want you to play calming music in a room where you'll have few distractions. Then, I want you to paint an object like an apple, a vase, or something else. Don't focus on creating a masterpiece focus on the experience of painting an object.

Observe your work but don't judge it as good or bad? Be aware of the colors you're selecting. Why are you selecting that combination of colors?

After you finish your work, journal for 15-minutes. Describe the painting experience. How were you feeling while painting? How was your stress level? How did the brush feel in your hand? How was the environment? Were you able to focus on your goal of painting an object? What did you learn about painting? What did you learn about yourself?

This may seem like a waste of time and money but what if you find that you enjoy painting and consider making this a new hobby? Then it will be time used wisely and money well spent. If you hate the exercise, then you’ve learned something about yourself and it cost you less than $5; give the painting supplies to the kids or donate them. If you're neutral about the activity, then add this to your toolbox as an exercise to consider when you need something different to do. Just remember, you can become proficient at almost anything with enough practice.