|
By, Molly Triplett Mindfulness is a hot topic right now. But what is mindfulness, and what are some mindfulness concepts, exactly? According to Merriam-Webster, Mindfulness is "the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something." In other words, mindfulness means being present in the moment and paying attention to your surroundings. There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common creative mindful activities and how they can help you live a more mindful life!  Photo By, Molly "Deep Breath In." 1. ZENTANGLE DRAWINGS Zentangles are intricate, abstract drawings that can be created using just a few simple strokes. You only need a few simple art supplies as well, which are small enough to carry with you all day. Zentangling is a very relaxing activity. Rick and Maria, the Founders of this inspiring method state, "Life is an art form and each of us is an artist." You can Learn How To Zentangle with this Great Book; The Joy of Zentangle by Marie Browning. It provides Step By Step Instructions. Read the Back Story about the History of this Method By The Creators Rick & Maria. Check for Certified Zentangle Teachers in your area.  Image: www.Zentangle.com 2. JOURNALING Journaling is another great way to add mindful practices to your day. When you journal, you focus on writing down your thoughts and experiences from the day. This can help you reflect on the good and bad moments of your day, while you learn more about yourself. Journaling documents your journey on the path to self discovery. Writing is a way of processing emotion while acting as a catalyst to raising resilience. Highly Recommend! The Journaling Classic MoleSkine. Many Journal aficionados prefer MoleSkine because of its quality, portability and durability.  Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash 3. COLORING FOR ALL AGES Coloring can help you relax and de-stress after a long day. It can prove useful in awakening joy each day. In a classroom setting or for parents, coloring projects are easy-to-lead exercises. Colored Pencils have come a long way! If you want to color with Watercolor Pencils Use A Water Brush over the colored pencil to add an amazing art effect and create giftable results. Books to Inspire: The Color of Love Coloring Book: It's always the Season for Love. This is a Beautiful Coloring Book! or Sacred Nature Coloring Experiences for the Mystical & Magical - A Gem by Lydia Hess There are many different ways to practice mindfulness, and one of my favorite ways is through the arts. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common mindful art activities and how they can help you live a more mindful life!  Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash 4. PHOTOGRAPHY Photography focuses on capturing the moment in front of you. It is a healthy habit, as body movement is usually required. Check out the Online Course; The Wonder Compass: A Creative Photography Practice with Nature. Free with an Email Subscription Sign up to The Wonder Compass Blog It provides engaging ways to create art easily, every day. Transform Your Images from Mundane to Magical with: Software from Luminar/Skylum - It Also Works In Unison, with Adobe Photoshop.  Photos By Molly Triplett 5. PAINTING BIRD HOUSES Painting birdhouses can also be a great way to explore your creative side. Working together in a group can increase an overall emotional sense of well-being. Bird Houses are fun to paint, and they make great gifts and useful crafts to add to the garden. This Handy Birdhouse Set Can Allow for a Group to Paint Houses Together  Photo by Molly Triplett 6. WATERCOLOR PAINTING When you paint with watercolors, you focus on choosing colors and mixing them together. Author, Ana Calderon, Created a Step By Step Guide to Start Your Watercolor Journey in a Few Easy Steps. Creative Watercolor A Step-By-Step Guide For Beginners. Combine Mixed Media As Well: Creative Watercolor & Mixed Media by Ana Calderon. Online, many experienced artists feature How To's where students learn quickly & advance their skills.  Photo by Vera Gorbunova on Unsplash 7. PUZZLING PUZZLING is a creative activity all are familiar with, which holds many mindful benefits. Puzzles can help you relax and de-stress after a long day. It's been shown to be great for improving and increasing memory function. Also, You can't beat puzzles on trips, if you want to bring along fun games to enjoy. Two Awesome Puzzle Brands to Try:
PUZZLE CRAFT TIP: Try taking a beloved Photograph, and turning it into a puzzle! This Makes a Thoughtful & Loving present as well! Collage.com makes it easy.  Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash 8. MINDFUL BRAIN TEASERS Word Search Puzzles can take you through long waiting times, such as airports or car rides. This 8000 Word Volume is Large Print, for those who like to SEE well as they puzzle. Sudoku Puzzles have just enough challenges for your own difficulty level to keep you happily occupied for long periods. Dr. Gareth Moore created a Puzzle Book for Mindfulness full of fun and brain-bending enjoyment: The Mindfulness Puzzle Book; Relaxing Puzzles to De Stress the Mind. Keeping the mind sharp may only require a small daily commitment of fun.  Photo by Richard Bell on Unsplash 9. COLLAGE When you collage, you focus on choosing images and materials that represent your thoughts and feelings. This can help you express yourself, document your life & creatively learn more about yourself. Vision Collage Boards are fun and useful ways to plan and manifest goals and dreams. Author Allanah Moore, Wrote The Collage Ideas Book. It's a great jumping-off point for using quotes, pictures, drawings, color, and magazine images to create and express yourself. Teachers love collage, because students can learn a myriad of life skills with this versatile activity.  Photo by Matthew Brindle on Unsplash 10. CANDLE MAKING Candle Making is a fairly easy activity & it also yields health benefits, as breathing in the scent of candles is known to be relaxing. You can buy Organic Ingredients and glassware for a minimal cost, and create handmade gifts. The DIY Organic Candle Making Kit All You Need to begin this awesome craft & hobby. If you get carried away (like I did,) You Can Start Selling them Online. This Book Shows You How: Candle Making Business 101 by Grace Holmes. 11. BEAD STRANDS FOR BREATHING When you bead, you slow down, taking a deep breath, while focussing on each bead as you consider which to string next. Beading is a great way to de-stress after a long day. It has been shown to improve mental well-being by decreasing anxiety levels and improving moods. It is a common method in art therapy, with few supplies needed to start. CRAFTING BREATHING BEADS Stringing bead strands can provide a tool to meditate with the breath. Closing your eyes, move from one bead to the next, breathing in and out with each one, until you are all the way around the loop. Notice your anxiety level before, during and after. Keep a strand in your pocket ! Author, Debbie Kanan wrote: The Basics of Bead Stringing: A Complete Illustrated Approach for Beginner & Advanced Designers  Photo by Amr Taha™ on Unsplash 12. CREATIVE WRITING Creative writing is a great way to explore your creative side while staying mindful. There are many more ways to proceed if creative writing becomes a mindful pastime.
 Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash 13. ROCK PAINTING With Rock Painting, you Can Find Inspiration All Around You: From nature to the people in your life. There are unlimited possibilities for colorful rock paintings. Author F Bac, has written The Art of Stone Painting. It's full of inspiration and ideas for creating beautiful pieces of art. Samantha Sarle's Book, The Rock Art Handbook, will give you plenty of ideas to paint beautiful rocks. If you visit local landscaping centers, you can buy large smooth rocks in bags to keep you busy for weeks. The landscape store near me allows artists to take as many as they like for free; so you may also get lucky this way. It's worth a visit!  Photo by Mariah Hewines on Unsplash 14. MORNING PAGES Author, Julia Cameron of The Artist's Way, Invented a method that students, or adults can benefit from, called "Morning Pages." Each Am for 30-60 minutes free write. Allow all that wants to come out to pour onto the page. Cameron suggests not judging or censoring yourself, simply write what comes to mind. After a few weeks of Morning Pages, you may start to notice a change in your thinking. You'll become more aware of your inner critic as well as judgments that keep you from being creative. Cameron's "The Artist's Way Starter Kit," Gives you The Artist's Way, as well as a Morning Pages Journal to get started. On her Website, Julia Cameron comments on why she recommends writing morning pages by hand, and not on a keyboard or computer: "When we write by hand, we connect to ourselves. We may get speed and distance when we type, but we get a truer connection--to ourselves and our deepest thoughts-- when we actually put pen to page."  Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash 15. NATURE DRAWING & CRAFTING At the Beach: Draw images and words in the sand with driftwood or your feet. If using bare feet, you are also "Earthing," which connects you magnetically to the healing benefits of the Earth. Bonus! Forest Hikes: Use sticks or rocks to outline and form hearts and words in the dirt.  Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash 16. MANDALA ARTS A Mandala is a "sacred circle," often containing symbols and shapes that have spiritual meaning to the artist. The purpose of creating a mandala may be different for each person. Some find it helpful in focusing on meditation and prayer, while others use it as a form of self-expression or healing. Here are a few books on the subject of Mandalas, if you're interested in learning more: 1. The Mandala Coloring Book by Color It has a spiral to allow easy access to each detail. 2. If you enjoy Painting Rocks, the book, Meditative Stone Art shows how to paint Mandalas ON Stone. 4. Morning Altars: A Book on Using Nature to Form Mandalas (Take Photos After & Share!)  Photo by Swati H. Das on Unsplash 17. ACRYLIC PAINTING & PROJECTS When acrylic paint is used for mindfulness, it can become a form of meditation and self-expression. Acrylics are fast-drying, water-based paints that can be used on many surfaces. Abstract acrylic painting specifically, can be a freeing experience, without the worry of perfection. Acrylic Books for Creative Advice: Gill Barron, created the book: "The Compendium of Acrylic Painiting Techniques." It has ideas for beginners to advanced artists. For Abstract Lovers, check out Jo Toye's: "Abstract Explorations in Acrylic Paining: Fun, Creative & Innovative Techniques." Jodi Ohl Presents the Title: "Abstracts In Acrylic & Ink" She states, "The best approach to painting, is to simply start."  Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash 18. SCULPTING STACKED STONES or CAIRNS The art of stacking stones can be used to mark trails or simply to create pieces of art. Cairn Definition: "A mound of rough stones built as a memorial or landmark, typically on a hilltop or skyline." The origin of the word Cairn can be traced from the Scots Gaelic word Carn, meaning “pile of stones.” While traveling, Cairns can be found on trails across the planet. The mindful quality of balance while slowly stacking can become a fun, and rewarding pastime. You may have even more fun practicing stacking in your own garden, to share and include neighbors & family.  Photo by Brad West on Unsplash 19. WRITING & READING POETRY Poetry can be a form of mindfulness, for both the writer and the reader. Reading Poetry to Children can instill an early love and passion for this form. A wonderful book to add to your Read Aloud Collection might be: The Penguin Random House Book of Poetry for Children. A visually stunning and collectible volume for all ages is; Sing A Song of Seasons, by Crow, Waters & Preston-Gannon. If you're interested in reading more about Poetry and Mindfulness, these books may be helpful: "The Practice of Poetry" Writing Exercises for Poets Who Teach, by Robin Beh is an excellent resource. "The Haiku Handbook 25th Edition" by William J. Higginson might be for those who enjoy Haiku specifically.  Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash A List of Famous Authors Who Teach Mindfulness: -Eckhart Tolle, Author of The Power of Now is a Spiritual Teacher & Self Help Author. This is a phenomenal book! “What a caterpillar calls the end of the world we call a butterfly.” ― Eckhart Tolle - Jon Kabat-Zinn Author of; Wherever You Go, There You Are is the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, at the U Mass Medical School. Zinn is considered one of the pioneers in the field of mindfulness. "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." - Jon Kabat-Zinn - Pema Chödrön, Author of; When Things Fall Apart. Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun and author who teaches about using compassion and insight to overcome suffering. "To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest." - Pema Chödrön - Thich Nhat Hanh, Author of; Your True Home, The Everyday Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh. Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet, and peace activist. "Walk as if you're kissing the earth with your feet," - Thich Nhat Hanh Explore Your Mindful Arts… What New and Creative Art Activities Might You Explore ? Have Fun, and Enjoy Your Time Creating ! ------------ Written by, Molly Triplett Creative Arts Teacher, Writer and Mindfulness Educator Molly is a creative arts mindfulness teacher. She has worked with people of all ages in various areas. Her aim is to help people connect with their inner creativity each day. You can find Molly's Photo Gallery on her Website: The Wonder Compass. ---- Disclosure: "This article was written by Molly Triplett. The author may receive a small amount of money from outside article links. This adds no cost to You." Related Topics: Social and Emotional Learning. Mindful Schools. Engage Young Learners. Emotional State. Self Soothe. Young Students. Beneficial Life Skills. Engaging Curriculum Helps Students. Performing Arts. More Fun Teaching. Students Struggle. Emotional Well Being. Self Regulate. Creative Activities. Teacher's Guide. Kid Friendly Approach. Key Leaders. Save Children's Lives. Bring Mindfulness Forward. Easy Mindfulness Practices. Introducing Young Students to Mindfulness. Self Awareness. Present Moment Awareness. Arts Based Mindfulness Exercises. 19 Creative Mindfulness Activities For All AgesComments are closed.
|
RSS Feed
