Getting Back Into Art During Stressful Times

I hope that all of you are safe and well during this terrible Covid-19 pandemic. For the past month, like most of you, my daily routine has changed dramatically and my unbelievably stressful days have catapulted into an all new level of crazy. Because of the high stress and anxiety I have been letting my drawing and this blog sit on the back burner for a while. The above drawing was done right before everything went a bit nutty in my area…so around the end of the first week of March.

I haven’t picked up my drawing kit since this was made. That is until last night when one more stressful straw piled onto the camel’s back. I found myself unable to sleep and at four in the morning I decided to grab a pen and a Post-It note to write out my to-do list for the day. Even though I was exhausted, I suddenly decided to sketch the figurine on my bookshelf at the bottom of that list. But without worrying about proportions…because it is 4 am and I am tired. It took about 5 minutes to quickly sketch out the face. Sure, it looked like The Thing from The Fantastic Four…if he were melted a bit by standing too close to a volcano…but that’s not the point. I actually felt better! I felt like I could finally go to sleep…and I did! My ugly little Post-It did the unexpected. Not only that, It actually got me to schedule in time today to get out my paper and pencils and get back into the swing of things art-wise. Not with the goal of producing something visually pleasing…though that would be great too…but just to be immersed in the process of making something just because I can. Have you ever noticed that while you’re concentrating on creating something (without being pressured to make something perfect), your mind is completely immersed in that activity. Your heartbeat slows. Your breathing deepens. You walk away feeling a little less crazy than you did before you started. It’s like a meditation. It’s wonderful.

So what do you do to feel better when you are sad, scared, angry or maybe feeling all three at once and you are about ready to bust? Literally. Spontaneously pop like a balloon filled with too much air.
Maybe in high school you used to idly paint with a crayola watercolor set. Maybe doodling little characters along the edges of your shopping lists always alleviated some boredom and stress. Or maybe you liked to blast The Best of Aerosmith while flinging paint at a canvas Jackson Pollack style while drinking grape juice from a wine glass and dancing wildly…all the while avoiding your cat’s judgemental stare. I mean, what’s his problem anyway?

Whatever your creative de-stresser of choice is, now is a really good time to keep that habit going. If you haven’t done it in a while, what’s stopping you from taking it up again? Even if all that you have on hand is a Post-It and a ballpoint pen. Swipe your kid’s watercolors (I mean borrow) and dedicate five or ten minutes out of your day to just playfully swirl some colors onto a piece of paper and watch the colors as they meld together and puddle on the page. It’s not going to be hung in the MoMA but at least it may make your day feel a little lighter. I’m wishing you and your loved ones all the best.
Stay healthy and stay safe.

Materials Used: Graphite Pencils, Strathmore 300 Series Drawing Paper, Kneaded eraser