CREATIVE EXERCISES FOR THE SOUL

NOTE TO SELF

Materials:

Blank Postcards

Postcard Postage Stamps

Markers

Pens

Scissors

Glue Sticks

Magazines

How to:

1. Brain storm on 1-4 realistic ways to find a place of peace or source of joy to tap into. This can be as simple as sitting somewhere quiet, looking at your favorite piece of art, doing a crossword puzzle, unplugging your phone for an hour, etc. Whatever you choose remember the purpose is to give time to replenish yourself.

2. Put one idea on each postcard using symbols, pictures, words, colors, etc. Go all out AS IF it is a gift you are giving someone else because we frequently put more effort into other people than we do to ourselves. This card is a gift-note to yourself to remind you to take some self-care time.

3. Address the cards to yourself and put stamps on them.

LOVE YOU FOR YOU

Materials:

Magazines

Butcher paper

Construction paper

Pencils

Markers

Scissors

Glue sticks.

How to: (group activity)

1. Have participants trace each others’ bodies on the butcher paper or use a generic outline of a body.

2. On the other side of the paper, write down negative external messages you have received about your bodies then flip the paper over.

3. Using collage materials, colors, texts, and drawings, assign attributes to the body parts that focus on what those body parts do best and how they are and have been valuable.

4. Use functional adjectives like strength, motion, and specific examples. Try not to focus on the judgments on what you believe constitutes beauty or perfection, those thoughts and words should be written on the other side of the paper.

5. When the work is complete have each person choose one part of their body that they struggle with the most share first the negatives and then the positives on the art piece. Note the commonalities and differences among the group.

THE DOT METHOD

Jessica Jane Lynch, an art therapist in Southern California developed The Dot Method following research for her Master’s Thesis. She found that repetitive dot-making decreased anxiety and promoted a relaxation response in her clients by lowering their heart rates, lowering their blood pressure, and stabilizing their breathing.

Supplies:

The eraser end of a #2 pencil

A black stamp pad

A blank sheet of paper

Directions:

Check in with yourself. On a scale of when to ten (with ten being the highest), how stressed or anxious are you feeling in this moment?

Set a timer for 10 minutes. During this time, create an artwork using the eraser end of your pencil to make dots on your paper, whichever way you choose.

At the end of the ten minutes, check in with yourself again. Has your number decreased? Did the pace or pressure at which you applied your dots affect how relaxed you felt during the activity? If you enjoyed this activity, make note of what worked and what didn’t for future reference.

CONCENTRIC CIRCLE DRAWINGS

Mandalas (circular drawings) are well-known to promote relaxation and healing, and have been used a form of mediation for centuries. The circle, in and of itself, is a powerful symbol of wholeness, connection, continuity, cycles and unity. Within a circle, there is no beginning and no ending. Drawing concentric circles, or circles within circles, is another way to lower your anxiety levels, in a similar fashion to creating a mandala.

Supplies:

A black sharpie marker (a ballpoint or gel pen or a pencil will also work)

A blank sheet of paper

Directions:

Set a timer for at least ten minutes. Using a sharpie or other writing tool, draw a small circle on your paper. Draw a circle around that circle. Draw another circle around those two circles. Continue until you run out of space. Choose another place on your paper and repeat. Don’t stop until you run out of time.

Your circles can be as big or as small as you would like. They can overlap, or be in their own space. Your art does not have to look like my art. There is no wrong or right way to make your art, just draw circles within other circles until your time is up. Notice how you feel before and after the exercise–and remember to breathe!

CONTINUOUS LINE DRAWINGS

Drawing is not something that is typically regarded as relaxing, especially if you are just getting the hang of this art stuff. But what if you could draw without every really making anything, where the purpose is just to make a mark on the page?

A continuous line drawing is drawing without lifting your pen. In this exercise, we do not have an end goal–or final picture– in mind.

Supplies:

A writing tool (a ballpoint or gel pen or a pencil)

A blank sheet of paper

Directions:

Take a deep breath. Set your timer for ten minutes. Place your pen on the paper and draw. Do not stop or lift up your pen until your timer goes off. It’s okay if what you have on your page is nothing more than a scribble. How do you feel? Take deep breath before resuming your day.