Creativity for A calMer life

I have a confession to make. I haven’t been able to be in a classroom for the past 6 months.

After a particularly challenging year in my teaching career, filled with crises involving troubled teens and elderly parents, I found myself caught in a perfect storm of cumulative stress. It left me grappling with burnout, PTSD, and physical injury.

When my usual self-care strategies fell short, I made the difficult decision to leave my beloved teaching job and focus on managing my burnout. With the guidance of medical professionals, I began journaling, reading, spending time in nature, listening to podcasts, and embracing a process of letting go and unwinding.

During this transformative period, I rekindled my passion for art as a way to regain my flow. It became increasingly clear to me that engaging in creative practices was essential for processing stress. Always eager to share my joy of making and inspire others, I discovered that simple creative activities enriched my daily routine, complementing other healthy habits. I realized that play, curiosity, engagement with nature, and creativity are not merely enjoyable pastimes but vital components for completing the stress cycle and reconnecting with life’s joys.

Motivated to encourage others to incorporate daily creative practices into their busy urban and digitally connected lives, I’ve been relying upon my years of art education and my love of content creation. My aim is to inspire moments of creativity throughout the day.

One of my simplest suggestions involves taking a walk, collecting a flower, and then bringing it home to paint or draw. This straightforward activity combines gentle exercise, fresh air, sunlight, mindfulness, and creative flow, requiring as little as 20 minutes.

I also found that sharing my collected flower or turning my mini art sessions into gifts for others fostered my connection and gratitude, helping to tune into my compassion and sense of a kinder world. I share my artwork online as a reminder of the importance of creativity in our lives.

I’m still working out what the future will look like. I’m working on a range of products designed to support creative moments, as well as looking at hosting calm process art workshops. All aimed at helping others release stress and cultivate a personal art practice that brings joy, playfulness, and serenity to daily routines.

Thank you for your support, and if you’ve read this far, I really am very grateful, and before you go, I’ll ask you? Can you find a creative moment today? For yourself? Just for the calm of it. xx Em