Make Space in Your Mind For Play

The intersection between creativity & mindfulness is this deep connection between what must not live in our minds anymore, replaced with what is better suited to the way we want to live. It's OKAY (Optimized Knowledge About Yourself) if you do not know what that looks like yet, it will come to you during a colourful session in your sketchbook.

When we create mindful moments like these, we literally create a space where a few old memories could live, washed clean with the colour of that emotion & forgiven for being a burden for far too long.

 #createart #colourplay #bemindful #sketchbookart #creativehappylife

Allow colour to show up & release an old thought

You won't need to consciously tell your mind to forget what's been nagging you, your creative playfulness will release it for you. Almost like it is letting the feeling live on the page instead of in your mind. Giving you a clearer pathway to think of more beautiful things - giving away the ugly to see the what it used to look like. Effortlessly washing away the unwanted emotions to guide you into a place where your mind can blossom into a much more engaging life. One where you are the co-creator of happier times instead of the foodbank for unhealthy memories.

Engaging in a little creative practice like the one in the next video, activates both hemispheres of our minds while it enhances our ability to become present n our lives. No more autopilot days or flying off into a rage because of that thing so-and-so did to you thirty years ago.

I'm going to be extra generous today & share one of this month's mini-membership videos with you. So, bring whatever art supplies you have, we used a water soluble crayon by Mungyo. Open your sketchbook on the next blank page & let's discover layering colours in a serene moment in search of mindfulness.

🌸If you are a Mini-membership member & already journey with us, you would have seen this video in the first week of June 2025 & it will continue to live in the full membership after June has gone, but here you'll be able to look at it again & again 😉

Did you know mindfulness is like grounding your thoughts in a pleasurable activity that occupies the creative side of your mind?

By grounding the mind in this way, it makes space for us to become aware of the present moment. And in this presence you realize everything you've been thinking was just an old memory, You can change its energy with a new colourful thought. A playful way that leads to a much more balanced feeling of fulfillment. Maybe even the beginnings of a life where your creative practices become both a source of joy & a way to dissolve the past - not guaranteeing inner peace but rather nudging you towards it every time you make time for its discovery.

Little mindful practices like painting opens the door to play. Whereas we found out drawing & sketching pulls your mind into a relaxing repetitive activity that soothes stress - but only if you release all presumptions of what the end result needs to look like. Process, not perfection is what I have to remind myself of all the time...

Crafting & collage has the same effect, wherein your focus is on the process rather than the outcome because you are seeing what it could look like as it is made.

If you can allow yourself to experience the freedom of play, every page in your sketchbook becomes a mindful art practices. Easy to repeat, nice to express ourselves with. Permitted we do not end up judging what we create or try to measure our results to that of a seasoned artist with years under the belt. Simply connecting to yourself with an internal love growing from the places where ugly things used to live...

Having a small part of your life committed to some creativity is the same as building a lifestyle where you get to choose what you want to keep & what you need to let go of. You don't need to be an artist today - you just need to let the colours of each emotion you are feeling permeate through your hands onto the page in front of you. Every last corner of that blank page filled with the potential to be seen as beautiful.

A mindful practice is about making intentional choices that support your head, hands & heart. Its a place where you get to nurture the inner child who's been falsely taught that the creative spirit inside is no longer able or allowed to play.

Why not evolve those outdated beliefs by creating a dedicated sacred space for yourself where you can go to soothe heavy thoughts - work on making space for new thoughts - bring inspiration back into your life & surround yourself with the kind of marks that bring a smile, draws you in for more than five minutes while creating an experience that feels more like your heart cares about your wellbeing.

For me it started with a creative session at our dining room table after dinner. There was no rush to go anywhere, the perfect time to unwind before bed & switch off my critical mind along with the thoughts that kept me trapped in a life I no longer wanted to be part of. For the first month I didn't want to hear the tv. I certainly didn't need to listen to any bad news as there was enough of it living rent free in my mind. I put all notifications off wo there were no distractions; just me tuned into one video as I created a space not only for my mindful practices, but a place where you can come to when you are feeling drawn away from the drama towards your sketchbooks too. This sacred space is easy to find, just take a look for yourself, here other's just like you & me are making room for their mindful practices while leaning into getting to know themselves through practical self-mastery.

With small routines little moments of creativity can help you find yourself in the noise. Each time you sit down you'll start a chain reaction that permeates into the rest of your life. Practices that are done for the process, not the end goal. For the magic you'll discover while you are there in it experiencing joy... there lives a heart connected to the source of love.

To get started all you need is to commit to one session a week, more if you desire. I start my days with a quick journaling session to set the stage for the day & use the "One Page magic Mornings Sheet" to start off ready & in line with my hopes & dreams. And the next session is an evening sketching, watercolour or colouring session to unwind. Those videos are free to watch when you have time today >>> Find them HERE

Beyond these two times, it's really up to you when you'll create a moment for yourself to take a break from life & engage in something for the pleasure of seeing the blank page turn to colour.

We have many members that balance work & play, some of them full time creative career professionals who still see the benefits in not letting work interrupt their personal need for creative expression. Yes, there is room for work, for improvement, but sometimes you only feel like giving in to not caring so much about doing it for monetary value, because your coach said it's time to make a new course or because you feel the need to please everyone else but yourself. For many creative professionals, the line between work & play seems faint, but if you can distinguish one from the other, you will have created a space in your mind that isn't pulling you in 100 directions.

Instead gathering colour ideas & come up with combinations that are in themselves a mindful creative practices to help you relax into a hard days work...

It's true what Tash, a fellow creative career professional said recently about a short Instagram video about a mindful session I uploaded. She said: "This looks like such fun. I’m going to try this. I haven’t gotten into a sketchbook practice maybe this will help. Thanks for sharing 😊"

While I'm surprized about creative career professionals not making time for creative practices, I'm more surprized that they do not all have a sketchbook filled with ideas to tap into when there's too much pressure to think of new ideas! My sketchbooks are a treasure trove of little ideas coming together in the most positive ways. They can be for colour discovery, like the time I made a small 6 page watercolour sketchbook dedicated to a whimsical colour palette made by Jane Davenport. the colours were so much fun to play with & I couldn't have thought of a better name for it other than, "Create a Little Sketchbook Journal & Play with Your Golf Pants On!"

Your sketchbooks can also be for unraveling a past thought, getting unstuck or a place to do a brain dump at the end of the day!

What will you do with your sketchbooks? I'm all ears! Share your thoughts on todays blog article & start making your sketchbooks a sanctuary for mindful practices & growth. Until next time.

Much Love,

xo Tanya