There is a deep need for creativity and art in our everyday lives. It not only will enhance the meaning of what’s around you, it will allow you to understand yourself just a little bit more. You will begin to make new connections with things in an innovative way, and work your right hemisphere of the brain (the emotional, artistic, and intuitive you).

Humans are innately creative, and we are not limited to just drawing or painting in order to live with art. Although it is in my bias that a paint brush or pencil is the best release, I am going to share ways other than that, in which we can be around, participate in, and appreciate art even more.

So you dont have to be an artist to try these ideas out. As long as you are open minded you are set.

1. Let go of the limiting fear.

It is not uncommon when starting something new, you feel a bit of apprehension or fear. The first step is to release the notion that you can’t understand, appreciate, or even like art. Yes, you can sometimes have a fear of liking something that is powerful. It is because there is a strong emotions linked to the idea.

So you can do this. It just takes some learning, and a growth mindset.

2. Focus on details.

I will tell you a little secret. Sometimes I think that true artists are those who focus on details. Let me explain.

If you are type of person to curate your home in a way that is cohesive, with attention paid to the pattern of kitchen towels you own, you are detailed oriented.

If you listen to every beat, strum, and vocal of a song with precision, you are about it.

If you groom yourself in a way where even the finest of accessories matter, you definately are better than I, lol. But also, you are a detailed person.

When making crafts, it is hard to not make every crevice of the canvas matter, or not focus on the texture your pencil is creating on the paper, etc. This is the curse and blessing of having an artistic mind. We can start simply in our daily lives by doing things intentionally, and with focus. It is cool to think there are some people who match their whole personality, clothing, furniture, and everything else in their life with a certain aesthetic. They indeed are living in the name of art everyday, and you can too.

3. Visualize

This is my biggest aid in my ideas for new paintings. You actually already do this. Every night when you go to bed, your mind takes all past, and present things you’ve seen before, and makes it into an entirely new scenario. Dreaming is a subconscious way of being creative- you literally are able to create a whole new world within your mind.

Conscious visualization is relatively the same process. It starts with allowing yourself to daydream. No, not daydreaming about that cute person or about personal life scenarios you want to happen, but daydream about a specific image. This can be something kinetic (moving) or a still snapshot in your mind.

An example of a powerful time I remember having a visualization moment, is when I was walking alongside the Hudson River in New York City. There’s this little park called Riverside, and there was a section of beautiful greenery that stretched taller than I was used to in that city. I stopped, and had a creative idea of a woman’s figure floating above the ground, with her arms in a T, glowing, and with the same background of the vivid greens, yellows, and earthy colors. What came about from that moment? Nothing tangible, no. I did not paint that scene, but what I do have is the power to create a whole composition of an imaginary scene in my eyes, and it fuels my artistic process. I had my eyes physically open the whole time of visualizing, too.

Some extra tips on how to visualize are…

-Be creative. You can let your mind blend, replace, bend, scale up or down, add crazy colors, or anything else you can imagine. The fun part is, its up to you.

-Use all of your 5 senses. You can incorporate all of these descriptions to what you will imagine. Sometimes for this, having your eyes open and thinking is the best way to do it. Explore the textures, sounds, iconography, scents, and maybe faint tastes of the colors.

-Take small and escalated steps every day. The more you do it, the better you will become at exploring what your mind has to offer. Start with just a full minute, then repeat, add a couple minutes consecutively, and be persistent. It almost is as hard to sit down and do as meditation is, but it just takes the discipline.

4. Consume artistic content

I hate to be the person to tell you to watch a screen even more, but in this case I feel it really can be beneficial. Having a world of art history, contemporary art, art process videos, and more at our fingertips really is magical. Simply doing an online search of

“Contemporary artists”

“Art history _______” (Surrealism, romanticism, abstraction, baroque, impressionism, tenebrism, renaissance, Asian, and so many more)

“Art vlogs” This one is so interesting, because its a sneak peek into the life of an artist. You can see what goes on and sit back to enjoy.

If you want ways that are offline, go to your local library and check out a few books on art processes, art history, and all the other creative topics you can imagine. Other than 2-D art, you can explore photography books, sculpting history, music history, or best yet, a biography on a specific artists life. Currently, I am in the midst of reading a biography on the life of Vincent Van Gogh. I really recommend something like this, because it takes you through their lives history, how they got inspired, and breaking down what they created.

5. Be mindful

It seems really simple, but it isn’t exactly a walk in the park. However, you can be mindful while walking in the park^_^.

To be mindful means to be present with what’s around you, to notice all the nuances and while focusing on just being there in the moment. This will allow you to let go of any expectations, any limiting beliefs, or fears. If you are mindful, you can get out of your head and put the energy into appreciating life for what it is.

I still am a beginner at this, so please be easy on yourself. All I know is that it will allow you to be free. You can try to meditate and it will probably be most effective, however there are many forms of ‘moving’ meditations that come just by doing things with intention.

In art, while looking at or making it, there needs to be a part of you that is calm, and flowing. It doesn’t mean you have to stare at the piece for hours on end with no thought, but you are simply there with the work. It will tell you all it needs to if you let it.

Don’t Give Up

As stated before, when trying new things, it is hard to have that consistency needed in order to create any breakthroughs. I encourage you to keep on learning, trying, and feeling. Because the more you do these, the more you will appreciate the essence of life itself, and live with art daily.

Life does imitate art in my opinion, and it is up to us to access our true potential in waking up to life.