Often when dealing with grief people just don’t know what to do. Often, they sit alone and ruminate, not motivated to reach out to anyone or do anything. That can become lonely fast. I watched movies, but even that didn’t help. My mind would drift to my loved one, then that cycle of tears started again.
One of my friends told me that she found online painting classes that she enjoyed, so we decided to take some classes together. Because of the pandemic, we couldn’t get together in person, so we watched the classes online and painted along with the instructions. Then when we were through, we jumped on to Zoom and compared our creations. They were so different, so we had lots to talk about. We also found art shows we could watch online, and that was fun and inspiring too!
After the shutdown was over, we started taking classes in person, and we still do. We learned to do felting, to make jewelry out of fresh flowers, to draw, and to make flower arrangements. I also started taking classes on my own in jewelry making, printmaking, drawing and more. I even joined a group of people who gather to do watercolor painting together every week, and we have started to go to plays and dinners together too.
All these activities really helped me and still do. I recently read two books that can give you some ideas to practice your creativity. Kaleidoscope: Redesigning Your Life by Kathy Strauss, (aka visual storyteller & international best-selling author) is a photographer and self-described Creationeer. Listen here to my Grief and Happiness Podcast with Kathy.
In Kaleidoscope: Redesigning Your Life, artist and guide Kathy Strauss invites you to see your story through a new lens; one filled with color, creativity, and possibility. With warmth and honesty, she shares how tapping into your creative self isn’t just about making art; it’s about healing, discovering, and remembering who you really are.
The other book is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is an international bestseller. This starter kit contains Edwards’s two essential books—Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and the indispensable companion book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook. Whether you are just beginning to draw or you are drawing as a professional artist, as an artist-in-training, or as a hobby, this groundbreaking program will deepen your artistic perception, give you greater confidence in your ability, and offer a new way of appreciating and perceiving the world around you.
Both these books offer lots of ideas of projects you can do to explore your creativity, and creativity can be so much more than art. Try:
- Story telling
- Book writing
- Gardening
- Acting
- Singing
- Dancing
- Community service
- Or???
What I like most about creativity is I can get lost in it. I can paint all afternoon or spend a day creating a ceramic sculpture and not have any idea of how much time has passed. My breath slows down. My body relaxes, and I smile a lot.
Choose one thing to try and escape for a while. Relax and enjoy.
Listen to Grief and Happiness podcast wherever you get your podcasts
