Creative Spirit Blog February 15, 2026 Just For the Love of Art

Far Travels Mixed Media

“Gratefulness allows us to nurture a keener eye that no longer rushes past the small everyday moments that make up the large part of our lives.”   Guri Mehta

Someone asked if I gave up writing the other day.  I am late for those of you who follow along. “No” was my answer, it’s just that “Life Happens!”

I took a fall and broke a hip and fractured a vertebrae.   It knocked me off my game plan and has made me slow down to a snail’s pace.  I am grateful I am walking with my new best friend…the walker. In time I hope I will not need it.  I am taking life much slower, although not by choice, but there is a lesson to be learned from that.  

I have had a lot of time to sit and reflect on the things I am most grateful for: My family who stepped up to the plate in those early days.  My neighbors and friends who brought food, flowers, and offers to shop. My students who sent creative cards, pictures of what they are doing, videos of interesting things, visited, and kept in touch by text and phone. In turn, these things got me motivated and back in the studio.  My work may be small, it may not be my best work, but I am creating and enjoying the process.  I may be down, but I am not out. Art is a wonderful distraction.  When you get into that zone you forget your problems and stop worrying about what is next.  You are present in the moment! 

I have always spoken about the therapeutic benefits of art. The arts offer us a nonverbal outlet for processing our emotions. They reduce our stress by lowering our cortisol levels, and promote mindfulness. When we engage in creative processes, regardless of our skill level, it helps us navigate trauma.  It improves our cognitive function, builds our self-confidence, and fosters emotional resilience. It a form of meditation, allowing for personal exploration. 

I know I have written about all these things before, and most people understand them on an intellectual level.  But yes, the act of creating can be hard after a trauma or being away from the creative process for a while.  Sometimes you need a push.  I will say that it was receiving pictures of work my friends and students were doing that got me in the studio. “Hey, look what I did”.  “Look what I discovered”. 

Even just going to our “art spot” to organize papers or supplies can be the motivation we need to start.  We just need to remember, we are doing it for the love of art, not for the finished product.  We don’t need an idea, we don’t need a plan, we just need to start and the muse will come.  It finds us when we are working.

The most powerful art comes from playing around and not overthinking or striving for perfection. This is when we allow our intuition to take over and our work becomes personal.   

Too often we do not do, because we don’t have an idea. Go play!  Scribble a design…do some neuro art and color in the shapes.  Cut out a bunch of paper and arrange them around another sheet of paper. Do some contour drawing. Draw thirty circles and make each one different.  Just have fun!  Art was fun when we were kids. We did not over think! Go have fun and create something outrageous!