Hello beautiful Steem friend 🌟 Yes, that's you! Hope you're having a beautiful day today, and that you can feel the virtual love I'm sending your way.
Today I just wanted to share a little bit of my artwork with you all, and talk about the benefits I find in having creative practices in place.
I haven't been able to find much time to draw, or paint, or craft lately, because I've been focusing more on some other aspects of my life. But arts and crafts will always be one of my favorite ways to destress and unwind, and get out of my own head. When I'm doodling, or painting, or weaving a dreamcatcher, all my problems seem to melt away, at least for a little while, and I am able to fully dive into whatever I'm creating and let go of stress and tension.
In fact, when I am faced with a difficult situation or problem, or looking for an answer or a message on how to move forward, I find that the best thing I can do to find clarity, is to walk away from the problem.
That's right, if you're looking for clarity in a certain situation, STOP looking for clarity on THAT SITUATION, and instead, go find clarity elsewhere. If you're faced with a problem and unable to see the solution, chances are you've gotten stuck in a mental loop, and won't be able to get yourself out of it. The more you try, the more stuck you may get. But if you can walk away from the situation, put your energy and your attention into something else, and gain clarity in another aspect of life....You may find that clarity in all aspects of your life flows to you more easily.
For me, I often need to step away from the thing I'm working on, and transfer my energy and attention into something completely unrelated. And that thing is often a creative endeavor.
When I allow myself to step away from my problems, and fully engage into a creative practice, like drawing a mandala, or playing the guitar, I often end up receiving answers and insights into the other issues in life. When we let our minds settle and relax, and we stop focusing so much on the issue; when we can quiet our minds and let them relax, we allow ourselves to enter into a receptive mode and the Universe is better able to send us the messages we need to receive.
That's what art and music do for me. They allow me to escape into another world. Another frame of thinking. Another state of clarity. A state of peace and calm.
I especially love drawing and painting mandalas. I never know how they will end up looking, and I allow myself to just keep going, and going, and going until it feels like the time to stop. It's a great way for me to just let go, and enter a creative, yet meditative state.
Which is why I decided to draw this mandala on the wall of my childhood bedroom here at my parents house where I've been staying.
I'm here in Michigan visiting my family for couple of weeks, and, if you've ever moved out of your parents house, and then moved back in after a long time away, then you can probably relate to what I've been going through. I love my family... SO MUCH. But damn, is it hard being home! It's hard being propelled back into a lifestyle that is so different from the life I've created for myself. So much is coming up for me to deal with and learn from; so many chances for me to grow. It's hard but important work. And I am grateful to be here and grateful for the time I am getting spend with my mom and dad. But... at times... it's just so hard that I end up spending a lot of time closed up in my old bedroom. So I decided to spruce it up a bit by adding some art to the walls.
Free hand mandala, made with black permanent marker
This piece took me about 4 hours ... I used a piece of paper to measure a few of the distances, and I used small circle for making the central 'seed of life' pattern, but the rest was free hand. It was a great way for me to escape my running mind, and let go of my problems, at least for a little while.
I'll leave you today with a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert, one of my biggest inspirations. As she says in one of my favorite books, Big Magic, "A creative life is an amplified life. It's a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life."
Which is the kind of life I want to live..
Photo Credit
I truly appreciate your support.
Sending you love and light,
and hoping you have a magical, and a creative day.
Until next time...
🌈 Rachel
and on 
I appreciate all your support. 💙 💙
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Scrambling around looking for a pencil sharpener - you have INSPIRED me! Curated in the SMG digest for you, my dear. Lovely post.
Oh, thank you so much! That means a lot Marike 🙏
🤖 Congratulations! You've been featured in the new @SMG co-curators digest. Thanks for being one of our cherished authors. Read how much we love and appreciate your work here: https://steemit.com/food/@smg/smg-digest-or-cooking-struggles-student-debts-big-waves-creative-practice-and-the-promo-steem-project
@rainbowrachel your art work is inspiring.. As a pen artist i would like to do something nice like that. .
For nice pen art portraits kindly check @ my blog... Or below
Hope to see you stop by
https://steemit.com/art/@rf-abol/a-detailed-pen-art-portrait
Wow rachel, that is my kind of art! I used to spend hours each week drawing the flowe of life,, i love how u used it in a mandala!
I totally agree that taking time out and doing something different will bring clarity and inspiration for other things in life.. suddenly the answers just popinto ur head whulst ur colouring in! Great post! Between the lot of us we have all thr answers to a happy healthy life ;)
So true Alex, we have so much to share and learn from each other. Grateful to do that here on steemit, and to connect with people all over the world. Collectively, we can figure it all out <3
Awesome artwork! I love mandala art. I studied mandala in my college years (a long time ago) and have developed it over the years to become my animated video mandalas. Your work is wonderful and I can't wait to see more. Be sure to post in postpromotion on steemchat. I browse there often for new artists work. Upvoted and following!
Thank you @stephenthorburn! I'm becoming more and more interesting in working with technology to start creating art, like using software on a tablet, or creating animations. I'll be sure to stop by your blog and check out your work as well.
I wish I would have studied more art, or taken more creative classes throughout my education. I was a full on math and science nerd growing up, and didn't even know I had an artistic side of me until a few years ago. But getting to know this side of me has helped me grow in so many ways. There's an artist inside everyone and I hope to help inspire more people to explore that side of themselves.
Thanks for the tip on steemchat, I'll check that out!
blessings, and take care
xx
Hello @rainbowrachel, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!