While I mentioned I've got stage fright a few posts ago, singing by myself is my creative outlet. If I'm really catatonic I go to my favorite bar/coffee shop to journal, but all it really takes is pushing a pen around the paper for a little bit and I feel better. Literally writing "I am journaling, I am writing on paper and sipping tea..." I feel like a crazy person but it is highly effective 😂
When stress hits, I either pick up a journal, a book to read, or some sort of art-making. Lately, I'm enjoying fooling around with vintage papers and making collage and journals from them. If the stress is intense or extraordinarily tangled, I'll write at the computer so my brain and fingers can be more in sync than they are when I write long-hand.
Honestly I've gotten away from most of mine at this point. There used to be several: guitar, bass, hand bells, woodwork, model building. Writing is really the only one I still engage in, and occasionally sketching something that's related to what I'm writing so I can visualize it better.
my creative outlet is always writing, it keeps my brain running on straight lines! any time I don't write anything for a few weeks my brain starts getting all scraggly and knotted up haha. plus if something stressful happens I can just write a wee little story about it to help me process the stress, stick it on the internet, and have a bunch of people tell me I'm brilliant - which it turns out is *also* excellent for stress 🤣
Isn't that immediate internet feedback amazing? I specifically asked one of my beta's last week to go over a chapter if she could just because I needed that hit from posting a new chapter😂
Aside from hiding in a book, my favorite thing is knitting. When my vicar asked, shortly after his arrival, why I always had my needles with me and would work away during his sermon, I told him that it helped me concentrate on what he was saying because the flow of stitches kept my mind from wandering. But I also said that when I sit and knit quietly, I felt as if I were knitting up the universe, creating and making things come together. Last week, his sermon discussed taking time to be quiet and still, not being “busy,” so you could hear the quiet voice inside. And I was sitting there knitting. I pointed out the irony to him after, and he reminded me about knitting up the universe, and said that was exactly what he was talking about.
Not surprising the stress hormones stopped when you were doing art because it allows you to be still. It doesn’t matter that your hands are moving or you’re thinking about creating. There’s a whole part of your brain which is not worrying about all the other crap going on being there is something comforting in the rythmn of making and doing. Give me 20 minutes of uninterrupted knitting and I can feel myself relax. Unless the project goes completely sideways. If I want to throw the thing across the room, time to stop. But that’s also why I keep multiple projects going, and if one doesn’t work, then I grab another one. (I try not to frog when I’m annoyed.) Plus, when I get to wear the efforts of my work, it’s a warm, comfy feeling because I remember how lovely it was to feel the project come to life beneath my fingers.
I have the same thing when I'm knitting; it helps me concentrate. The art doesn't allow me to concentrate on anything else - I think that's the key to why it's so soothing for me. :)
Depending on the project, I can concentrate on something else when I’m knitting — at least partially. With straight knitting, such as the long, plain rounds of a sweater or a simple, repetitive pattern, I can watch Chinese Dramas or something that requires a certain amount of attention to the TV. Intricate lace, though, is something I need to not have distractions with. Both are relaxing, but the more complicated work gives me a more intensive break from the world.
While I mentioned I've got stage fright a few posts ago, singing by myself is my creative outlet. If I'm really catatonic I go to my favorite bar/coffee shop to journal, but all it really takes is pushing a pen around the paper for a little bit and I feel better. Literally writing "I am journaling, I am writing on paper and sipping tea..." I feel like a crazy person but it is highly effective 😂
My creative outlet is cross stitch and drawing. Get friends and adult color books - the best!
When stress hits, I either pick up a journal, a book to read, or some sort of art-making. Lately, I'm enjoying fooling around with vintage papers and making collage and journals from them. If the stress is intense or extraordinarily tangled, I'll write at the computer so my brain and fingers can be more in sync than they are when I write long-hand.
Honestly I've gotten away from most of mine at this point. There used to be several: guitar, bass, hand bells, woodwork, model building. Writing is really the only one I still engage in, and occasionally sketching something that's related to what I'm writing so I can visualize it better.
Ah, I used to have a music outlet too. I miss it.
my creative outlet is always writing, it keeps my brain running on straight lines! any time I don't write anything for a few weeks my brain starts getting all scraggly and knotted up haha. plus if something stressful happens I can just write a wee little story about it to help me process the stress, stick it on the internet, and have a bunch of people tell me I'm brilliant - which it turns out is *also* excellent for stress 🤣
That’s why I treasure my fix on AO3, even if I’m not adding new stuff. That hit of a “You’ve got kudos” email will really brighten a day.
yesssss the kudos emails are so good for the mood <3
Isn't that immediate internet feedback amazing? I specifically asked one of my beta's last week to go over a chapter if she could just because I needed that hit from posting a new chapter😂
the best!
Aside from hiding in a book, my favorite thing is knitting. When my vicar asked, shortly after his arrival, why I always had my needles with me and would work away during his sermon, I told him that it helped me concentrate on what he was saying because the flow of stitches kept my mind from wandering. But I also said that when I sit and knit quietly, I felt as if I were knitting up the universe, creating and making things come together. Last week, his sermon discussed taking time to be quiet and still, not being “busy,” so you could hear the quiet voice inside. And I was sitting there knitting. I pointed out the irony to him after, and he reminded me about knitting up the universe, and said that was exactly what he was talking about.
Not surprising the stress hormones stopped when you were doing art because it allows you to be still. It doesn’t matter that your hands are moving or you’re thinking about creating. There’s a whole part of your brain which is not worrying about all the other crap going on being there is something comforting in the rythmn of making and doing. Give me 20 minutes of uninterrupted knitting and I can feel myself relax. Unless the project goes completely sideways. If I want to throw the thing across the room, time to stop. But that’s also why I keep multiple projects going, and if one doesn’t work, then I grab another one. (I try not to frog when I’m annoyed.) Plus, when I get to wear the efforts of my work, it’s a warm, comfy feeling because I remember how lovely it was to feel the project come to life beneath my fingers.
Hiding in a book is my natural habitat
Has been mine for most of my life.
I can’t believe I forgot that one
I have the same thing when I'm knitting; it helps me concentrate. The art doesn't allow me to concentrate on anything else - I think that's the key to why it's so soothing for me. :)
Depending on the project, I can concentrate on something else when I’m knitting — at least partially. With straight knitting, such as the long, plain rounds of a sweater or a simple, repetitive pattern, I can watch Chinese Dramas or something that requires a certain amount of attention to the TV. Intricate lace, though, is something I need to not have distractions with. Both are relaxing, but the more complicated work gives me a more intensive break from the world.