Hello lovely artist,

This week I find it so hard to concentrate, do you sometimes feel this way too? Between moving house, moving websites and a few other (secret) projects, I feel like I'm all over the place. Sometimes life gets a bit stressful, a bit too much, and I'm so grateful for the gift of art in the midst of it all.

Because the creative process is a wonderful teacher: the more you make art, the more you learn to let go of perfectionism. You learn to have patience and resilience when things don't work out as planned (they rarely do!), you learn to make peace with the fact that no one and nothing will ever be perfect, ever, but that if you keep going and if you trust the process, somehow it will turn out ok.

Just relax and loosen up, allowing more compassion for yourself and others, embracing "good enough". It does take practice! But when you do, you make room in your mind and in your heart for good surprises to show up, and the result can be so much better than you imagined.

So this week I've been playing in my art journal, and it has really helped. Construction works are in full swing at our new house (and my new studio!) and as you might expect, there are bound to be a few bumps in the road. But when a contractor calls me to say that the new water-heater won't fit where it's supposed to, I trust the process. When the painter is not on schedule for the kitchen to be installed, I trust the process. Just like when an image I wanted to use doesn't fit in my collage after all, or when I can't find that perfect art supply right when I need it. If I start working myself up with worry and frustration, it's not going to do much good, but if I take a moment to breathe and tap into my creativity, a solution is bound to emerge.

One painting, one art journal page at a time, art makes you practice these mindset skills over and over again, until they become second nature. That's why I always consider my art-making time as creative self-care. Even just a few minutes can make a huge difference to my day.

Do you turn to art for your own wellbeing? What skills and lessons has it taught you that you can apply to your life? Tell me in a comment!

And if you feel like you need a little nudge, head over to these resources for inspiration:

I hope you can carve out some some creative self-care time in your week!

What if we filled our art journal with little hiding places: flaps, pockets and even a mini junk journal, to hold our dreams, our stories and the secrets of our hearts?

Leave a comment for me!