The Gentle Way Back to Creating: What To Do When Everything Feels Too Much

Art and Self with Cindy Ingram

The last couple of weeks have been intense. Between processing the presidential election results (which has left many of us feeling scared, emotional, angry, and sad) and some difficult things happening in my personal life, my creative practice has completely fallen by the wayside. That daily art practice I shared with you before? The one with the squares for each day? Gone. Those mosaics I was making tons of? Haven't touched them. I simply haven't had the energetic, emotional, or mental capacity for any of it.

Watch this episode on video: https://youtu.be/-dGpUlC6QnM?si=z9clL7Z-9eX6mFln

You know those times when the world feels like it's falling down around you, and the thought of picking up a paintbrush or sitting down to write feels completely overwhelming? That's exactly where I am right now, and I know I'm not alone. This week, I was meeting with a coaching client who's working on an exciting creative project—one that usually lights her up—and she shared that she's experiencing the same thing. The election results knocked her over too, and she hasn't been able to put any creative energy toward her work.

Here's the thing: I've noticed that when life gets intense, our creative practices are often the first things to slip away. It's totally normal. As someone who makes art, writes, and generally tries to stay creative, I've learned that there are gentle ways to keep our creativity alive even when we don't have the emotional or mental capacity for big projects.

Creating Safe Space for Creativity

Let's talk about something really important that I've learned: to be able to create, you need to feel some level of safeness. Your nervous system needs to be at least somewhat regulated. You don't need to feel 100% safe—just enough to get started.

What does that look like in practice? It's different for everyone, but here are some things that help me:

* Creating a soothing environment (yes, it sounds cliché, but lighting a candle or playing specific music really does help)

* Finding your comfort drink (I'm literally sipping iced coffee as I write this, even though it's 4 PM)

* Setting up a dedicated creative space, even if it's just a corner of your desk

* Using meditation apps (I've been trying Insight Timer lately—turns out meditation isn't so bad with my ADHD when I have something to focus on)

Starting Small (Really Small)

One of my program participants came up with this brilliant idea: she made a post-it note that said "2 minutes" and listed all the creative things she could do in that time:

* Write a haiku

* Make a quick drawing

* Take photos of interesting plants on a walk

* Doodle on a post-it

It doesn't have to be a big event. You don't need to set up cameras and art supplies and make a whole production of it (trust me, I get it—I'm literally has to make the video simpler than usual because that's what I can handle right now).

Finding Your "Just Right" Activity

For me, one of the most soothing creative practices is collecting paper scraps and gluing them down. I can watch TV or listen to an audiobook while I do it. It's engaging enough to keep my hands busy but not so demanding that it overwhelms my emotional capacity.

Your "just right" activity might be:

* Neurographic art (making lines and rounding the edges)

* Playing with watercolors and watching them flow

* Stream-of-consciousness writing

* Moving your body through dance or large gesture drawing

* Working with clay

* Following a simple art tutorial on YouTube

The key is finding something that feels luscious and good to you, without being overwhelming.

Remember: It's About the Process, Not the Product

There's this amazing Kurt Vonnegut quote where he tells students to write a poem and then tear it up—scatter the pieces in different trash cans so no one can ever put it back together. Why? Because you still grow from the act of creating, even if no one ever sees it.

I spent years not making art because I thought it had to be "good." I studied art history, I knew what "good art" looked like, and I convinced myself that if I couldn't make that, it wasn't worth making anything at all. What a waste! I've been making art for several years now, and while I haven't made any money from it, it has changed my life in profound ways.

Stay Engaged (Even Just a Little)

The longer you stay away from your creative practice, whatever it is, the harder it gets to come back to it. (And if you're neurodivergent like me, you might literally forget that you're an artist or writer—whoops!)

Staying engaged, even in tiny ways, reminds your subconscious and your nervous system: "Hey, this is still a thing I do. This is still part of who I am." It helps you hold onto that part of yourself when things get hard.

A Gentle Reminder

If you're struggling to create right now, you're not alone. Allow yourself to create without expectation, without pressure for it to look or sound any particular way. Your creativity isn't gone—it might just need a gentler approach right now.

Remember: engaging with your creativity is valuable with or without an outcome. Sometimes the most important thing is just showing up, even if all you do is tear up paper or write three lines in your journal.

What small creative act could you do today? Not to make something amazing, not to share it with anyone, just to stay connected to that part of yourself?

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