Circles to Serenity: Another Simple Small-Art Prompt for Creative Self-Care

Welcome to Better With Art. I’m Melinda, and I am here to encourage you to reclaim your creativity and establish a healthy habit of creative self-care with weekly small-art prompts that can be done in an art journal or on paper if you don’t have one.

Starting with Circles and Colors

For this week’s small art you’ll need your art journal or paper (if you’re looking for an art journal, my top recommendation is below), circle-shaped objects in various sizes to trace, and markers or other writing implements. Links so Sharpies like I’m using in the video and a couple other types of fine-point permanent markers I enjoy are also below. Color is optional, but I’ve decided to use color this time instead of just black. It’s one way this week’s neurographic relaxation is different from the past.

I wanted to start with black, but didn’t want to risk picking up the darker layers and ruining my lighter colors.

I started with an interesting green light green.

After you’ve chosen your colors, or color, choose whether or not you want to add a border, then use the objects you collected to trace some random circles on your page. Don’t worry if they’re not perfect. I slipped a bit myself. Don’t overcrowd because we have more to add. You might even consider adding a border.

Adding Neurographic-Style Relaxation

Before moving on to my purple, I added soft wavy lines across, over, and round my page. Again, not too many, but you want to make sure you have plenty of lines overlapping. If you’ve been around a while you’ve seen me make these lines before.

And you know what we do with them next.

Next we find all those sharp points where our lines, including the lines of our circles, cross, round them. I love how softening the harsh crossings can smooth the jagged places in our minds.

Relax into it, Friend. And let it relax you.

If you’ve never tried this style of art-making for relaxation, don’t stress over your lines or softening just right. Let yourself get caught up in the process. You’ll find your groove.

There is no perfect.

There are no rules.

Except to make the sharp, hard, pointy places smooth and gentle.

After enjoying my green I moved on to purple, and finally black.

If you find a spot you find bare, or feel unfinished, add more circles or lines. Whatever works for you.

Enjoying Community & Encouragement

I so enjoy the encouraging interactions in our Facebook group. If you’d like to join us, click here to receive the link to join, as well as an email with a writing prompt to go along with week’s art, that’s supposed to be weekly, but I’m having trouble keeping up with that as well as I am interacting in the Facebook group.

Life is busy.

Yours probably is, too.

It can be difficult to rationalize taking the time for something we convince ourselves is as frivolous or pointless or meaningless as making simple art.

But it’s a vital part of mental well-being.

I am so much healthier since reclaiming my creativity, since accepting my need to make art and making it a regular practice.

I hope you’ve never experienced the despair of severe depression, and that you never do, but I am living proof that making art helps.

Whether you’re someone who, like me, stopped making art because it seemed like a waste of time when there were so many other important things to get done; or you’re an artist who feels out of inspiration, let me encourage and inspire you in the video below.