
Creative Chaos: Making a Mentally Healthy Mess
This week we’re letting go and getting messy, taking control of chaos that we feel by acknowledging it and capturing it on paper. We’re making marks, tearing paper, creating texture, and smearing color for creative self-care.
Welcome to BETTER WITH ART! I’m Melinda and I’m here to encourage you to reclaim your creativity and practice creative self-care with weekly small-art prompts that can be done in the privacy of an art journal or on paper if you don’t have one.
If you’d like an art journal that’s ideal for my simple form of art journaling that uses various mediums, the paper is important. It needs to be heavy-weight and preferably hot-press because although I love the texture of cold-press it’s really hard on markers and pens. The mixed-media one I use in my videos and the art journaling groups at the library where I work is 140lb/300gsm. It stands up to all my dry, wet, and layered applications. Sold in a three-pack, it also remains the best regular-price value that I’ve found.
Other materials in this week’s video:
Colored Sharpie
Amazon Basics Fine Tip Permanent Marker
Elmer’s Disappearing Purple washable glue sticks
If you use any of my Amazon product links and make a qualifying purchase, I will, at no cost to you, earn a commission, a convenient way you can support my channel with your purchase. So thanks if you do!
To see how to enjoy painting nature even when you can’t be outdoors, for botanical inspiration mentioned in this week’s video, click here to watch Sketching Nature for Creative Self-Care.

