Mind-Quieting Lines… Because We All Have Our Moments AND…

we’re all Better With Art!

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

If you’re ready to get started with my simple for of art journaling and need a journal, scroll to the bottom for my recommendation. Last week I said I would be trying out a different journal. Why it’s not in this week’s video is explained in the video and below in my links.

If you were overwhelmed last week by all the options to make our collage paper, you’ll be happy to know that this week all I’m using is a Sharpie. We’re going back to our relaxing lines. Black for me. If you’d like more color, have at it, but I do suggest you start with just one color so it’s easier to get into the relaxation of flow.

These days when I get out a Sharpie it’s usually for neurographic-style lines. If you were around during the 52-Week Art Journal Journey, you may be familiar with various projects that used relaxing, soft, slightly wavy, or even made out of letters, lines.

Click here to check out when we hid writing in our neurographic art.

But sometimes maybe you’re more in the mood for some straight lines. Maybe instead of going straight for the relaxation, you need to just make bold, distinct, tighter, maybe more aggressive strokes. Either way, we’re starting with straight lines this week. It’s another idea I found on Instagram. Though done differently here. Bisect your page. Edge to edge. In all directions. Lines crossing in many places.

In the video I was struggling to make my lines quite straight, but that’s okay. It’s my art journal. Our art journals are a place for us to experiment and express ourselves without fear of what others will think. I share mine to encourage you to take time for your own creative self-care.

If you ever decide to share your Better With Art art on Instagram I would love it if you tagged me better.with.art. And if you’d like to share in a smaller, only encouraging environment, you can click here to sign up to receive email from me, which will also take each week’s prompt further with a writing prompt, and a link to join the private Facebook group.

After you have a good number of straight lines crossing each other in many places, like abstract more-rigid-than-nature spiderwebs, it’s time to move into the softer part of today’s small art, another opportunity to let your mind relax in some repetitive, but also beautiful in it’s own way, activity. Like the softening of our pointy corners where our lines crossed in our neurographic art. If you didn’t catch those videos last year, or you’d like to revisit them, they’re linked at the end of this post.

I couldn’t remember how the person in the reel had made their lines. So I played around with some different styles. Loops. Double loops, don’t know what else to call them… sort of like a figure 8 but beginning and ending against opposite or adjacent sides of the angular shapes made by our crossed lines. You can make wave-like wavy lines. Just make curves in ways that feel good to you. Let your brain and your body relax into the simple act of filling the blanks spaces with soft lines.

As I noticed the weight of my lines, I did remember that a narrower pen was used for the soft lines in the spaces made by the straight lines. And as I went, I thought, you know, that may look better. But this is another project where it’s do what works for you. I’m needing new fine-tipped markers/pens, and I know what I’m trying next… also linked below.

I was going a little fast. In part because, well, I have a bit of arthritis and my wrist and fingers cramp up. Take your time as best you can.

I love sharing projects like this with you, because they’re great for not just one day in your art journal, but also to use anytime you’d like. As a way to relax when you’re anxious. As doodle-making. I am very much a person who can pay better attention in meetings if my hands have something to do. When I have to attend a Zoom meeting I prefer the ones where I don’t have to be on camera. Because I prefer to be doing something else with my hands. It may look like I’m not paying attention, but it helps me focus. My mind tends to wander if all I can do is listen. Little projects like this I can enjoy curled up on the couch, watching a movie with my daughter.

For me, regular art-making is like oxygen. I don’t know how I survived so long away from it.

I can tell you it wasn’t as well as I’m surviving now.

So, as I said, I love sharing little projects like this with you as I did in the 52-Week Art Journal Journey. To give you an idea, motivation, inspiration to sit down and take time for creative self-care, to keep a weekly art date with yourself, and to give you things like this that you can add to your mental-health toolbox, to take out when you’re feeling anxious, or stressed, or depressed and need to get your brain out of those dark thoughts that just won’t stop.

I know. I’ve been there. I understand.

Art helps.

But we’re not always feeling up to, or have the time for, a detailed artwork. So enjoy this simple little project. In whatever way works for you. Whenever you need it.

Maybe it’s not great art. But that’s okay. Because it’s not meant to be. But it IS art. And that’s great.

I’m sharing it with you so you can take advantage of its benefits as well.

Take time to make art, Friend. It’s not. A waste of time.

Thank you for joining me. If you you watch the video and plan to take some time for some mental-health-inspiring line-making this week, give it a thumbs-up. Share with someone you know needs to be encouraged to reclaim their creativity and establish a healthy habit of creative self-care. Kind comments are always appreciated. And be sure to subscribe. Don’t miss reminders to take time for creative self-care and have a weekly art date with yourself. All these things also help me grow my reach so others can be reminded that they need art.

I’ll be back next week with another prompt. You can check out more Sharpie videos below, and if you click any of my Amazon links and make a qualifying purchase, I will make a small commission as an Amazon associate. This does not affect your price, but gives me a few cents to support my sharing my healthy art habit, so thanks if you do!