Why I make art every day and you should too - Melinda VanRy Art & Design

I’ve been making a lot of art but it seems like most of what I make is being filmed. Because it is. But one night last week I just needed to curl up with my art journal and relax by myself. I enjoyed it so well as an off-camera creative self-care pre-bed winddown, I wanted to share it with you. I don’t recall ever sharing or even making lines quite like this before.

Grab your art journal or paper, and a pen, and let’s make some simple, relaxing art with gentle repetition that can help us slide into flow, where all the noise quiets.

Why I make art every day

Choosing to intentionally make art-making a regular part of my truly did change my life. And that’s why started the 52-Week Art Journal Journey and continued with BETTER WITH ART. I want to encourage you to reclaim your creativity and practice creative self-care through art-making. And remind you that it’s not a waste of time.

It’s so good for our mental health.

I have struggled with a severe mood disorder. Art is part of my mental-health maintenance.

Art is part of who I am. And I don’t deny that anymore.

How I started making art every day

A 100-Day Project in 2022 was the catalyst, the impetus, to commit to regular art-making. Well, that’s not quite the way to word it. I needed to be able to give myself permission to take the time to make art. There were so many other things that seemed more important that needed to be done.

There are always things that need to be done. But art isn’t just goofing off. It can be sometimes. But don’t let that stop you from making it a priority.

Don’t make the mistake I did.

I’m so much healthier now.

Getting started

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 a 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. Click here to check it out.

Here’s the set that contains the pen I’m using.
And another inexpensive option available on Amazon.
Any pen will do for this week’s small art.

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 thank you so much if you do! You can check out more of my favorite art supplies by clicking here to visit my slowly growing Amazon storefront.