This exercise teaches us how to express on paper, the way we feel by immersing our minds in the present moment. So often we are distracted by rushing around, marking off the to-do list, frequenting appointments, scrolling social media, checking emails, the list goes on and on. Many things are vying for our attention at any given moment. It creates anxiety and stress, which in turn, can make our bodies physically ill. Learning how to press the brakes for a moment during our day can help us to cope when we begin feeling overwhelmed. This creative mindfulness exercise returns focus to the breath and encourages us to slow down and notice the present sights, sounds, and feelings that normally are pushed aside as background noise. When finished with this mixed media tutorial, we will have a small set of cards as a reminder to draw our attention back to our breath and to notice how we are choosing to participate in the present moment.
Supplies needed:
1. One piece of art quality paper (i.e. mixed media or watercolor) at least 9"x12" or larger. Smaller paper will produce smaller cards unless you use more than one piece of paper.
2. Masking tape to mark off 2"x2" or 3"x3" squares on your paper.
3. Two or more mark-making mediums. Pens, watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, oil pastels, markers, etc.
4. Glue
Quick Overview:
After gathering all of the needed supplies, you will tape off the paper into 2x2" or 3x3" squares, as shown below. Do not use super sticky tape or press down too hard. You will be removing this at the end. I also taped off the outer edges because I want to have a white border around my cards. At the end of the exercise you will be cutting these squares out either with or without a white border around them. These can be used as cards to carry with you or put in a special place as a reminder.
For each part of the exercise we will ground ourselves, observe a feeling happening around or inside of us, then release it out onto the page. We will do this by choosing a medium then creating a mark or set of marks. We will be doing marks for sound, for sight, for feeling, and for spontaneity layering one on top of the other.
Part One: Marks of Sound
Many times we are often so engaged in our own activity that we drown out the noise of the world around us with our inner self talk. We shut ourselves off to what is happening around us unless it happens to be loud enough to catch our attention. The sound of birds chirping or children laughing can be one of many small tokens of joy in our day. Have you ever been sitting in front of someone who is talking to you, just to realize that you can't repeat a single word they said because you weren't really listening? Learning to tune in and truly listen to a friend, partner, or child can make them feel important.
- Ensure your paper is taped off and your supplies are ready.
- Set a timer for three minutes.
- Close your eyes and take three deep inhalations, sighing out through your mouth on the exhale. You can also go outside to do this part.
- With eyes closed, listen to the sounds around you. How many different sounds do you hear? Notice the ones far away as well as the ones close to you. Do this until your timer ends. Go back inside to your paper if you walked outdoors.
- Invite your imagination to see those sounds as a color, shape, or line. How would each sound visually express itself.
- Capture that sound by making a mark in each box with the medium of your choice. Below is an example using acrylic paint.
Part Two: Marks of Sight
When is the last time you put your phone down while at a public place and simply watched life happening around you? Or walked into a store and noticed what color their walls were painted? Do you take the time to notice details of your surroundings? For this part of the exercise we will focus on noticing what we may have not noticed before.
- Walk to your favorite room in the house or outside the house. Sit, stand, or lie down in an area of that favorite place where you don't normally go to. For example, if you normally lie down on the couch, then sit down in a chair that's in the opposite corner.
- For five minutes, notice and observe all the sights you see from this different perspective. Change positions if you want. What have you never noticed before? Try not to attach any emotion to the objects you see. Just notice them.
- After the five minutes, walk back to your paper and sit down. Draw or paint representations of the objects that come to your mind the most. Again, these can be representations. They do not have to look exactly like the object you saw. Paint or draw a separate object for each box. An example is shown below. You can begin to see how the marks are layering upon one another.
Part Three: Marks of Feeling
Many times we don't pay attention to or label our feeling unless that feeling is what we might consider a negative feeling or a highly positive feeling. We notice when we are in pain, scared, angry, fearful, unhappy, or bored. We notice when we are in love, happy, excited. There should be times throughout the day when we check in with ourselves and ask, "How do I feel right now? Why am I feeling this way?" This can lessen the chance of roller coaster highs and lows, allowing us to more effectively handle our underlying feelings before they bubble up out of control. The following breathing exercise is a good way to pause and do a check-in on yourself at any time of the day.
- Now we will take a moment to reconnect with our breath. Sit cross-legged on the floor with hands resting on knees or sit up in a chair with feet firmly planted on the floor and spine straight, hands resting on thighs. Allow your gaze to soften to a point on the floor in front of you. We will do five rounds of box breathing. Inhale for a count of four. Hold for a count of four. Exhale for a count of four. Hold for a count of four. That is one round. Do five rounds total.
- When finished, return to normal breathing and close the eyes. Notice your heartbeat. Notice the rise and fall of your chest. Notice if you are tensing your shoulders. Or your jaw. Notice how you are feeling. Right now, in the present moment. When you are ready, open your eyes.
- Choose a medium and color that will best portray what you are currently feeling. Make marks in each of the boxes that represent this feeling.
Part Four: Marks of Spontaneity
Part of living life is learning how to go with the flow and allow for the unexpected. We can try to control everything by planning to the last minute of our day, creating a deep well of anxiety for ourselves or we can choose to remain open and flexible, knowing that plans can change at any minute. Having a goal and planning is good, but so is having adaptability to changes and allowing events to unfold in unexpected ways. Art is a great teacher of the unexpected. So let's shake things up a bit!
- Set an intention to create a small space within yourself that is open to the unexpected.
- Walk around your house or outdoors and find several small flat objects, patterned paper, picture, leaf or anything of interest that catches your attention that can be glued to your paper.
- Find one thing for each box. Glue it down without overthinking it. The example below shows torn pieces of a thank you card, some blue shell pieces, and artificial moss.
Part Five: Words
Up until this point we have been expressing the present moment with colors, lines, shapes, and markings. For some of us, that is more difficult than using words. For others it is easier.
- Now is the time to remove your tape from the paper. If any tears or rips happen, that is ok. Simply use the glue or cute washi tape to mend it. Take a moment to look at each individual painting you made. Spend a few moments looking at each one. Then look at them as a whole.
- Write a word or words, phrase, quote, or anything that comes to mind on each individual painting. What does it bring to mind when you look at it? How does it make you feel? Make any other marks that you feel is necessary to finish off each painting.
- To complete this exercise, cut out each painting (you may want to leave a white border around each one) and paperclip them together or put them in a small bag to carry in your purse or hang them up in a special place. I used ModPodge to seal everything on them before cutting. If you used marker or anything that can bleed then be careful doing this. Use them as a reminder of this exercise to help you come back to the present moment throughout your day. On the back, you may want to write down Sound, Sight, Feeling, Spontaneity.
Thank you for joining me in this exercise. I hope you found it enjoyable and useful. I teach Creative Flow Yoga and Art Retreats on my farm in Broken Arrow. I hope you are able to join me one day so we can meet. May you have a wonderful day living in the present moment.
-Katy Casillas-Gray