March is certainly a busy time in any college student’s life. Like many of my peers, I’ve had exams nearly every week in the past month. As a freshman, there’s definitely been an adjustment period as I’ve learned to balance academic and other responsibilities.
But recently, I started to feel like something was off about this balance.
I spent so much time making art as a kid, but began to neglect it during high school. I used to be able to sit down and pour hours into a drawing, but that no longer felt realistic. And as more time passed, I felt I probably wasn’t even capable of making anything ‘good’ if I tried.
This semester, however, things are different. I’ve been investing more time into small creative ventures, which has been both fun and therapeutic. There are endless ways to incorporate creativity into your life, but the following have been my favorites this semester. Each can be done quickly or across several episodes, which is important to me as a busy student who can’t always block out long hours for non-essential tasks.
Just remember, the most important thing is a lack of self-judgment. Creative mindfulness is all about the process, not the result!
1. Decorative Journaling
I’ve never been a daily journal kind of girl (believe me, I’ve tried). But my current journal has been my most consistent yet, and I think a large part of that is due to the creativity I’ve incorporated. If you’re looking for a way to add some flare to your journal, I recommend adding stickers, washi tape, magazine cutouts, or drawings. These fill up pages (which I personally love as a blank page can be daunting) and reinforce the attention to detail journaling encourages. Plus, I just love looking back on a notebook filled with words and colors.
2. Watercolors
I recently picked up a set of watercolors for the first time since elementary school. Since they’re not opaque, watercolors feel more noncommittal: exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something I could use freely and imprecisely. There’s a lot of instant gratification with technology now, and I feel like my attention span has suffered. I really like that watercolors force you to step away from the process and allow a piece to be built up over time. I personally love nature scenes and landscapes, but there’s truly no right or wrong way to paint – try anything and everything!
3. Nail Painting
This one may sound silly, but painting my nails has honestly become one of my favorite hobbies. I used to mindlessly pick at the skin around my fingertips, so I started keeping them painted at all times to break the habit. I find that painting your nails is something you can easily split your focus while doing (like putting on a show in the background), or otherwise allow your mind to wander.
Personally, I keep my ‘designs’ simple: a French tip, or green with faint sparkles for St. Patrick’s Day. However, you can easily elevate the designs and get super creative with it! There are also many types of polish to experiment with, but I personally use regular lacquer because I find it the most gentle on my nails. I definitely encourage anyone wanting to do their own nails to look into cuticle prep and nail health; at least for me, it’s very interesting and helps the manicure last significantly longer.
Just remember, there’s no wrong way to be creative. Give some of these a try and see what you think!