Whether we like it or not, the time has come: finals week. It’s a week of choosing studying over sleep and making countless trips to the Starbucks in Library West for midday pick-me-ups. It’s a week during which UF’s campus will be creepily deserted and the library will be full of end-of-the-semester bandwagoners. It’s a week that causes the campus to be permeated with a constant feeling of anxiety and stress. But when you feel like you’re about to explode from memorizing one too many formulas, step back, take a deep breath, and try my newly discovered way of relieving stress: get artsy.
You might be thinking to yourself, “Ugh, I’m going to stop reading this article because I’m not artistic at all.” Don’t worry! You don’t need to be the next Pablo Picasso to use art as a means of letting off some steam. Below are a few of my favorite forms of art:
1. Watercolors
Don’t be intimidated by the ornate landscape watercolor paintings you may have seen before. Watercolor painting can be as simple as picking a certain color palette and doing a few strokes here and there. This paint gives you a lot of freedom to paint whatever your little heart desires. My personal favorite thing to paint is a sunset (so original, I know) because the colors end up blending together seamlessly, and it reminds me of summer. Eyes on the prize, ladies!
2. Coloring
Bring it back to your childhood with some good ol’ Crayola crayons. There’s something so comforting and nostalgic about coloring, which makes it a perfect exam week study break. While you’re at it, hit up the closest Dollar Tree to buy your favorite Disney princess coloring book. Go big or go home! But don’t forget to color in the lines!
3. Crafting
Websites such as Tumblr and Pinterest make for tons of adorable crafting ideas waiting to be discovered by stressed out collegiettes like us. This picture frame is simple to make: dig up your old Seventeen magazines, cut some pages into strips, roll them up, and glue to the frame. You’re recycling old magazines, so it’s guilt-free crafting that you’re not spending a fortune on!
4. Melted Crayon Art
If you feel as though you’re not creative or artistic enough for any of these above options, then this one is for you. It takes no artistic abilities whatsoever, but the finished product looks pretty fancy and elaborate (perfect for decorating your dorm or apartment!). Hot glue crayons to the top of a canvas and blow-dry a few at a time until they start melting. Continue to blow dry the streams of melted crayon until it reaches the bottom of the canvas. Make sure to put down an old sheet first though, since it tends to be a bit messy.
Don’t let the stress of memorizing a whole semester of information get you down. Even though it sometimes feels like the easiest thing to do is just break down and cry when you’re under immense stress, that’ll only make it worse. Turn on your favorite relaxing Pandora station and get coloring! You’ll feel so much less tense and anxious afterwards, and the end product could turn out super cute. Good luck on your exams from all of us here at Her Campus UFL!
Photo credits:
www.stepoutsideyourboxsaturdays.wordpress.com
www.turningpointcinema.com
www.andreearoxxana.blogspot.com
www.tumblr.com