It’s easy to experience burnout as a college student.
Being overwhelmed with assignments and exams, not having the time or mental energy to take care of yourself, and filling your free time with scrolling can make burnout worse. This is something that I have struggled with.
As a STEM student, it became common for me to complete my difficult and confusing math assignments and decompress by mindlessly scrolling on my phone. However, unhealthy habits like scrolling do not give my brain a true break from my work; instead of feeling refreshed afterwards, I had brain fog and my motivation shot. That’s why I try to keep art as my first hobby when I take a break from studying, whether that’s working on a painting or just sketching and doodling for 10 minutes. I have been an artist for almost my whole life, so here are some improvements I have noticed in my academic work ethic as a result of my artistic habits.
Concentration & Patience
In a world of endless “doomscrolling,” painting has become a way to quickly and effectively improve my attention span. It’s nice to step away from technology and spend 3 hours painting a still life instead of 3 hours on TikTok. When I turn to my school work after painting for a while, I can easily focus on my work, and I am less tempted by distractions.
Creative Problem Solving
Being an artist can be handy when you are stuck on an assignment, especially when it comes to essays and group projects. When I spend my free time coming up with painting ideas, sketching what’s around me, and looking for inspiration, my creativity becomes much stronger. I can come up with essay topics with ease and navigate confusing essay questions with creative twists. Additionally, I’ve noticed that when I’m working on a group project, and my teammates and I get stuck on a problem, I find ways to efficiently redirect the issue.
Reducing Stress
It might be obvious, but painting is an incredibly relaxing hobby. Dragging my brush across a canvas and slowly watching an image emerge before me is one of the most satisfying and rewarding things in the world. Pottery, drawing, painting, music, and photography are all great options to get out of your head and make something with your own hands.
Hopefully, some of these reasons encourage you to pick up an artistic hobby this semester. Making art might be the secret ingredient to your academic comeback!