Why painting is good for your mind, body and soul.

Life in the way of art

Why do so many of us produce less creative work as we get older? As children, so many of us played instruments, painted, danced or simply lost ourselves in imaginative play before adult life came and took away our time, and, in many cases our creative confidence.

Then there’s the will to do it - often at the end of a busy day, you are just so tired that all you feel capable of is vegging in front of Netflix or heading to the pub for a much-needed catch up with friends.

The three cocktails may have helped...

The main barrier to it though, is the feeling that activity has to be productive, not enjoyed for its own sake. I think of all the hours I used to spend holed in my room painting away for my own enjoyment, happy and content in my internal world.

Now, I feel as if I don’t deserve the time to devote to it, that there’s practical stuff I could be doing instead - isn’t there always something to be done around the house or on our life admin list?

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  The trick is to work creativity into your routine and justify its importance to your daily life above other things. The second trick is to just enjoy it no matter what the result is and to do it because it’s good for your wellbeing- as mindfulness practice has proven. 

Get thee to The Paint Club!

This is why Paint Club is the perfect dose of creativity for time-stretched, life-stretched people. In a way it’s a three in one evening- you can go to the pub, take friends and get creative in a fun, relaxed environment- no judgement, just fun. Plus, you get a canvas to walk away with so that’s your productivity box ticked right there. 

Toucan paint together at The Paint Club

Authored by the wonderful @mipsmm