Did you think that creating art is all rainbows and unicorns? No, no, not at all! Artists have one of the hardest jobs out there. (⚆_⚆) No kidding. An artist always starts with nothing – a blank canvas – and builds up everything from scratch. Time and time again.
Buddhists often describe meditation as a blissful state of nothingness – a way of being ‘in the world but not of it’. What an interesting overlap with the creativity of an artist, isn’t it?
In fact, meditation and art-making have much more in common than you might think. Meditation is not only nourishment for the soul and mind but also for our creativity.
You have surely noticed that you cannot be creative if your head is heavy with thoughts, stress, and worry. Inspiration only comes to a calm and peaceful mind.
This is how meditation helps artists. It supports you in cultivating a state of mind that allows you to tap into the limitless potential of your being and boundless creative inspiration.
→ 110 Quotes About Artistic Inspiration To Keep You Going!
Why is mindfulness important in art?
Deep inside of us, we all have a constantly flowing well of stillness and tranquility. However, in our world of non-stop information overload, it is easy to lose the connection with our inner calmness and wisdom.
If we can’t relax and quiet our mind, it is impossible to unfold our full creative potential. That’s why mindfulness is important in art.
When we feel stuck in a creative rut or crippled by art anxiety, we tend to look outside of us for inspiration. It is true that new creative ideas can come when going for a walk in nature, reading a good book, or looking at other artists’ work.
But we can also turn inward and practice mindfulness. What exactly does that mean? Being mindful simply means being aware and in the present moment. That can happen by focusing on your breathing or a flickering candle, or becoming conscious of your environment, your body, posture, and so on.
Until a couple of years ago, I wasn't a believer in meditation myself. I used to think it was some esoteric hoodoo that wasn’t working anyways. But as everybody kept talking about the benefits of meditation, I decided to give it a shot and try it out for three months.
When I first sat down cross-legged and tried to think of nothing or focus my attention on a candle flame, I would find that it was simply impossible. My thoughts would start drifting away within a few seconds. But that’s normal…
Our brains are just not used to ‘not thinking‘ or staying present with something for a longer period of time, i.e. for more than a couple of seconds. But I had made my three months commitment, so I kept going. And slowly slowly, I started to see improvements. By the end of the three months, I found it already much easier to focus my attention and stay present.
In the meantime, I have implemented a regular meditation practice. I meditate 10-15 minutes in the morning right after getting up and again 10-15 minutes at night before going to bed.
I noticed that the best ideas often come during a meditation session. It already happened a number of times that I felt stuck and didn’t know how to carry on a particular work of art. But when I sat down to meditate, I suddenly received the inspiration I needed to finish the piece!
When we turn inward and everything outside of us drops away, this is the moment we connect with our innate creativity and have the best ideas. Meditation helps unleash our creativity and is as nurturing to our inner artist as it is to our soul and whole being.
That's why I recommend giving it a go. Meditation does help artists.
If you don’t know where to start, I have some excellent resources for you at the bottom of this post.
Listen.
Get this printable quote as a reminder that meditation helps quiet your mind and save 40% with code 'QUOTES40'.
How can meditation increase the creativity of an artist?
When we are busy or stressed, our mind is fixated on the stressors and other things that don’t pertain to our work. This prevents new ideas from entering our field of thinking. By accessing that place of inner stillness, we can quieten the internal chatter of our minds.
Just 20 to 30 minutes of meditation per day can increase focus, reduce stress and anxiety, and even relieve physical pain. Through brain mapping, neuroscientists were able to show that meditation can create the mental and emotional conditions that foster increased inspiration, clearer vision and better health. All the good stuff that artists need!
How does meditation help artists?
6 BENEFITS OF MEDITATION THAT HELP ARTISTS
1. You open up to new inspiration.
Studies found that meditation promotes divergent thinking, meaning in a meditative state you are more open to new creative insights and ideas. At the same time, your problem-solving capabilities improve and you are better able to deal with and solve difficulties in your creative process.
2. You connect with your inner self.
In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it is easy to lose ourselves and forget about our actual purpose. Meditation helps us reconnect with our inner self – our soul.
It clears away the layers and expectations imposed on us from outside and helps balance return in our body, mind and soul. If you sometimes tend to forget why you followed your calling to be an artist in the first place, meditation will help you remember your initial motivation!
3. You access your subconscious.
Creativity is rooted in our subconscious minds. But to access this treasure trove, we must dig beneath the surface of our “monkey minds” – as the Buddhists like to call the constant chatter going on in our heads.
Meditation trains the mind to quieten and let your heart speak. Gradually, your intuition will become more powerful and your gut feeling will tell you which creative ideas you should pursue.
4. You find more balance.
Meditation nourishes the spirit and helps you let go of fear, sadness, anger, and other negative emotions that can make you feel unbalanced and negatively affect your creative expression.
A more balanced state of mind allows you to see things from a different angle and more rationally. Your energy stores replenish and your creative juices start flowing again with ease.
5. You build confidence.
Self-doubt and imposter syndrome are two of the biggest problems creators struggle with. But to be successful as an artist, it is important to build creative confidence. Confidence comes from knowing yourself at a deeper level and feeling at ease with both your strengths and weaknesses.
The better you know yourself and the more you accept your weak points, the more confident an artist you will become!
- The ideal companion for your daily meditation practice:
Stay positive with daily affirmations!
6. You get into the flow.
Being in a state of self-forgetfulness when doing something you love is one of the most beautiful things. Meditation helps artists get into that flow state.
We live in a world of constant distractions: incoming text messages and emails, the phone ringing, social media, you name it. It has become normal for us to tune into those distractions without even thinking about it.
Meditation helps calm the mind and create greater focus. You can focus much longer on your creative task at hand and don’t get distracted by external things so easily anymore. The more you meditate, the more you are able to focus.
Are you keen to start trying out meditation for yourself? Then I have some great resources for you to help you get started!
Easy-to-follow meditation course for beginners that gives you all the basics you need to get started with meditation and fuel your creativity!
In this Skillshare course, Dandan Liu makes you familiar with the practice of meditation in a simple and enjoyable way. Dandan is a creative herself and has been exploring meditation for more than 10 years. She has lived in monasteries around the world to deepen her knowledge about meditation.
The lessons in her course are designed in a way that makes meditation applicable for everyone, even for beginners without any previous experience. You will learn easy-to-follow methods to meditate deeply, get to know the best mediation postures to support relaxation and stability, and learn how to use your breath to deepen your meditative experience.
Beginner-friendly 7-Day meditation course that focuses on art practices and finding your unique voice as an artist.
Karelia Blum is an artist, writer and podcaster. In this Skillshare course, she shows you how meditation helps artists to discover their unique way of creative expression. The 7-day course consists of three parts. In the first part, you will get to know your creative strengths and weaknesses.
In the second part, Karelia shows you easy-to-apply techniques to enter a creative flow state. The last part will support you in finding the practices that best promote your personal creative process. Guided meditations, breathing exercises, intuitive journaling, and drawing and painting practices will help you uncover your creative skills and open up to new inspirational sources.
First of all I want to say excellent blog! I had a quick question in which
I’d like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to find out how
you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing.
I have had difficulty clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out.
I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like
the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually wasted simply
just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or tips? Appreciate it!
Great question, Candace!
I usually start by brainstorming new blog post ideas and make a list with all the ideas in my head. After that, I research if people are actually looking for these topics and what exactly they are looking for. With that done, I create a posting schedule with all the blog articles that I want to write in the coming weeks. That way, I already know what I’m going to write about and I can already think about it before I sit down to write. Maybe that’ll work for you too?
Keep me updated and let me know how it’s going (: