mind and muse

Hello all. Welcome to my blog, Mind & Muse. Where I will be sharing all things craftsmanship, trends, mental health, and the general art of living. I would describe this under the categories of creative expression, self-discovery, and therapeutic journaling. All mixed in with my personal experiences going through life; experiencing early adulthood and the privilege of girlhood. 

Once upon time…

It was a July day in 2016 when I was sitting with my grandmother in her old Door County, Wisconsin home. We were drawing, listening to Frankie Valli, at the dining room table. We used soft pastels, colored pencil, and crayon. That’s the day I discovered stillness within colors, brightness, and simply art in general. All just while drawing her backyard; a giant field of flowers.

I quickly grew a strong passion for things like drawing and painting of course, but also crocheting, scrapbooking, etc. I also developed an extreme love for music, all types of genres. I learned very quickly growing up that life has seemed to get a lot harder since simply drawing with my grandmother. Major bumps in the road such as anxiety and stress start to creep in, as expected.

The kind of anxiety I and most people navigate is described as a “crazy train” according to my therapist. One anxious spark will stop by, from there, we hop on this train to see the route it’s going. And by the time we’re getting off the train, we are so far from home. So far that we don’t even know what town we’ve been dropped off in. And it all started out with that first thought that’s JUST realistic enough to where we can believe it could happen. It’s the bodies way of protecting us from something that’s not even real. It’s the illusion of being in control of the uncertainty; the future.

Even though that is just a blueprint of what anxiety looks like, the other part of it that I want to talk about is how hobbies can get me through spells of discomfort. Such as, you guessed it, anything creative. However this looks different for everyone. I always say that Earth without art is just “eh”. That’s true for humans as well. I believe everyone should have at least just one thing that makes them them. Having those little things in life will help you romanticize everything just a little more, day by day. 

Here’s how you do that…

Whatever you choose to invest your time into, wether thats something physically active, or something that trains your brain, that thing will relax your nerves. You will feel tranquility. For example, aside from art, I find outdoor walks to be extremely unshackle. Practicing whatever your thing may be, will trigger the brains reward system. Releasing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin which are mood boosters. This proves that a simple activity will reduce stress levels significantly.

I as an artist aspire to express, articulate, and reveal what anxiety, stress, and overthinking does to a young adult trying to figure out the world. Along the other side of the journey, which consists of happiness, creativity, and self expression through art. My beloved pastime.

Let’s pull out our grandma’s old materials, and start fresh no matter what that may look like.