Guided Mindful Art Activities at The Art Class

Many of us have heard about the benefits of mindfulness but find it hard to make it a part of our busy lives. Allowing yourself focused time in your week to create art through guided in-person or online art classes is a great way to access a mindful state and the sense of nurturing calm it brings.

 What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is intentionally pausing and paying attention to the present moment without judgement. This gives us time to connect to what we are doing in that moment and to ourselves. Making art has a therapeutic effect and can provide a state of focus and calm.

What are the benefits of creating mindful art?

One of the reasons creativity is so powerful is that it encourages self-acceptance. The process of being inspired is a type of mindful meditation, an active guiding of the mind, that increases our self-awareness and allows us to find acceptance through our creations.

Engaging in the creative process can be used as a tool that can help to calm and settle our demanding thoughts. Much like meditation, the time in which we create art allows us to separate ourselves from negative or anxious thoughts and connect with our true selves. This removal of judgment lets us relax our body and our mind.

Learning to engage in art mindfully means really slowing down and focusing on the process of creating. Mindful art is not about what you make but about how you get there and what you notice along the way.

Online and in-person mindful art sessions at The Art Class

Guided classes at The Art Class include painting and drawing workshops. By painting what’s directly in front of you and being gently led through the process allows you to really see and evaluate the image whilst learning new techniques and skills.

When we focus on what we're creating, time can pass by without us realising that we haven't been concentrating on other things. This is because creative activities, whichever form they take, change our focus and attention, which is so beneficial for our well-being.

At The Art Class, it's not about how experienced you are; it's about finding your flow, creating a moment of calm and finding your confidence. I encourage everyone not to look at their work as "good" or "bad" but rather to focus on the process and the conscious, fulfilling experience of being creative.

It’s not only the process of being creative that helps our well-being but also the interaction with other people and art that can help us feel focused, inspired and more self-confident through the shared experience of taking part in an art class.

So many of us have strong inner critics that stop us from creating and expressing ourselves freely, but through guided, mindful art lessons and focusing on the process, you can learn to increase self-awareness and self-compassion and become more creative.

For more information about guided tuition at The Art Class, click here to see the online and in-person art classes I currently run.