365 Day Mood Project

These past few weeks have been pretty tough, so on Day 20, I didn’t have the energy to do a lot. Some days are days you feel like you need to drain out the poison, whatever is welling up and stewing. Today, I took some time to write, not for this blog, but just for the love of it.

I was sort of crafty as a kid, but I don’t think I really discovered how much art, in all its forms, could help until college. My freshman year of college was when my depression was at its peak. I didn’t leave my dorm except for quick walks to grab coffee at 5 am. It carried on that way for about 7 months. I flunked out of my freshman year, moved back home, and went to community college until I could fully recover.

Once I transferred to university, I came in as an Art History student, mostly because I didn’t really have a dream or passion. It just seemed cool. Then I took a painting class, met my favorite painting teacher, was given a studio space, and was given the keys to the art building. Sitting in that studio space with the smell of turpentine, blasting “Ça plane pour moi” was the first time in years I’d felt GOOD.

My mind has always been too active for meditation, at least in the traditional sense. Putting my hands to use and MAKING has always been my meditation. There are scientific reasons for this. Engaging in creative activities can lower your cortisol and increase feel-good hormones like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins.

Since being creative has been so helpful for me, here are a few suggestions of things you can do:

1. Journal
   
   Yes, I know. I didn’t use to like it either. That was, until I stopped giving myself rules for how I was supposed to use it. Use it when you feel like it. Use it to vent. Use it to write fiction. Use it to write a singular word. Use it to write a daily mantra. There are no rules. You decide how it has to work. The point is to put a pen to paper.
   
   
2. Grab a coloring book or a sketchbook
   
   I’ve heard this all before. “But I don’t have talent”. As someone who only picked up painting in college, some people do have talent. Some people have learned technique. If you put their artwork next to each other, you won’t know which is which. That said, if that’s intimidating or seems like a lot of commitment, try a coloring book. It’s low stakes.
   
   
3. Take photos
   
   Go for a walk and use your phone. Get an instant polaroid camera. You have a lot of options with this. I sometimes go on hikes and take photos on my phone, then paint whatever it was that I took a photo of. You could even just give yourself a makeover and do a photoshoot in your house. Have fun with it.
   
   
4. Try an instrument
   
   During Covid, I bought myself a guitar and got a subscription to an app called Yousician. I still revisit it and try to learn more.
   
   
5. Take a class
   
   There are so many places in Austin to take a class.
   
   Contra/common hosts figure drawing sessions for $15. You can find their times on Instagram.
   
   The City of Austin runs several art classes, such as ceramics, textiles, and darkroom photography, through the Dougherty Arts Center.
   
   The Contemporary Austin has classes available through their school at Laguna Gloria.

One last note? Don’t worry about being good. Good is a trap, and it comes from a cultural narrative that anything you endeavor to do has to be productive in some way. You don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it. You don’t have to produce anything from it to love it.

Day 20 is done. Go forth and make some stuff. Keep it pushing. Love you, mean it.