Routines, Rituals, and Peaceful Pauses
By Lark Keeler
What daily rituals bring you peaceful pauses in your daily life?
Whether it is taking that first sip of coffee, or participating in a spiritual practice, our routines and rituals can shape our days by marking out times when we purposefully pause and savor a moment, or cultivate feelings of gratitude.
As artists and educators we may have ritualistic routines that are a part of our creative making or research. A friend suggests lighting a tealight candle and working until it extinguishes itself. The familiar rhythms of starting a painting or beginning a drawing are like slipping on a pair of well broken in and wonderfully comfy shoes. I savor the preparation ritual as much as the process work. Check out these 7 Artists on the Self-Care Rituals That Keep Them Creative and see if you can discover any new ideas to work into your daily habits.
Cultivating a ritual of daily gratitude has been proven to have powerful benefits, increasing our feelings of overall happiness and wellbeing. A reflective evening or morning gratitude journal can shift our feelings to positive places with an uplifted attitude. You can find delightful prompts and tips on how to begin a daily gratitude journal online. Experiment with the idea of a daily gratitude sketch or work of art, instead of a written reflection, pausing to appreciate the gift of artmaking. Create your own book to fill, or begin with a larger sheet, adding sketches or ideas to the paper each morning or evening for a new healthy habit and a renewing daily ritual.
- LK
Comments