Therapeutic life lessons I've learned from doing art | Advice from a hopeful artist

In the past few months, I've experienced a lot of losses in a short period of time that I've found myself grappling with my mental health and questioning the core of who I am. The desperation of trying to keep yourself together while your view of the world and people alters is startling. It is the feeling of being absolutely alone while you intently push everyone away that makes you hope you make it out of this without developing a cynical worldview. 

See? Horrific life experiences can muddle up the core of who you are, but they can never break you. For me, when everything is blurry, I start from the foundation. When life seems to be kicking me from all direction, and I don't know where to go? I pick up my metaphoric paint brush and start from there. When you are doing art, it allows you to spend time thinking by yourself without the distraction of the internet and all the other external factors. Lately, I've found myself painting and designing a lot and it has not only given me a sense of peace, restored my optimism and reignited my passion, it has also taught me some important life lessons. So, I am going to be sharing them with you in this blog article.


Don't hold on too tight. 

In this world, there are no absolutes. As long as we're humans,  there is no promise that cannot be broken. Even you can change your own mind, dreams and hopes. In fact, you must give yourself the freedom of allowing yourself to change. When you finally teach yourself that there isn't anything you cannot let go of, doors of possibilities are opened. Some of the things we hold on to are what hinders us from getting to where we need to go. For instance, leaving your home and everything you know and love to go to the unknown. It is quite terrifying, but it can be truly rewarding. Therefore,  sometimes we must be willing to let go to gain more.

When your cup is empty, it is essential to step back and focus on you.

There is absolutely no other human that will take care of you than yourself. If taking a step back mean limiting social media time, human interaction, and backing out of prioritizing others, then it is necessary to rest for a while. We often feel guilty when we don't get back to that text message, but sometimes we need that 'me-time' to rejuvenate our mental health and focus on those critical areas that need our attention. Thus, taking time for yourself and letting go of other responsibilities for a while is self-care.

Patience is virtue

Much like life, art takes patience. Weather it is fashion designing, drawing, and painting, those activities take long gruesome hours and even days. Sometimes you make mistakes and you just want to quit. You get stuck and don't know where to go. You get frustrated by not making improvements fast enough or getting it right. Your tolerance is tested and your tears probably shed a few times when you feel like you might not finish. Not to mention you get distracted and even procrastinate because your perfectionism got to you. Isn't life the same way? At the end, the results are exquisite and so worth it. Even if the results are not to our liking, we learn to improve.


Don't let life experiences turn your heart bitter.

A bitter heart helps no one. In fact, it hurts you. It is so beautiful to be able to laugh, dream and hope, even though life hasn’t always been kind. Life is not black and white. Allow experiences to teach you to be wary and discerning, but never to be cynical and paranoid. Look how beautiful the world is. Do you believe that tall it has to offer is merely chaos and destruction? If there is a heart as beautiful as yours, there's probably hearts more beautiful out there. Truly, optimism allows you to dream and dreams bring hope.

Self motivation is actually therapeutic.

 
If you are going to speak to yourself, it's better to speak positively, right? Whether I'm struggling with a complicated fashion pattern, I'm seeing no improvement in my painting or I'm just having a panic attack, I've found myself saying things like, "You can do it, khuthie...hang in there... it'll work out, you'll see..." And, it works! I end up pushing through and surviving hurdles I'm struggling with.

Allow yourself to dream.

 
I've always been such a daydreamer with a wild imagination. I think it is what allows me to be an artist in different fields. With art, the world is as you see fit. If you want, the sky can even be pink. That mind-set has even encroached into my worldview. I am able to dream about absolutely anything. I always allow myself to have multiple dreams and passions. This has helped me to be motivated, passionate and determined. In the end, it is what pushed me to be a self-taught fashion designer with a fashion brand in just a span of one year. When you permit yourself to dream, you start believing everything is possible. Then worlds of possibilities broaden. Truly, when you are a dreamer, you cannot be defeated. When something fails, your wheels are already turning thinking about and planning something new.

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