"Self-care is how you take your power back."
Lalah Delia
Welcome to my new blog!
This blog focuses on the concept of self-care in its plethora of forms, as well as its infinite effects on us. As my readers know, I used to have a blog titled Calling the Shots, which was my pride and joy. But times have changed for me, and I have a new calling: to write about art and self-care, particularly how both relate to mental health.
I’m rusty in blogging, but here goes something….
Life splatters all over us, causing disruption. It tests our mettle and drives home uncertainty. For me, the idea of working on a new blog and pressing “Publish” for the first time is exhilarating and daunting. For those of you who are writers, artists, musicians, and anyone else who lets their voices be known in the world, you know that revealing one’s work can be nerve wracking – albeit necessary. And everyone has affected the world in some way.
For some, life’s changes can be invigorating and energizing – but for other people (such as me), change can be frightening and difficult. And for many people (such as me), fear and awe of change can operate simultaneously. The answer: focus on self-care.
Before writing this post, I was stagnant in hesitation. This is a new landscape for me, and by pressing “Publish,” I know there’s no going back: I have committed to this new blog. Part of my fear is wondering what readers are going to think about my newest venture.
As part of this blog, I will share the art I create, often in the process of being created (gulp). I’ve said it before: I don’t know if sharing my art-in-process is brave or foolhardy. I used to just share the finished products because it was safer to do this than sharing the messy drafts.
But now I realize that, like a messy draft on canvas, mental health gets messy oftentimes. And, for me, art is a balm to my mental health.
Initially, I started revealing my drafts of art on social media mainly to be accountable and to keep me creating art. But now I realize that there’s something else motivating me to share my drafts – to develop an understanding of why some changes seem necessary and to reveal the purpose of the artistic process for me – and that is, largely, to aim for solid mental health.
Now I need your help. If you can, please subscribe to this post. There will be no fee for subscribers, so I would appreciate it if you would subscribe to my blog to support my work. In addition, feel free to leave a comment.
Attached is a painting draft that many of you have seen. This is a work in progress, like me.
How do you practice self-care?
Would you like to share an instance of when you were unable to practice it?
Great to see you here, Beth! You’re so supportive of my work and you always have something valuable to say or share. I look forward to reading your posts. Wishing you success!