The healing effects of pointless, tangible art – stop procrastinating, create your own therapy!

So many tasks nowadays come with a heavy dose of pressure, stress and expectation. Even in my hobbies I wanted to be great; after all, what’s the point of doing something if it’s not good enough to share? Of course, I was missing the point entirely: hobbies should be something that allow you to lose yourself in the activity, something that brings you pure joy and has no other other purpose entirely.

One night a few months ago I picked up an old canvas I had lying around as a failed birthday gift, and I started doodling on it.
Then I took some candles and dripped wax all over it.
Then i took some withered flowers and stuck them on it..
Then some burned matches, some more paint, then an entire candle. Because why not?

Quickly, I was hooked. I started taking anything spare in my home, anything that could become something. I saw chaos and I created beauty. The simplicity and sheer pointlessness of the activity made me so happy, this was so unique and strange that it completely encompassed me. This felt like a kind of meditation by itself: I felt my breath slowing down, my shoulders relaxed, and any negative thoughts dissolved by themselves. I was proud of myself.

I loved how all my five senses were involved in my crafting, and I felt safe visually expressing thoughts that I couldn’t have put into words. This kind of art therapy is available to everyone, and is a beautiful reminder of my personal journey. I didn’t have to go out and buy tons of materials I knew nothing about: I used whatever i had in my home. I finally had something colourful to put up my blank walls, a conversation starter for whoever visited. I enjoyed their eyes widening once I said that, yeah, I made that!

So, if you’re struggling with PTSD, eating disorders, substance abuse, or just “plain old” stress and anxiety, try pointless crafting!
I found it incredibly healing and didn’t have to shell out for any classes or materials: literally anything could become art! It didn’t have to be clean, deep, or even artistic: it just had to be me.