Art is beautiful way to get in touch with and express all that is symbolically hidden in our subconscious or unconscious minds.

A few weeks JYC hosted Mindful Paint and Sip in Taylor Brawner Park in Atlanta. It was held in an outdoor pavilion so the attendees could get in touch with nature. Painting in a park is a great way to get in touch with both your inner child and inner Picasso. Painting stirs the creativity.  It’s messy and unpredictable but it also raises the bar on your awareness. Mindfulness is about living in the present moment and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and body sensations. It stirs the imagination thereby dismissing logic and allowing you to engage in what is in front of you.

Our leader HeeeySugaFoot was very patient as she provided instructions, feedback on the proper way to hold the brushes and the most effective strokes to use. It was a little windy so more than a few times participants had to grab their canvas to prevent it from blowing away. The park was also filled with onlookers who occasionally stopped by for a closer view.  As participants became engrossed in painting, a sense of serenity surrounded the pavilion.

Mindful Painting provides many therapeutic benefits including emotional release, mood improvement, and altered perception.

Mindful painting takes the mind to an alpha state. Unexplained senses surface in alpha state including creativity, intuition, and imagination. Mediation, music, sleep, and daydream is how alpha state is normally accessed. The conscious mind (logic) is pushed aside and the unconscious shows up. In alpha state, the unconscious mind is able to release hidden emotions and energy. Both can be released onto the canvas.

Without question, canvases and paint immediately change the atmosphere to playful and light-hearted. It’s an escape from everyday life. There is bound to be some laughter as well. As the body relaxes so does are need to control everything around us.  For that moment, you can be in the moment.

Any change in routine has the potential to alter current perception. Most people won’t admit there is a love/hate relationship that exists in following a routine. Routine provides stability but it leads to stagnation. Painting taps into the neurological system where past experience and expectation live to create a new possibility. It only takes one spark to change how we perceive the world.

A few mindful moments can have a big impact on how you view the world around you and help to improve how you see your place in the world.