Entrepreneurs – if you’re looking for a surefire way to combat stress, here’s one: Art. That’s right, while laughter is widely cited as the best medicine, being creative is also as effective, particularly in the stress department.
According a study, adults experience a significant reduction in their cortisol (a.k.a. stress hormone) level after 45 minutes of art making session. Therefore, it’s a no brainer that entrepreneurs should get more art in their life.
The big question is, how to get started?
How to Art
Most of us fingerpainted as kids. We glued noodles to construction paper, made birdhouses out of milk jugs, and colored coloring books. As adults, however, we left our artistic roots behind us. Now, we work practical jobs in a practical world, and we don’t make much time for art.
There’s a reason that art has survived, however. As a human occupation, art has gone on for thousands of years, from storytelling to sculpture, and many believe that art is necessary for thriving. If you feel like life has been bland or stressful lately, you could be in need of some art. Art has the power to de-stress (by releasing emotions) and to enrich a stale life. If art is lacking in your life, here are some simple tips for bringing it back in.
Do What You Used To
As a kid, you likely had a hobby that you really enjoyed. You might have loved drawing, painting with watercolors, making mud pies, or writing stories. What you loved as a kid is probably still a part of you, so find ways to tap back into it. Your old passions for music, dancing, and more can become adult passions, instead. You probably won’t make mud pies in the backyard, but you could purchase a pottery wheel, or bake for fun on the weekends.
Work with Your Hands
Art can be practical, too. In the age of technology, most of us have stopped working with our hands, but it can be both soothing and energizing to get back into the habit. As an adult, you can find plenty of practical ways to use your hands. You can build a coffee table, grow a garden, or bake bread by hand. It’s usually faster to buy your vegetables, buy your coffee table, and buy your bread, and it won’t save you much money to do it from scratch. You will, however, get a personal enjoyment out of doing it yourself.
Pursue Great Art
You don’t have to give up on art, even if you aren’t making any for a living. You also don’t have to create all the art you enjoy. Start watching more academy award winning movies, and put a few great novels on your reading list every year. As a teen, you probably hated classics, but you might find that Jane Eyre or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn speak to you deeply as an adult.
Make Your Own Art
Besides your childhood passions, you should be creating new art as an adult. Start exploring your passions– not just your past ones, but new ones as well. You might find you have a passion for photography, short story writing, or the ukulele. Pick up something new and invest a chunk of your evening to it. With canvas printing, you can hang your own photos on the wall, and after a few short stories, you may even decide you want to write a novel.
Discover new talents, keep filling your life with art, and be an even better entrepreneur.