Improve Your Artistic Health

We are most concerned with our physical health, as it happens to be the most obvious. When we are physically unhealthy we become prone to sickness to which we reply with vitamins, medicine, and rest. However, what may occur if you are artistically unhealthy? This may spell the sickness of your artistic passion and creativity, which may lead to eventual income’s demise. How do you fuel your artistic passions to maintain your vision and drive to lead your peers? First, you must approach the topic of your creative health as a whole, not entirely separate from the your physical/mental wellness. These are intertwined principles and can be best improved upon if approach as a whole.

Physical Health

Foods : Avoid eating heavy foods if you are going to be working at your desk for any longer duration of time. This will slow your metabolism, and can cause you to feel nauseous or gain weight.

Break : Take frequent breaks. (Or ELSE!) This is typically one of the most ignore concerns amongst professionals. We are proud of our long session in the editing bay, or at our desk creating the perfect pitch. Do not forget that you may be overlooking a crucial issue which is your craftsmanship integrity. Every profession has a standard and this standard is frequently compromised due to the simple fact of overworking yourself.

Rewards : Set short term goals while you are working, and you will find meeting these goals you will treat yourself. Feel free to give yourself an extended break.

Exercise : Simply because your work schedule or chosen profession does not incorporate manual labor does not mean you should live a sedentary life. Get out, and enjoy the outdoor. You may miss something. I am NOT saying join a gym and adhere to a strict physical workout regime. Find a hobby that can easily become physically beneficial. Biking with your significant other can be a excellent way to spend quality time with the one you love, and you get out of your small cubicle.

Mental Health

Read : Our minds are rigorously exercised in specific regions typically due to our jobs. I regularly read media blogs, write social commentaries, etc. However I rarely read a cook book, or philosophy anymore which were at one time some of my most prized moments. I highly recommend reading multiple formats of literature primarily that which has nothing to do with your field of interest. Read everything from short stories, novels, articles, essays, anything out of the ordinary.

Relationships : Perhaps this goes without saying, but many digital artists are typical alone. We have work loads, assignments, deadlines, and all sorts of responsibilities. Take some time to allow yourself room for other people. Do I have to remind you that its your life so…live a little?

Play : A friend once gave me the best advice, and that was to play with my niece. There is something so simplistic and fun about playing with a baby that makes you feel fresh again. Avoiding all adult entanglements and technological contraptions is excellent. I haven’t played a board game in months, and just recently I sat down with my girlfriends roommate to play scrabble. I forgot how good I was without spell check.

Visual Health

Environment : The environment you find yourself working in can have a direct impact upon your mental health. It can help or hinder you from artistic desires. Working within a cubicle, or looking at your office wall will be visually draining not to mention staring at a computer screen for hours on end. We computer geeks all know to take regular breaks, and I would encourage you to go outside, and take a look where you are at. One month my goal was to watch every sunset. It wasn’t romantic. It was a chore. One that helped very much so, and I find myself repeating it regularly.

Challenge : We often have a very limited visible spectrum. We live, work, and play within the confines of a view communities, and seldom have interaction outside of our secure bubbles. Go look at something you rarely do. Sit in the grass in your backyard for ten minutes. Walk barefoot to the mail. Challenge you visual spectrum. Easiest was is to visit the opening of art galleries, attend street performing artist.

Auditory Health

Silence : Stimulate your other senses by exposing your ears to an audio adventure you otherwise would not. Have you ever sat in silence? I find this very healing. I am not speaking of meditating, praying, or counting sheep. Simply sit still and listen to silence. It’s as if you are tuning your mental capabilities. You will also find how shocked your mind will become. Often we crave the commotion within our minds.

Classic Music : Don’t just listen to your favorite pop culture album. Rather take a few moments and relax while listening to classic music. Research indicates that this may not only be creatively appeasing, but also cause your work flow. There is a wide variety that is readily available, and you will be amazed out how sophisticated you are sounding when you retell others of your listening habits.

Spoken Word: However if classic music may not be your thing try spoken word poetry. I was first exposed to Bradly Hathaway several years ago, and it spurned me into a new passion, and has given me a degree of creative relief. I enjoy spoken word for its rhythmic poetry. I particularly love creative frenetic poetry that has a topic and a result, but very abstract in between. Its as if you were mentally painting a verbal picture.

Tactile Health

Connect on a fundamental or personal level by creating something with your hands. This may be some thing as simple as toothpick designs or clay. You can find any childrens art section of your local supermarket has a wide variety of fun, inexpensive things for you to play with.

Conclusion

Hopefully you will be able to take a few things from this list that may be able to improve your artistic health. I’m sure that I didn’t get every trick or tip to improve artistic health. Feel free to add to my list.