Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 1 - student project Friday 15th, 2021: Today was very up and down. There were good bits and bad bits. Calming moments and stressful moments. With lockdown number three and Covid-19 in England, these little stressful moments seems to affect me more than it used to. Today, when I finally sat down and looked at my blank page, alongside my markers and fine-liners, I took in a deep breath and felt so frustrated. Everything is out of control! Then the voice came to me to remind me how lucky I am to be relatively healthy and surrounded by love ones. Not everyone is as lucky. So yes, these moments are annoying and inconvenient. But I've faced much worse! I've battled and won harder battles than today. My inner voice said gently but firmly to me: It's okay to notice things aren't at their best, and it's okay to go "Oh well, that's really crap." But remember your strength and what you can do. Focus on the good and deal with the bad, step by step.

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 2 - student project

Saturday 16th, 2021: I surprised myself how quickly my word came to me today. I took in a deep breath and 'magic' whispered through me like wind through the trees! Since there was only one word to include, I wanted to play around with a bit of color contrast. Sadly my white pen is almost run out, so the white doesn't show up as strongly as I'd like! Maybe it would have been better to use some masking fluid. But oh well! I still love looking at the combination of purples and blues! Even when there are mistakes and blemishes, it doesn't take away from the beautiful magic of every day!

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 3 - student project

Sunday 17th, 2021: Responding to my day, I sat down and thought about what it is I actually accomplished today. It is indeed one of my days off so in productive terms... not a lot. But I did spend a lot of time scrolling through the Teacher side of TikTok. I'm hoping to start teacher training in September and its joyfully takes up a lot of space in my mind right now. As I watched videos made by teachers, watching how creative they were and how they really cared about their student's mental health, it just made me think. When you have responsibility, you must use every second to teach a new lesson. Teaching kids to be kind, to understand numbers, how to ask for help, or stand up to a bully. How to paint or spell. Every second teaches us something.

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 4 - student project

Monday 18th, 2021: After going for a short walk to clear my head and get out of the house, I sat down and thought about every unkind thought I'd had about myself over the last twenty-four hours. It also burst the unkind things I've heard my friends say to themselves. I noticed a pattern about expectations and self-worth. How we all hold ourselves to extremely high standards, whether it be about work, our physical appearance, or just everyday things! And all I wanted to say to myself and the ones I love was: you are only human. You are not perfect and you are not supposed to be. Just take a breath and do your best.

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 5 - student project

Tuesday 19th, 2021; Today was a wonderful uplifting day. I'd been working all day and was tired and drained, so when I sat down the journal I didn't think, I just painted. I didn't have any structure to what I was doing, I was just picking colors and was painting one of my favorite things, the moon phases. and as I thought about what uplifted me, it was knowing that this my life. It's my life to read and write. nobody else's.

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 6 - student project

Wednesday 20th, 2021; On this day I made a big point of listening to the words that entered my day, and this little phrase just made me happy. On a TikTok video, a teacher used the phrase 'catch a bubble,' to help her young student stay quiet whilst she gave them instructions. But it stuck with me because I thought about it more throughout the day and smiled to myself. Imagine if we all just took some time to catch a bubble and listen to our inner self.

Thursday 21st, 2021: On Thursday, I was exhausted trying to keep my life structured hour by hour. Sitting down and trying to figure out what I needed to give myself permission for, I just smiled and thought 'YES! BE MESSY!' So I let myself create colorful scribbles and took a day off of trying to be structured to perfection.

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 7 - student project

Friday 22nd, 2021: On this day I had no energy! I didn't want to create, I didn't want to get out of bed, I didn't want to do anything! And to be kind to me I said that it is okay to not have the energy. maybe tomorrow?

Saturday 23rd, 2021: The next day I finally felt rested after taking some time off. I thought about what my dear best friend would say to me if I told her why I was so tired. Just make sure you don't take too much on. It's okay to be proactive and be busy, just don't give yourself too much.

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 8 - student project

Sunday 24th, 2021: I've noticed that my inner monologue is focussing on my recent weight gain. Lockdown has made it so I can't go to my local gym and has made snacking randomly throughout the day just a habit. But I am not unhealthy. I do keep active throughout the day and generally eat healthily. But I used to be slimmer and more toned. And you know what? Slimmer does not mean healthier! So if my body needs to be this size, with beautiful stretch marks and rolls, I will allow it and not shame it. I still look great anyway!

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 9 - student project

Monday 25th, 2021: Today was a bit of an uncomfortable one for me, as it brought out a side of myself I actively try to control and keep at bay. It came from my trying to talk with my friend and explain I was upset about something uncontrollable in my life. Straight away the chat moved onto their problems and how theirs were worse than mine. When I mindfully think about this interaction, I know there are so many reasons the chat went the way it did. That my friend wasn't actively trying to upset me and maybe they really are going through a hard time and need someone to listen. My rational mind also knows that not every conversation can be about me. That life isn't just about me. But sometimes.... *gulp* it should be. Sometimes I should be given or request space to take my turn in need of support. Afterward, I felt a lot of anger in my heart and that didn't sit well with me. so I took my black pen and said to myself 'be angry! have a scribble. just leave it all on the page and not in your heart.' so that's what I did, and I feel so much better now. I accept that I deserve my time, but I hold no resentment to my friends who maybe have overlooked that fact.

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 10 - student project Tuesday 26th, 2021: On Tuesday the message I would want to hear was so clear. It was something I had been saying to so many of my friends who when they were being brutally honest, felt alone. And I can relate. The kind words I needed to hear were 'I am on your team!' basically, that someone has my back, someone is in this with me. And this was actually a beautiful moment for me because I realized that there was someone on my team with me that I hadn't noticed. my inner self and higher self. I am a very spiritual person and I see my higher self as me fully cooked. I'm not there yet, but she exists and she's with me holding my hand.

Wednesday 27th, 2021: We all have wounds, god knows I do. I always looked at my wounds as a sort of blessing as it made it easier for me to empathize and help those around me. But on this day is at back and thought, well how am I learning from my own wounds to help myself! My story and life aren't there to be used as a tool for others. I am more than that. My message was a play on the very common phrase 'fill your own cup before you fill others.' my tears are for my plants. I begin helping myself first.

Daily Art Practice for Self-Care: 14 Days of Messages To Yourself. - image 11 - student project

Thursday 28th, 2021: The final day! my oh my! By now I've come up with a routine that suits me perfectly. If a prompt doesn't spark an idea immediately I simply got out my pens and draw shapes and patterns. By the time the page is full, the message has come to me. Today was a light spark for me. This is my life. This is my artwork. This is my game to play. And I am the one who gets to make the rules! No one else. Me.

I don't know if it's possible for me to put into words how much I loved this class. I realized around day 8 that those five minutes of my day when I played with colors without expectation or measurements, were the calmest and happiest minutes of my day. My art style is very particular and precise. I work with realism and thought out compositions. But throwing all of that out the window made me SO happy! I look at these pages and see happiness. The pure joy of color and raw words from me for me! I connected with myself in a way I didn't expect. Today I am ordering a new sketchbook to dedicate time to expressive, silly childlike art to myself to keep this love going! I am also sending this class to my mamma. She works around the clock with her Illustration business and rarely has time to make art for herself. I just know she will benefit from this class so much. So from one Jess to another, Thank you so much!!!!

Jess-kate Brass

Creative Self-Care For All.

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