#Therapeutic Creativity

[somethingnubian]

Embracing Transformation with Jennifer Lopez's "This is Me...Now": A Journey of Healing and Growth

By: La Trecia Doyle-Thaxton Introduction: Before diving into this reflective exploration, I highly recommend watching Jennifer Lopez’s latest creative masterpiece, “This is Me…Now”. This album is not just a collection of songs; it’s a narrative of personal growth, healing from past traumas, and embracing one’s true self. It’s a fusion of the visual storytelling seen in Beyoncé’s work, the…

[loversandantiheroes]

Not to put too fine of a point on it, but if you're any sort of creative artist that struggles with mental health and the way it affects your ability to create the way you want to (and perhaps feel you need to), please play Alan Wake 2.

Sam Lake gets it.

[abnormalpsychology]

why do we create and why should create that silly thing? bc you gotta :) bc it will matter to someone :) <3

“Give Yourself Permission to Be Creative”, Ethan Hawke | Richard Siken | “Longing” by José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior (1899) | Smiley Blanton, from The Healing Power of Poetry (found in “Mary Oliver Saved My Life” by Greg Cook) | Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger | The Sugar Shack by Ernie Barnes (1976) | the Gospel of Thomas | “Reading books is not just a pleasure: it helps our minds to heal” by Peter Leyland | The Immersive Van Gogh experience, photographed by Ben Davis | Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

[kiiraa88]

My first scrapbook journal post!!

[fawnblooded]

LET ME BE THE SUN

[nice-bright-colors]

Balance

Lately I’ve found the key to Life is balance. Somehow we all have to struggle to find out what that means to us individually. Therein lies the problem, figuring it all out.

Get 7-8 hours of sleep, when for years you’ve survived on 4-5 a night. I feel better now that I have a sleep pattern, but at what cost?

Get exercise at least 3 times a week. If you’re like me and out of shape, more is better. Heavy is better. Cardio is not my friend.

Work enough to earn enough. I’m amazed at how much I depend on work to keep me sane. I suppose that’s a function of being a workaholic who used to pull 70 hour weeks. I struggle only working 10-15 billable hours a week. I need to do more.

Be creative. Sure this isn’t for everyone, but deep down I’m a starving artist. Maybe I gave all that up to be married young? Maybe there’s a part of me that missed out. All I can do now is plan for time to be creative. Often this time is what is given up for other things.

Growth. Whether it’s personal, spiritual, financial, business related, or educational. We all must take time to grow. If we don’t we’ll wither away to nothing.

Eat healthy. This is a doubleheader for me. I eat rather well, but don’t get near enough protein. Add into the mix my lifelong (call it 39 or 40 year) affair with alcohol.

I can only imagine how some people manage to do all this and raise a family. I can barely manage myself, and some days I don’t even want to wear pants. Lately, over the last few years I’ve been give a chance to change my ways. I’m certain that I’d be dead by now if I hadn’t. I just want the pendulum to start swinging back the other way, towards those bad habits that kept me moving and earning.

Anywhooo, time to get off the couch. I’ve already gone swimming and hot tubbing this morning. Perhaps a quick workout at the gym, and an afternoon of some work + a nap might be in order.

[cjoatprehn]

Okay okay—I need to stop before I burn myself. Because I’m on fire, oh my gods. There were so many song inspirations, I put them together in a playlist for this poem! Here’s @skylerwitherspoon’s prompt for day 19.

Still debating on if I’ll…make a spoken poetry video for this poem but I’ll leave it to yall in a poll.

[erinwantstowrite]

(Related to the question for tips for beginning writers)

I love writing, but I'm a person who needs motivation to do it (and with this I don't mean having lots of readers or smth like that, but someone to exchange ideas with, talk about the story..) and I can't get anyone interested :c my friends either aren't in the fandom I write for or aren't into the whole reading/writing thing. Any for that advice?

i think finding your community is a big part of that, and luckily social media has expanded our horizons! the community could be something you find on tiktok by sharing your own videos or commenting frequently on others, or it might be something you can find on reddit, or maybe a discord with other people in the fandom, or just for writing in general!

!!!! BUT!!!! be careful when you enter spaces and be mindful of the community you're stepping into. you never know what you're getting into and your mental well being comes first! i think it's everyone's responsibility to make sure they put their best foot forward when it comes to this

if that doesn't work, (and this is about to be a little embarrassing on my part) making videos for yourself could be fun! when i was younger and didn't have a lot of friends who were interested in writing or reading, i used to write to myself in a journal and eventually i would make videos just talking about what was on my mind. it's fun to look back on those sometimes. i would pretend i was a youtuber but it was mostly me just having a conversation with myself, sort of like a vlog, but you're just talking about your writing process or your writing ideas, etc

[praiseinchains]

Gratitude Journal Entry (8/6/24)

Today I'm Grateful For:

*When I woke up this morning, I had an email from the publishing company who I did the poetry challenge with and they said that they see a lot of potential in it, so that made me happy :-) I just have to go through and sign off on the rough draft and the cover and then it'll be one step closer to getting the paperback version published.

*I had my therapy session today and while I was dreading it all week, I'm glad I didn't cancel. I was honest with my therapist and told her how I didn't feel like the tapping was doing much for me. When I do the tapping on my own -- just for keeping myself grounded or thinking of my happy place to help me stay calm or whatever -- it's different, but I haven't gotten much use out of it in our sessions. She understood and agreed to try something else called Flashing. It's a variation of EMDR and oh my gosh, I loved it so much! Just having one session of it I could tell it made a difference. I do occasionally get teary during our sessions, but nothing I'm not able to take control of. I actually cried a bit today and afterward I just basically had like a mini breakdown. It felt so freeing, and it was definitely needed, and I can't wait to do more of it. It will definitely be part of my nightly routine. It's not something I want to do in the morning or even the afternoon because I'm processing so much emotionally that it leaves me absolutely drained.

*Just for the day I had. It was quite productive (for ME, anyway) and enjoyable.

Something I'm Proud Of:

I'm proud of myself for speaking up and being honest with my therapist. I'm not one who likes to do that sort of thing. I was never taught to speak up for myself for anything, so it's always really hard and scary and I'm always afraid I'll look like a complete idiot or something, but I'm very proud of myself for taking that leap because it led to something new and something I can tell will definitely help me on the path to healing.

Tomorrow I'm Looking Forward To:

I'm finishing my next book by Simone St. James, The Book of Cold Cases. I'm just a little over halfway through, so I'll be doing a lot of reading tomorrow, but I love the author so much that I know it'll be enjoyable.

Daily Affirmation:

I embrace my progress and celebrate the strength and joy that guide me forward.

[lunawriteschaos]

Butterfly

Prematurely, I was born from this caterpillar. That’s why my wings now flop, aimless and frail. Like Icarus, I long to soar high, but the sun’s warmth whispers, "Hide." You, afraid of my beauty, and I, too blind to see it. These wings—colorless they seem— in my black-and-white world, just a fading dream. The truth, foreign to me, reveals a future so grim. To struggle, it seems, is my only whim. So, I let myself trust the melody of the wind, and I fly.

[johnofpannonia]

I’m looking forward to when the sun passes beneath the sword. I’m looking forward to the wheel; to the moment when we turn back in on ourselves. I’m looking forward to drowning in rising waters and discovering, to my surprise, that I can breathe. I’m looking forward to the last sheep rearing from its backside the first lamb. I’m looking forward to joyous winters which laugh and tumble into lonely springs. I’m looking forward to marrying the man and forgetting the angel. I’m looking forward to bitter tea drank honeyless under archways and bridges. I’m looking forward to the mouths of chapels and forests, which one day, I know, will open up to me again. I’m looking forward to the daylight kept beneath errant teacups, the ever-growing legs of verdant chairs, the heavy page of a book asking me to imagine all the yesterdays. I’m looking forward to oranges half-peeled and patient. I’m looking forward to the secret names of cities I have known and forgotten for a hundred years, or a thousand. I’m looking forward to rain so strong it will wash away skin, muscle, sinew, even bone; to the shadow, wrung dry, that remains. I’m looking forward to candles tucked neatly beneath my tongue. I’m looking forward to the days we will pass again beneath quick trees and think of home. I’m looking forward to days swollen with dreams; nights empty and content. I’m looking forward to forgetting which is the path home and from there remembering why I walk.

[dustofthedailylife]

What is it with me and my obsession with stationery stores?

I swear, I always find something there. Cute pens, cute notebooks, you name it.

I could spend hours there looking at all sorts of writing utensils and books. Every time I see one I NEED to go inside. They're so calming to me 😭

[creativeselfdiscovery]

What is the symphony you hear from life? What parts make you stop and consider things? What moments bring joy, what sadness?

[artisticdivasworld]

My Junk Journal is done. Now What?

Junk journal making is one of those creative pastimes that once you discover it, you wonder how you ever lived without it. If you’ve never heard of junk journaling, let me take you on a little journey into this wonderfully eclectic and liberating hobby. So far here on this blog, we have talked about making these journals here and creating a cover here. Now we check out what we putinto one of…

[doekimakura]

Some trads I've been doing recently! :D

(they are minor edited on

[cjoatprehn]

Alright. I hope everyone’s doing okay. Um, to those who have mommy issues I wish this as an ode to yall and your struggles with your parents currently. I’m sorry to know how common this is. I hope this poem honors you. With how heavy this poem is, I’m thinking when I get myself more stable, I’ll post this on my patreon. This one was the poem that made me realize that, I can still record these kind of poems but they can be patreon exclusive or restricted to those who can handle it better than the mass.

This was the Day 15 poem that was supposed to be completed with my Beach poem. My Health has other plans. So here it is now.

TW: Abuse Themes, Complicity themes, Spiritual Warfare, Religious Themes

This one is a bit heavy and mentions what my incubator originally named me. This was me coming to terms with the emotions that I feel for my mother; not love or hatred, but apathy. I don’t fucking like her and for good reason. This poem was an Ode to those who are in my situation with their mothers. I hope this poem comforts you and makes you feel seen.

Song(s) Inspiration

Update with the Spoken Poetry video!

[#escapril Spoken Poetry] “The Other Mother : The Earthly Spawn Point” by CJOAT for AWG 2024

If you enjoy the video, liking, commenting your thoughts, and sharing the video and post helps out a ton. ^^ Have a good rest of your week!