Your Art Practice:

Ruin and Destroy in Safe Ways

Your art practice gives you permission to fail and do so spectacularly. This practice can be an incredibly helpful way to process big, intense emotions like anger, frustration, and sadness. This isn't about losing control in wild ways; instead, it's about allowing things to unravel, to fall apart, and ultimately finding a gentle moment of acceptance.

  • It's entirely up to you how you want to begin. You might choose to create something, perhaps by journaling about your frustrations, doodling as you feel the tightness in your body, or simply arranging objects that catch your curiosity. There are no rules here. You just need to find an entry point, a way to safely access those tricky emotions lying beneath the surface. Take it gently.

  • Whatever method you select and however you choose to do it, do it slowly. You might simply pick up a pencil and some scrap paper and start colouring. As you move slowly, pay attention to what's happening in your body as you interact with the art materials. If you begin to feel those big, twisty emotions inside, you don't have to dive deep into them but allow yourself to glimpse, touch, and honestly feel them. Understand that you are capable of being with difficult emotions. If it becomes too overwhelming, bring your focus back to the art materials—they are there to support you and keep you safe.

  • If you're drawing, scribble. If you're folding paper, scrunch it. If you're journaling, write in CAPS. Allow the materials to bear the weight of your emotions. Remember, keep your attention on what's happening with the materials. Notice it. If it feels safe, give yourself permission to DESTROY. Tear your paper, scribble across your words or rip up a post-it note into tiny pieces. At this moment, it's entirely safe to ruin and wreck.

  • Start slowing things down to find a place to pause, for now. Perhaps you place the shredded pieces of paper in the bin or in a dish next to you. Maybe you close your journal. Allow the intense emotions that just poured out of you to coexist with the art materials. They can hold your grief, your tears, your rage, your heartbreak. Know that you have support in this practice.

Why does this creative practice matter?

This practice empowers you to confront and release intense emotions, providing a safe and controlled outlet for feelings that might otherwise feel overwhelming. It offers you the opportunity to embrace your emotions, accept them, and work through them constructively.

By allowing yourself to ruin and destroy in safe ways, you can find a sense of catharsis and clarity, leading to a more balanced emotional state and a greater sense of self-awareness. Enjoy this empowering practice as a means to navigate and express the complexities of your emotional world, discover the strength in embracing vulnerability and maybe even just to find a moment to have a much-needed tanty.

I can’t wait for you to try this practice. If you like, let me know how you go. Keep an eye out for your results in your inbox too. I’ll send you a few more ideas in the coming days as well.

Welcome to Art for Big Feelings.