Resources
Mindfulness Tips
"Calm your mind and boost your creativity with adult coloring books"
Coloring books are all grown up and offer their artists opportunities to find that “flow state” and experience mindfulness.
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From the Rubin Museum website: "Much like mindfulness, art invites you to step into the present moment, unplug from your everyday concerns, and focus deeply on the object in front of you. Engaging mindfully with art can help you experience and appreciate it more fully. It might also help you gain some of the broader benefits of mindfulness. Here's how:" Click for the steps they provide so you can try them next time you're observing art.
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TED Talks
Andy Puddicombe, the creator and voice behind Headspace delivers a helpful TED Talk about what 10 minutes of doing nothing can do for us. "We can’t change every little thing that happens to us in life. But, we can change how we experience it…You don’t have to burn any incense and you definitely don’t have to sit on the floor. All you need to do is to take 10 minutes out a day to step back, to familiarize yourself with the present moment so that you get to experience a greater sense of focus, calm and clarity in your life."
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Flow is more than just concentrating or paying attention; it's a unique mental state of effortless engagement. And those who more frequently experience flow report higher levels of positive emotions, creativity, and feelings of accomplishment. But what exactly is flow? And how can we find it in our daily lives? Explore steps you can take to increase your chances of finding flow.
Research
"Why Making Art is the New Meditation"
...Creative activity is a potent recipe for psychological well-being because art encourages self-reflection and self-expression, provides opportunities for flow, and helps us become steady and centered.
Washington Post
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"Can 10 Minutes of Mindfulness Make You More Creative?"
Mindfulness not only helps you mitigate stress, regulate emotions and have a more positive outlook...it also switches on divergent thinking (which encourages more creative problem-solving and decision-making)
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"Mindful Creativity: The Influence of Mindfulness Meditation on Creative Thinking"
Flexibility of thought is essential to creativity and research shows a positive correlation between mindfulness and cognitive flexibility.
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"Unlocking Creativity in the Visual Arts"
Researchers have discovered that mindfulness and meditation positively affect artists' ability to access creative insight.
Erin Gocinski, Mindfulness Studies Theses
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Researchers at UMass Mind found a significant reduction in psychiatric symptoms and a significant increase in mindful attention when approaching mindfulness through the Zentangle Method TM.