How Art Grounds Us
A Quiet Return to Yourself
In the art studio (April 2026)
In recent months I’ve become an observer of life more than an actually living it. I watch people go about their days in chaos, scheduling friend dates and play dates months in advance, running around from one place to the next without giving much thought to it. This is just life now, right? This is the way things are.
I know some of us get a thrill from moving quickly through life, not wanting to miss a moment of anything, so we end up overbooking ourselves until we pass out from exhaustion. But I think what happens after a while, is we aren’t enjoying the “in the moment” part of life. We are so wrapped up in what we have to do next, that we don’t see what’s right in front of us.
How does art fit into it all? Art helps us slow down and gives us clarity amongst the chaos.
Fun fact - creating art every day for less than an hour is proven to actually lower your cortisol level by 25%. Cortisol, for those of you who aren’t familiar, is your stress hormone, which affects just about every part of your body (your brain, your metabolism, your blood pressure, and your immune system). If you think about it, we should all be creators. Creating art, music, writing are all forms of healing your brain and body. Creating sets you apart from others; it is your individual, unique thoughts coming to life that are yours and yours alone. Creating gives you time for self-reflection, emotional awareness, and human connection on deeper levels. Those of us who constantly consume without creating, often fall into a “what am I doing with my life!?!” moment.
Just like you, I used to be the person that overscheduled myself, flying through life because I always thought I would slow down later. But then something tragic happened that shattered my very existence. I lost the love of my life about a year and a half ago very suddenly to complications after his first chemo treatment. I never thought of life the same way again.
He worked nights so he would often sleep during the day. I can’t tell you how many times he asked me to just lay with him for a few hours, and I would push it off because I had “too much stuff to do”. I regret that every day now. I regret not taking the time to slow down and enjoy what was right in front of me.
As I try to piece my life back together, I have naturally slowed down a lot. At first, because I simply couldn’t bring myself to do anything, but now with intention. I say “no” more often. I paint almost every day. I take long walks in nature. I spend time with the people who are most important to me, who were there for me through my darkest moments. These are the important things in life. These are the things that matter.
And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t also enjoy the chaos, because those are some of the best things in life as well; staying up all night with your person, going to your favorite concerts, traveling around the world; just mix in a little art and down time with that chaos to give yourself some balance.
With much love and gratitude,
Daniela
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