How Creativity and a simple daily plan contribute to holistic wellbeing. Tutorial

72 Replies

Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind and spirit – the recognition that everything we do effects our state of well-being’.   

Through Mother Nature we see how all of life is interconnected. – watercolour27164538_10156023231000396_5682597220846199362_o

To change one fraction of a painting, – changes the whole painting.     This is true for life….to change one small part of ourselves, (positively or negatively), changes the whole. 

Adding 15 minutes of movement can change our whole day.  (running a marathon is not necessary)

Clearing the space in which we live, can clear our minds…

Without establishing simple routines, our need to be creative can be neglected. 

When we begin to address these simple needs we experience a sense of wellbeing. 

This watercolour exercise demonstrates that as we change one small portion of a painting, or ourselves, everything changes. 

  All the pure whites you see here are ‘dry white paper’.   I am sketching with brush and watercolour allowing some areas to bleed.    This is very quick…don’t overthink things – simply allow the paint to flow.    There is no right or wrong way to do this. 

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In this frame I have added a mix of burnt Sienna and prussian blue for the dark area at the bottom of the painting.         Using a knife I have scraped out some of the paint while it is still wet.    All the remaining white areas are ‘Dry White Paper’20-11-15-1-729As we make positive simple changes, stress is replaced with a calmness which supports the whole.     This is holistic well-being.    

Note I have moved the light and darker purples around the painting…in order to achieve a sense of rhythm and balance. 

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Make sure to begin with a simple daily plan.    

15 minutes of creative playfulness can change everything.

Enjoy the weekend. Janet 🙂

72 thoughts on “How Creativity and a simple daily plan contribute to holistic wellbeing. Tutorial”

  2. Hutts New World

    ‘Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind and spirit – the realisation that everything we do, think, feel and believe has an effect on our state of well-being’. Greg Anderson. Great wisdom here.

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  3. Ben Aqiba

    Hi Janet,

    I like that concept.Small steps to a better future. I like that word “change”,because she is so powerful .Every change requires a lot of effort, even the smallest 🙂

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  5. Tish Farrell

    What a joy your Brecon Beacons creations, Janet. The colours not only vivid but revivifying. You hit the nail on the head with regard to establishing a daily routine. That’s something that’s gone awry in Wenlock, though I’m trying to be more focused and being more aware when I’m just fiddling about. We’re having snow flurries here, and it’s rather bleak today. No excuse not to get on with the ‘work in progress’. Happy Wednesday.

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    1. janetweightreed10 Post author

      Thank you so much, Tish for this comment. As you know I lived and worked in the Brecon Beacons for twelve years. It is where my love of landscape painting began. Watching the light changing over the hills is mesmerising. We started the day with sunshine, and now it’s very cold, grey and I believe that heavy rain is on the way. Fortunately I am here all day painting. Happy Wednesday. Janet 🙂

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  15. BellyBytes

    Every time I feel my life overwhelmingly cluttered I read your posts that are not only inspiring but also calming with the gorgeous water colours you make ….thanks for these Valentine greetings.

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  17. davidjrogersftw

    Dear Janet, I’m always in such a hurry that reading this post I thought, “Janet has something here with her daily plan,” but then I thought, “I don’t have the time.” And then I thought, “That’s her point, isn’t it?” I really appreciate you sharing these ideas with us (and of course the artwork is lovely, and oh so good to look at), and I’ll try to find the balance you’re talking about. My big problem is a too-active mind–ruminations. So I like your idea o ending the day by jotting down–and hopefully getting rid of–unpleasant or troubling thoughts. Sometimes I use a “spitting method.” When a thought I don’t like comes up I spit it out ””thoot.”

    Best wishes, David

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    1. janetweightreed10 Post author

      Dear David….thank you so much for this comment which put a big smile on my face. I find that at about 3 a.m. my mind can sometimes spin out of control….and again writing down what’s going on does help. Even if what I write needs to be destroyed immediately afterwards !:) I am getting ready to leave for France this weekend, and so am writing lists all over the place, otherwise I would be waking up in the night…..it’s quite amusing when I think of it. I like your spitting method…….Have wonderful and creative week. Best wishes Janet

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  19. Katherine

    I love to see your work always and liked David’s spitting out his bad ideas!I like to read what others do as it helps me.
    Sending love and good wishes Katherine

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      1. Katherine

        Yes,I am very warm,Janet and I am weeping with laughter reading what I wrote.It’s as if someone else wrote it.I have become friends with David through you.Thank you very much for that.He has some very interesting ideas.:)xxxx

  20. MicheleMontserrat

    Hi Janet! You mention; “My little book – The Apple Exercise – is all about making space in our daily lives to explore our creativity. In the book I suggest fifteen minute exercises.”
    Is this a book you’ve written, or is it what you call your journal?
    If it’s something you’ve written, is it available anywhere?

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  21. theburningheart

    Nothing it’s as predictable as change, and the upheaval, change brings, so it stand to reason, we need to change our attitude about fearing change, and use it for our advantage, and transform ourselves into better individuals, step, by step, as you did. 🙂

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  26. snowbird

    A wonderful post Janet. How I agree with you, we have to take good care of the mind, body and soul. I think the soul is the most difficult in today’s world. Your artwork is just beautiful. xxx

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    1. janetweightreed10 Post author

      How right you are. This month for me is a time for tying loose ends and preparing for September when everything kicks off again. Hope you are enjoying these latter days of summer. xxxx

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  29. davidjrogersftw

    Hi Janet. I’ve been babysitting for little grandchildren for weeks and so couldn’t get to your lovely and thought-stirring post until three this morning. That first watercolor “life is interconnected” is so marvelously expressive of happy things and deep things as one’s spirit, mind, and soul in their moods. How nice!

    It seems to me, Janet, that some of the paintings here are of a different nature than your other work I’ve seen, suggesting to me that there something is going on in your life, in you. The last one is very complex and busy with energized movement. You know that like you I believe we humans are a result of what we think, so I believe your mind is quite active these days.

    Your ideas about one change changing the whole makes me think of my business consulting career where we learn that all parts of complex systems (like a human life, I suppose) are dependent on each other and everything changes if one part changes. It reminds me too of James Joyce who was once told he made a mistake in Ulysses, that something physical he described he had described wrong. Joyce replied that he couldn’t correct the mistake because if he did the whole book would be messed up.

    I appreciate your suggested daily wellness plan. Happily it seems to me I’m following your recommendations pretty closely. I’ve still not gotten that far into the painting you’ve encouraged me to do. But I did one yesterday that ain’t bad. Calmness does not come easily for me–I’m excitable and have excessive nervous energy. Those are good qualities in that they help me produce a steady stream of writing. But they cause havoc for people around me who want me (implore me) to be more relaxed. But I do find time often late at night for sitting quietly, doing nothing.

    You always put a lot of effort into your posts and the results speak for themselves with quality content every time that speaks to us fans of yours. Thank you, friend. Meir is coming over today–he’s six now–so maybe we will paint together.
    Best wishes,
    David

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    1. janetweightreed10 Post author

      Good morning David,
      You are most perceptive…because yes, my mind is extremely active these days in a very positive way. Lots of energy, ideas and thoughts….and so my simple daily plan is even more key at these times.

      I absolutely love what Joyce said….because it is true. With a painting if you change one tiny fraction of it – you change the whole…a very important lesson for all artists. This also means that as I paint…regardless of the size I need to keep the idea of the whole image in my mind’s eye…In other words it’s not working one small part at a time…I am always thinking of the whole as I add each brush stroke.

      I know at times, i have enormous resources of energy…..and so I can understand completely what you are saying about your own nervous energy. Again, the key is knowing how to harness it. Used well, so much can be accomplished…..but then I don’t need to tell you that.

      I am off to Portugal on the 18th which I will write about in my next blog planned for tomorrow or Wednesday. I have shipped five paintings to China for an exhibition in November and so yes, life is busy and I am so grateful for that.

      The weather in London is perfect and to my liking at the moment….cool – quite a bit of sunshine and clouds…and good sleeping nights. I love it.

      Thank you so much for your comments and compliments….they mean so much to me….and I do hope that you and Meir had a lovely time painting together. We can all learn so much from six year olds..

      Best wishes
      Janet 🙂

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  30. davidjrogersftw

    Janet, I’m so excited about your China exhibition, I think it’s fantastic and would like to see some of the work someday.

    Cool sleeping weather–good idea, and temperatures dropping here. I am an insomniac, sometimes for long periods making do with an hour or two sleep in a night. Read an article that said “lower the room temperature.” So I will try that. Might as well.

    You’re making such a good point, that the artist, writer, composer, etc., must always have a double vision–of the detail and the whole, and the effects of each on the other. A great observation.

    I so look forward not only to your posts that are always significant, but to your comments on my comments to you, and on my posts.
    My next post–“The Most Important Step in the Creative Process”–should be coming out this coming week, I think. I think you especially will like it. Hope so.

    Labor Day today. Diana may go clothes shopping. If so, she will park me on a chair in the mall so I can read while she’s busy. I have good taste in women’s clothes, but no patience with shopping.

    Kathryn Braithwaite and I have been exchanging ideas lately. I think her poetry is interesting and original. She thinks so highly of you.
    Best wishes, stay cool,
    David

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    1. janetweightreed10 Post author

      I laughed out loud about your comments re shopping…..I hate shopping and although I don’t like giving business to the big corps…i.e. Amazon etc. – on-line shopping has been wonderful for me. I am not quire sure why I have such an aversion to it, but I do….and have also been left sitting outside of changing rooms while friends, daughter, Mother etc. enjoyed the process of trying on different things. If I do shop, I know exactly what I want..I go directly to that place, get the thing and leave……….
      Regardless, I do hope that Diana found exactly what she was looking for.

      I love Kathryn Braithwaite and you are so right in saying that her poetry is interesting and original. She and I have been blog friends for thirteen years! Initially on another server, and now of course WordPress.

      The exhibition in China is a classic case of ‘none of us is ever creative enough to know how things will actually work out’ Eleven years ago, I had a solo exhibition in Picardie France, organised by Claud Lesure – a very well known French artist and Grand Dame of the art world. During the past eleven years we have sent the occasional e mail etc….and then this. I have exhibited many times in France and as you know enjoy being there, and love my French friends, but this came from out of the blue….and I do feel very honoured as the only non French/Chinese participant. We simply never know.

      Communication with the Chinese has been interesting. One man, who seems very nice doesn’t speak English but we both communicate in French (as one of my friends said – What could possibly go wrong?:) The other woman Miss Yan Yan is also delightful and is able to communicate in English……all very interesting. If I don’t get to China in November, I will meet these people next spring when the exhibition comes to Paris.
      The paintings have been shipped and have arrived safely. I will now let go and let the chips fall where they may.

      By the way cooler nights are definitely much better for sleeping…..Enjoy the day and best wishes to you and Diana as we move from summer to autumn.

      I will look forward to reading your new blog.

      Janet 🙂

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  31. davidjrogersftw

    After hearing more about your China exhibit I’m even more excited. Don’t you love serendipity? It will be a wonderful experience for you whether you go to China or see it in Paris. I’m proud of you.

    Best wises
    David

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