Unlocking Creativity as a Tool to Manage Time And Stress With Susan Hensley
One of the first things we buy our kids are pencils, crayons, watercolours, and perhaps clay dough. Why do we do this? We want to encourage creativity as a tool through playing and painting.
We want them to express their emotions. Because of their young age, they may lack the right words to describe them. But they find their voice through pictures. They learn decision-making with the paints they mix.
They have improved motor skills, and they find comfort when they are upset. The list goes on. But things change when we become adults. Can adults benefit from the same things that kids benefit from? In today's episode of the Minute Mastery Podcast, we are looking into how we can use creativity as art journaling and play.
Our guest on The Minute Mastery Podcast is Susan Hensley
She is a transformational coach, speaker, and author passionate about helping people navigate life’s transitions with confidence, creativity, and joy.
With a rich background as a corporate executive and leadership coach, she understands the challenges that come with major life changes—and the opportunities they bring.
Blending her expertise in HR, coaching, and journalism, Susan empowers individuals to embrace uncertainty with resilience and playfulness. Through workshops, speaking engagements, and one-on-one coaching, she helps clients reconnect with their authentic selves, unlocking their inner wisdom and creativity to help manage time and stress.
How Can You Use Creativity as a Tool For Managing Time And Reducing Stress?
According to Susan, the reason it is such a great tool is it moves you out of stress and it moves you out of stress very quickly.
So when we are stressed and focusing on time, we are using our left brain. That is the left hemisphere of our brain. That is very analytical, and productive.
That causes stress.
The best way to break a stress cycle where you are just going round and round and feeling overwhelmed is actually to move to the right side of your brain very intentionally.
And that's by doing something creative and that's where art journaling comes in because art journaling is not about making a piece of art at all it's really about expressing yourself through color through scribbling through making a mess.
She said during her sessions with her clients, in as short a period as three minutes, they feel much more relaxed, they can have a new perspective.
Does Creativity as a Tool Have to be Perfect Scribbles
The concept is not about producing a piece. Now, it might be really fun and relaxing for you to play and draw things like say, mountains, right? But the goal of is not to recreate something you are seeing. That would be great! As making art is great for our brain. You are using the right side of your brain. So there is no part of that that you don't get the benefits.
However, art journaling is different. The art journaling is much more about expressing how you feel and having fun and working with those emotions.
The goal where it stays relaxing and stress free is to recognize it is all about the process of drawing and color and not about what you create. Art journaling really just stays in your journal.
You can toss it, or save it. It is private, just like if you were keeping a written journal.
Since Stress is A Time Waster, What do You Do?
Susan suggested finding a favorite song on your phone. A three minute song. Most songs are about three minutes, some are four. But do not choose, you know, some 20 minute song. Choose a three, four minute song that you like. Take out a couple crayons, couple colored pens.
And while that song plays take one piece of paper fill it fill that piece of paper with color Scribbles you can draw hearts. You can draw trees. You could draw cars. You could draw houses Whatever you want.
You can draw a million different things, but fill that one piece of paper in the time of that song that three minutes song. Then you will be reset. That will calm you and take you out of stress.
Take a breath and then get back into your day and say it is time to be productive. Shake your body or some of movement.
So you are sort of shaking off that stress. Very, very helpful to use our bodies to help us when we are frozen in stress. And that's what the writing or the coloring helps with.
It works for many of us.
Please listen to the podcast by clicking the link above or watch on YouTube below. And Susan welcomes questions and can help yo get started with art journaling. Please reach her through her website and download her guide to getting you started.
Susan Hensley Website
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