Artists and creatives often live in an intensive and rather unpredictable pace. Being your own boss, juggling dozens of projects, and seeking new customers alone add quite a lot of pressure. On top of that, every artist is facing an additional challenge of sustaining his creativity and keeping that muse.

All these challenges often put just too much stress on you, which can lead to a lack of inspiration and even depression.

With so many tasks and things going on around you, self-care is probably the last thing you’ll be thinking about. However, you should put in some effort to make it a part of your daily routine!

Why do you need it? Even the simplest self-care rituals can really make a positive change in your life. During such activities, you can relax, refresh your mind, and regain inspiration, which is so important for every creative!

Now, as you know why self-care should really become a priority, you may be wondering how to make it a part of your routine. When things get pretty busy it can feel hard to allocate even a bit of time for yourself. That’s true. But these simple tips will help you get started:

1. Keep a Journal

Journaling about one’s life, emotions, and feelings is proven to have a positive impact on mental health. Thus, one of the first self-care habits artists should acquire is keeping a journal. Writing out your thoughts can really help to declutter your mind, which will have a positive impact on all the rest spheres of your life!

2. Take Breaks

This may not sound like an obvious self-care tip. After all, what does taking breaks have to do with self-care? But, in fact, getting enough rest is the quintessence of self-care art.

For artists and creatives, taking breaks is one of the best strategies to keep those creative flows. Thus, be sure to schedule regular breaks during which you can step away from your art and do something completely different. Not only this will positively affect your mental health, but it will also boost your productivity!

3. Foster Personal Relationships

Artists and creatives are known for being rather isolated. Indeed, it can be hard to socialize when you have tons of projects and other things to take care of. However, it is vital not to forget about personal relationships with your friends and family.

Interacting with other people can help you build pleasant memories, get positive emotions, enrich your life, and get through some challenging times. Thus, be sure to foster your personal relationships as a part of your self-care strategy!

Even when things are very busy, try finding some time to connect with other people! There are always some ways to free up some time – for example, you can take a short break from work, get help with your assignments (read this) if you are a student artist, or take a day off. Keep personal relationships a priority!

4. Take Care of Your Body

As a rule, creatives and artists spend tons of time sitting or standing in somewhat awkward positions. Moreover, when inspiration bursts in, you probably can keep working hours on end in the same pose. Well, it won’t be a revelation to say that this can really have a bad impact on your back and body in general.

In order to avoid back pains, you should take decent care of your body. To get started, try taking breaks and doing some basic exercises and stretches. This will really make a difference!

5. Take Full Self-Care Days

Being an artist isn’t easy. Every creative career takes lots of hard work, which is why it is so important to pamper yourself from time to time. A great way to get some quality rest is to take self-care days every once in a while. During such days you should step back from work and do whatever makes you feel good. For example, take a bubble bath, meditate, go for a walk, etc.

The Bottom Line

Self-care is a real art of slowing down and devoting some high-quality time for yourself. For specialists in creative fields, in particular, self-care is crucial as it helps maintain a healthy work-life balance, stay inspired, and reach overall wellbeing.

Hopefully, you will find the self-care tips from this article useful. Put a bit of effort now to integrate these activities in your life and you will notice tons of positive changes in the near future!

Bio:
This post was created by a professional writer Nicole Cowart. Being a creative person, Nicole recognizes the importance of self-care for keeping herself healthy and happy. In this article, she shares with us some of her favorite self-care tips for artists and creatives.