Healing Through Creative Means

As an empath, it’s not unusual for me to pick up a lot of emotional baggage from other people. The world we live in is not a healthy place for empaths anymore. While we are quickly dragged down, creative efforts can help us heal.

“Empath” is considered a “new age” term and most new age pages will prescribe meditation to heal. However, I am not comfortable with the concept of emptying my mind and leaving it vulnerable. Instead, I choose to meditate through creative activity and prayer.

Anyone can pray. There is no specific recipe for prayer. It’s as simple as having a conversation with God. But creative activity can sound daunting and scary.

However, there is no trick to being creative. We make it harder than it has to be. There are various ways to be creative. Art, photography, writing, and cooking are some of the different methods of creativity. When we lose ourselves in our creativity, that is a form of meditation.

Innately I am a writer. As the saying goes, ink runs through my veins. By writing, I survived my childhood. When life got too hard to handle, I headed out into the woods to a favorite tree stand with a notebook and writing utensils. I poured my soul into journals and poetry. At the time I was unaware I was healing myself in the process. The act of writing as well as spending time in nature are both ways empaths can rejuvenate.

I also have discovered a gift for painting and art. In high school, I used to try to sketch the faces of my classmates from the yearbook. I had no art training. Therefore, my results were less than stellar. I was not happy with the finished products. Disappointment set in and I gave up.

But, fast forward to a few years ago. It seems colors and paints run through the same veins as the ink. I couldn’t stay away from art. I picked up pencils again and began to sketch people. When I felt comfortable with those results, I decided to try to paint. Practice makes perfect, as they say.

I discovered painting was a better method of meditation for me. It was relaxing in a focused way. I could lose myself in it without emptying my mind, yet allow my thoughts to run free. Writing requires concentration. Art is less structured.

However, recently the room in my house reserved for my artistic talents was occupied and unavailable for a few months. My paints were in storage. Any painting endeavor was inconvenient from the outset. I had to settle for healing through writing only.

However, writing alone was not sufficient to heal all the negative energies I was taking on. As weeks passed, I found myself growing touchy. Little things were setting me off. I began snapping at people for no reason. I needed and missed the freedom that my art gave me.

There was a crazy excitement within me when I got my room back. My heart raced as I put things back where I wanted them. The way I set out my brushes and canvas was almost a cherished ritual. It felt sacred, almost like a prayer in itself.

Putting the brush to the canvas for the first time again was a sensual pleasure. There was almost a climactic reaction, a breathlessness reserved for special moments. Joy filled my heart as I cleared my mind of anything except which color to mix and apply next. I didn’t want to put the brush down when I had finished the first piece.

In merely an hour, my snappy attitude had vanished. Gone were the words of anger that so recently had taken over my mind and soul. Peace in my heart replaced my quick temper. Creativity healed the empath in me.