Day 70: Paint a Picture

Sundays focus on enrichment for the mind, alternating between right brain creativity, left brain logic/education, and general acts of personal positivity.

Today's Positivity activity:  Paint a picture of something purely for the stress-relieving fun factor.

You don't need to be an artist to enjoy painting, nor do you need fancy supplies. Grab paper and a set of watercolors from the dollar store and go to town!  Art is very therapeutic, assuming you can let go and create without being critical of the results.

For your journaling today: Write down "right brain" and the today's theme. Did you paint something? Note your thoughts. You can be as detailed as you wish, or you can simply jot one or two sentences about it. 

 Optional: Note your daily Positivity Quotient. by rating the following on a scale of 1-100:

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

Life in General

My Mood

Day 28: Work with Clay

Sundays focus on enrichment for the mind, alternating between right brain creativity, left brain logic/education, and general acts of personal positivity.

Today's Positivity activity:  Work with clay.
Clay can be so therapeutic! I'm not just talking about creating a masterpiece worthy of a museum. Just manipulating it in your fingers can relax muscles and ease tension. I injured my hand last year, and the therapist gave me a special putty to use for strength and mobility. I found that working with it also helped relieve stress.

BONUS POSITIVITY if you include friends or family!

If you don't have clay or the kid's PlayDoh lying around, no need to buy any! You've probably got ingredients on hand to make your own. Try these recipes:
Make Your Own Clay

For your journaling today: Write down "RIGHT brain" and the theme of today's activity. Did you work with clay? Did you make anything with it, or just work it?  Note your thoughts about whether it relieved stress/anxiety. You can be as detailed as you wish, or you can simply jot one or two sentences about it. 

 Optional: Note your daily Positivity Quotient. by rating the following on a scale of 1-100:

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

Life in General

My Mood

Day 7: Spark the Imagination with Fantasy Art

"Enchantment"-Josephine Wall

Sundays focus on enrichment for the mind, alternating between the right brain creativity, left brain rational/educational pursuits, and general acts of personal positivity.

Today's Positivity activity: For the right brain. Spend time enjoying the enchanting, imagination-stirring wonder of fantasy art.

Google up "fantasy art" and browse through the vast store of imagery. Pick several that speak to you and enjoy the lines, color, and flow.

Bonus positivity if you take an inspirational piece and either write a poem, brief story/scene, or draw something about it.

For your journaling today: Write down "RIGHT brain" and the theme of today's activity. Did you find some nice art? Did you attempt the bonus activity? Note your thoughts about the art and which moved you most. You can be as detailed as you wish, or you can simply jot one or two sentences about it. 

 Optional: Note your daily Positivity Quotient. by rating the following on a scale of 1-100:

Positivity Boost (from today's activity

Life in General

My Mood

Day 350: Turn Negative into Positive

Image cover art from this cool coloring book on Amazon

Today's Positivity activity: Turn three negatives into a positive with art.

Do this instead of:  Not seeing the positive side of things.

Today's challenge is a combination of personal thinking positivity and an art challenge. Three times today, when negative thoughts pop up about something that is happening or being thought about, stop and determine to find something positive. Take those three words and turn them into an art project.

The Results: Whoa! What a day for this challenge. Literally the craziest work day I've had in a while now! I did turn three negatives into positives, starting with helping coworkers begin their shift with a little Post-It, like this one:

 ...and then I drew this on a sheet of paper to sum up what was going on:

 I intended to turn this into a doodley art thing, but said craziness ensued, and then I remembered I needed to finish the card below:

So all in all, mission accomplished!

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

30 / 100

 Life in General

60 / 100

 My Mood

70 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 337: Create Something. Anything.

Today's Positivity activity: Color mandalas.

Do this instead of:  30-60 min of random web patrol.

I've been trying to get back into some art challenges, so today it's time to make something. Doesn't matter what, doesn't matter the medium. Paint, scissors, clay, wood, computer graphics--just dive in and make something silly or serious. Just CREATE.

The Results: I decided to make some snazzy graphic thumbnails for some YouTube videos of mine. It was kinda fun! Here's one of them:

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

30 / 100

 Life in General

70 / 100

 My Mood

75 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 329: Color a Mandala

(image: Mandala coloring pages app graphic from Google Play Store)
Today's Positivity activity: Color mandalas.

Do this instead of:  30 min of random Facebook patrol.

It's been a while since I did an art challenge, so I decided to take on the fun of mandalas. These are intricate designs that you can create yourself, or there are lots of coloring books for grownups out there now that feature them--or printable pages online.

Get a mandala coloring app (android)
Download mandala coloring pages

The Results: I popped on some nature sounds and used a mandala app on my tablet. Very zen! My favorite one is below:

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

30 / 100 (30.00%)

 Life in General

65 / 100 (65.00%)

 My Mood

65 / 100 (65.00%)

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 252: Design Your Book of Life

Today's Positivity activity: Create a book cover that represents the life that most represents your ideal you.

Do this instead of:  60 min Facebook patrol

So a few of this past week's positivity ideas were inspired by my novel writing challenge, and here's one more. Imagine that your life is a novel. Not just the daily grind stuff, but your fantasy version of what your ideal life would be. Search the internet or your phone's camera gallery for "cover art" images that best represent your book, or draw/paint a cover if you're so inclined. Use a photo editor on your phone or computer, or do the cover by hand. Don't forget to add a catchy title and credit yourself as the author of your ideal life!

The Results: I popped open Photoshop, grabbed a stock photo, and added text to reflect my life today. I liked it so much that I'm adapting it for my next book--along with the title. Life imitates art...and vice versa!

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

30 / 100

 Life in General

75 / 100

 My Mood

80 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 98: Post Some Recent Artwork

Stained Glass Butterflies

Today's Positivity activity: Be brave and post recent art endeavors on the blog and social nets.

Do this instead of: 1/2 hr of web patrol.

A few weeks ago, I decided to start featuring some of the art I've been doing as part of my positivity challenge and to provide a creative outlet.

Left: my daughter and I have been mailing a coloring book back and forth, and "Stained Glass Butterflies" is my latest effort. Below are some random doodles I've been doing while practicing zen tangle patterns.

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

20 / 100

 Life in General

70 / 100

 My Mood

80 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 84: Post Some Recent Artwork

Mother's Day card

Today's Positivity activity: Be brave and post recent art endeavors on the blog and social nets.

Do this instead of: 1/2 hr of web patrol.

Creativity has become an important part of my positivity challenge as a stress-relieving, zen-inducing outlet. That said, one of the biggest obstacles for me has been shutting off inner criticism. I don't want those negative messages interfering with the positive benefits of creating art, but it's easier said than done. So I decided to start regularly featuring some of my efforts on this blog. By putting my work, out there for the world to see, flaws and all, I am hoping to turn off the inner monologue that suggests I have to be a professional in order to use art as a positive outlet.

Above, I hand painted the Mother's Day card I sent to my mom this year. Specifically, it was my attempt to recreate a miniature oil painting she had done when I was a child.

"The heart of the journey" is an ink drawing I made for my husband on our anniversay. "Sun and Moon" is a doodle in ink with watercolor pencil shading that was inspired by a mirror that hangs on the wall in my entry way.

The Heart of the Journey

Sun and Moon

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

15 / 100

 Life in General

65 / 100

My Mood

70 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 78: Start an Art Journal

Today's Positivity activity:  Begin making an art/visual journal

Do this instead of: 2 hrs of web or TV

I picked up this sweet Strathmore visual journal at Hobby Lobby the other day. It has a nice heavy paper to hold up to inks, acrylics, even watercolors. It's all nice and empty, just waiting for me to start using it.

I was having a hard time deciding what theme I wanted for my journal, so for my first page I did  a sort of "mission statement". The results are below.

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

30 / 100

 Life in General

75 / 100

 My Mood

75 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 67: Coloring for Grownups

Today's Positivity activity:  Check out the newest "embrace your inner child" fun: coloring books for grownups.

Do this instead of: 2 hrs of TV/Internet patrol

My oldest daughter first said something to me about coloring books for grownups, and I was intrigued by the prospect. Much like Zen doodling (day 49's challenge), coloring can put your mind in a meditative state that is great for stress relief and a nice positivity boost!

Pinterest or a Google search can turn up lots of free printable coloring pages suitable for the grownup sect, or check Amazon or your local bookseller for a variety of titles. I found a whole shelf full at Barnes and Noble!

This was very zen and fun to do. I grabbed some colored watercolor pencils, put on my headphones and got busy. Here's the result:

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

40 / 100

 Life in General

80 / 100

 My Mood

85 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 54: Draw for Fun

Today's Positivity activity:  Draw something, preferably something positive (!), for the sheer joy of creativity.

Do this instead of: Internet patrol

I like to include creativity challenges for myself on a regular basis, so today's positivity is to draw something. It may never hang in the Metropolitan, but that's not the point! I just want to relax and create something fun.

Okay, so I did some drawing and realized that the one big sketch I did wasn't "positive" exactly, since the tree was a bit sad, so later I did some fun doodling that was a bit more generic to outright happy. I've been having fun with it.

"Lonely Tree"- pencil on sketch pad

Random Zen doodles

A tiny fairy hideaway doodled in ink on a large Post-It

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

40 / 100

Life in General

75 / 100

 My Mood

80 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 49: Zen Doodling

Today's Positivity activity:  Explore the stress-relieving wonders of zen doodling/zentangle art.

Do this instead of: 2 hrs of TV/Internet patrol

What is zen doodling? It's a method of producing detailed patterns out of very simple lines, similar to what one scribbles on a notepad while talking on the phone. The practice of creating the repetitive patterns is said to invoke a meditative state, hence the "zen" part. Because it is doodling with simple lines, anyone can create zen doodles regardless of prior artistic experience/talent. And it's fun!

Go on Pinterest or YouTube and search for zen doodling, and you'll see a metric ton of examples for this style of art. I recently downloaded the book pictured here from Amazon and toyed with it briefly. Today I will dive in and look at some designs to see what kind of zen I can create. 

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

25 / 100

 Life in General

85 / 100

 My Mood

85 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 39: Paint a Picture

Today's Positivity activity:  Paint a picture of something for the stress-relieving fun factor.

Do this instead of: 2 hrs of TV/Internet.

Let me be very clear in saying that I am in no way a painter or artist. But hey, that doesn't mean I can't play around with some of my kid's paint for the joy of it! Art is very therapeutic, assuming we let go and don't let our inner critic join in.

This was definitely fun. I didn't get fancy--I threw on a "nature sounds" video and went to town with some inexpensive acrylics. I used cheap brushes, makeup and kitchen sponges, Q-tips, and paper toweling to "paint" with. Below are the results. They may not be artistic masterpieces, but this definitely gave me a boost. The rest of the family even sat down and joined in for a bit.

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

30 / 100

 Life in General

75 / 100

 My Mood

75 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 35: Create with Clay

Today's Positivity activity:  Make something out of clay, even if it's just an unidentifiable blob.

Do this instead of: 1 hr of TV

There's something decidedly positive about squeezing and shaping clay. I'm no master sculptor--I never even mastered my PlayDoh in Kindergarten--but that won't stop me from enjoying the therapeutic benefits of today's challenge.

So I made a clay Easter basket (borrowing some of my daughter's PlayDoh for the colored eggs)....Happy Easter!

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

15 / 100

 Life in General

75 / 100

 My Mood

55 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 28: Stir the Imagination with Fantasy Art

"Enchantment"

Today's Positivity activity: Spend time enjoying the enchanting, imagination-stirring wonder of Josephine Wall, one of my favorite artists.

Do this instead of: 30 minutes or more of Facebook patrolling today.

Spending time at the virtual art gallery rather than worrying about the latest online gossip or how busy work might be today will definitely add some points to the positivity column. And I really love Josephine's artwork. Looking at it throughout the day made me smile and ponder.

Josephine Wall's Website

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

20 / 100

 Life in General

70 / 100

 My Mood

70 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters

Day 22: Crafty Family Fun

Today's Positivity activity: Spend time making an outdoor craft project with the family.

Do this instead of: 2 hrs of TV time.

We decided to make a project the whole family could help with and that would help give our very blah patio a lift: re-purposing old wooden pallets into a lattice planter that will block the view of our unsightly AC unit. (We got the idea from our neighbors.) This is a fun way to spend a lovely spring day, and the results will add positivity to our lives all year long.


As it turned out, we didn't get the whole project finished--we will be using twine to tie small potted plants onto the pallets eventually. But we did have time to makeover our back patio fountain, which we'd turned off months ago, into something pretty and drought friendly.

Daily Positivity Levels (updated at the end of the day)*

Positivity Boost (from today's activity)

50 / 100

 Life in General

80 / 100

 My Mood

70 / 100

*See sidebar on the left for an explanation of the meters