Self-Care Corner: Reconnecting with Myself Through Creativity

Recently, I turned my daughter’s old bedroom in to my office. What I expected to be a simple weekend project, turned into a time of reflection and connection to my inner self. 

In my adolescence, I was deeply immersed in art. I took AP art classes in high school and even won second place at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Western Art Show. I did a little bit of everything, drawing, watercolor, sculpture, pastels, acrylics, etc. Creating was when I felt most connected to myself. But life did what life does; it shifted. I became a young mom, determined to build a stable, meaningful life for my daughter. Creativity gave way to responsibility, and over time it felt harder and harder to return to that part of myself.

Fast forward almost 20 years, standing in my freshly painted office, I realized something; even though painting walls is not the same as producing a portfolio piece, it brought me back to that creative space; the place where I get out of my head. When I’m creating, even if it’s just rolling paint, my thoughts settle, my stress dissipates, I feel grounded and connected again. I feel like me. The real me. The me that I love, but so often neglect.

I didn’t intend for this project to be transformative for anything other than the room, but it transformed me too. This room is now my office, but it’s also a reminder that creativity doesn't have to be grand or award winning to be healing. For me, self-care isn’t always rest or escape. It’s remembering who I am outside of my responsibilities and outside of who I need to be for everyone else. It’s making space to reconnect with the real me. Creativity does that. It brings me back to myself. Creativity, for me, is self-care.