How I Stayed Creative During One of the Hardest Times of My Life
There was a period in my life when creativity felt almost impossible. I was the sole caregiver for my mother during a long illness. My days were filled with worry, sleepless nights, appointments, responsibilities, and exhaustion. Every ounce of energy seemed to go toward caring for someone I loved deeply. Like many people, I kept telling myself that I would get back to my art when life settled down.
But life wasn’t settling down.
One day I realized something important. If I was going to continue caring for my mother, I also needed to care for myself.
For me, that meant staying creative.
The problem was that I didn’t have time for large projects, complicated paintings, or hours in the studio.
So I made a simple decision. Every day, I would go for a walk. During that walk, I would pick up a single leaf. When I returned home, I would spend a little time studying and painting that leaf.
That’s it. One leaf. One painting. One day at a time.
What surprised me was what happened next.
- The walks gave me fresh air, exercise, and quiet moments to think.
- The leaves taught me observation. I began noticing subtle differences in shape, texture, color, and pattern that I had previously overlooked.
- The painting gave me a creative outlet when I needed it most.
I challenged myself to continue for 30 days. As the days passed, I noticed my mood changing.
- My painting skills improved.
- I became more aware of the natural world around me.
- Most importantly, I rediscovered the joy of creating without pressure.
- I wasn’t trying to make masterpieces.
- I was simply showing up.
- One leaf at a time.
Looking back, that small daily practice taught me one of the most important lessons of my creative life:
Creativity doesn’t require huge blocks of time. It doesn’t require perfect circumstances.It begins with curiosity and a willingness to start small.
This week, I’d like to invite you to try your own version of the “One Leaf Challenge.”
- Take a short walk.
- Bring home one simple object from nature—a leaf, flower, feather, seed pod, shell, or piece of fruit.
- Spend just 15 minutes observing it.
- Sketch it.
- Photograph it.
- Paint it.
- Write about it.
- Or simply sit and study it.
You may be surprised how much inspiration can come from something so simple.
Creativity isn’t something we find when life finally slows down. It’s something we nurture, one small moment at a time.
This challenge eventually became one of the foundations of my creative travel experiences and workshops. Join us in Portugal in April 2027
Until then, stay curious.
Mindy
Just when I needed this… thanks, Mindy
Hi Cathy, So glad you found this helpful. We all need a pick me and glad I could help! xoxox, Mindy
That was a beautiful story.
Aw…. thanks Dianne. xoxox, Mindy
Thank you Mindy!
Thank you for sharing and breaking it down – so helpful.
Am also thankful of your recent guidance for transferring drawing using tracing paper.
Peace!
Beth
I am happy to share this with everyone. We never know when life will throw us a curveball and it is good to have a plan to stay positive!
I love this!
Thanks Inge! It really kept me sane in a difficult situation.
Thank you. I will do this. I have lymphoma and treatments have taken my energy and strength. Today I will walk out of the door.
Hi Beth, I am sorry to hear that you are dealing with this illness. Thank you so much for leaving this message. It warms my heart to know that my post gave you the thought of going for a walk. Nature is the best medicine and wish you well.
Thank you, Mindy. Your words have inspired me. I was injured, and my life seems to get more and more limited. For awhile now, I’ve been unable to focus and paint, like during your wonderful class on frogs, salamanders, and turtles. I learned alot during the class, but couldnt follow through with the full painting.
I have a lovely walk in the woods (with my cat) right behind my house. We go several times a week, so each time I’ll bring something back to look at, touch, draw and/or paint (like horseshoe crabs). They breed at a cove and there are always some dead shells. Thanks for your wonderful classes and thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Germaine. Having an injury sure can be difficult. I sympathize. You live in a beautiful area and I can see you and your cat walking along together searching for horse shoe crabs! Sounds like the purrrfect outing for creativity and inspiration.
Mindy, what a marvelous heart-warming and inspiring message. And such a great art practice. I love daily short practices and this is a great one. I’m starting today with my beautiful variegated hosta leaf.
Way to go Dorothea! I am glad the blog post resonated with you and inspired you to paint your hosts leaf. They have great venation and the variegated coloration will be such fun to paint!
Hi Mindy,
Thanks for the encouragement! I was at a plein air event at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens a week ago and when I was sitting in the cafe, a staff member hung a new piece of artwork in place of one that sold and I recognized it as yours right away. I enjoyed being a part of your class in 2024. Stay well!
You are welcome Lori! So glad to hear you are able to get to paint plein air at CMBG. It is such an awesome garden with so much inspiration. I am looking forward to coming back in September. My favorite time of year in Maine!
Thank you💕
You are welcome!
Thanks for this Mindy. Excellent food for thought. I appreciate you.
You are most welcome Wendy! So glad that you are back creating art. It is great to see you on Zoom.
Been there and there again. Need to take care of oneself. I have small pieces or paper ready (2×2) ready. I have been painting on those. It helps.
You are so right Jan! Glad to hear you are taking care of yourself. I love the idea of 2 x 2! Great idea!!!!
Thank you so much for this, Mindy. I felt this so profoundly. Something about the healing and nurturing that art and nature can give, especially to those of us giving and caring so much for others. Beautiful.
You are most welcome. I have learned over the years how important it is to take care of yourself so that you can care for others. Nature and art has alway been a big part of my life and whenever I don’t hold steadfast I feel myself slipping. Hope art and nature keep you surrounded in awe and inspiration.