Flow State from Creating Art Facilitates Healing

One of the main elements of art therapy and creating art is entering the flow state.  That is something that was more recently discovered by my friend Lauren Zalewski / Gratitude Addict and she found this artist who has used her own art as a way of processing her grief from multiple losses. She posted this video of this artist's TED talk on using art to find flow, and how flow helps healing.

The Art of the Unplug by Gratitude Addict Lauren Zalewski

Thank you so much, Lauren Zalewski, for sharing your journey in using art in a mindful way to find greater joy and wellness!  It warms my heart to see you discover how art works for you in some of the most unexpected ways!  Thank you also for sharing with so many other people who can benefit from engaging in many art forms for themselves for their own well-being.

#art #mindfulness #artforwellness

Read her post and blog post from the link below!

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My latest piece on how my unexpected week-long vacation turned into a STAYcation and the profound GRATITUDE-boosting and mindful week I had when I decided to UNPLUG!

Thank you Lacy Mucklow, MA, ATR-BC, LPAT-S, LCPAT, ATCS for blessing me and my group with incredibly healing advice on using art for mindfulness and emotional wellness! Your words have resonated deeply with me and so many others!

Enjoy!

“THE ART OF THE UNPLUG” – FINDING GRATITUDE ON MY WEEK LONG “STAYCATION!”

An excerpt from her post (thanks for the mention!):

Ironically, the week prior to this vacation, I interviewed a famous art therapist and author on my live broadcast, “Gratefully Living the Chronic Life.”  Lacy Mucklow is a New York Times bestselling author and has put out numerous adult coloring books, one of them entitled, “Be Grateful and Color.”  She was an incredible guest who shared with us for the hour about how we can use art for healing.  Her underlying message was that art is personal, there is no right or wrong way to do it, and it is an incredibly mindful and healing tool we can all use in our lives.  She talked about overcoming our fear of doing something “wrong” and not holding back.  Her message really resonated with me and made me want to paint even more.

Read the entire story here:

https://www.gratitudeaddict.com/the-art-of-the-unplug-finding-gratitude-on-my-week-long-staycation/

"Gratefully Living the Chronic Life" features Lacy Mucklow on Live Show

I'm honored that Lauren Zalewski/Gratitude Addict contacted me to be a part of her show, "Gratefully Living the Chronic Life," to talk about art therapy as well as how creating art can help those dealing with chronic pain. Tune in live this Thursday, August 12th at 8 pm ET. 

https://www.facebook.com/gratitudeaddict/posts/2636275773342585 

"Join me LIVE this Thursday, August 12 at 8pm EST for our latest episode of "Gratefully Living the Chronic Life!" My special guest this week will be art therapist and NY Times bestselling author, Lacy Mucklow, MA, ATR-BC, LPAT-S, LCPAT, ATCS. 

I'm so excited to have Lacy joining me for the hour where she'll be sharing her expertise of art as therapy and how we can use it to boost our GRATITUDE and overall emotional wellness! 

Enjoy art but don't consider yourself "artistic?" Me too! Lacy will be sharing with us some simple ideas on how art can (and is!) accessible and doable for anybody and why we should be exploring our creativity to open our eyes to the beauty that life has to offer and to heal from emotional pain. 

About Lacy Mucklow, MA, ATR-BC, LPAT-S, LCPAT, ATCS 

"Lacy is an art therapist who has been practicing in the Washington, DC area since 1999 and currently works in private practice with all ages and in partial hospitalization with active duty service members. Lacy obtained her MA in Art Therapy from The George Washington University and holds a BA in Psychology with a Studio Art Minor from Oklahoma State University. She is a Licensed, Board Certified Art Therapist and is an Art Therapy Certified Supervisor. 

Lacy is also a New York Times bestselling author and National Bestseller with her coloring book series for adults ("Color Me Calm," "Color Me Happy," "Color Me Stress-Free," "Color Me Fearless," "Color Me to Sleep," and "Color Me Grateful") and has also authored an art journal for mothers and their children to communicate through art in response to prompts in "Mom and Me: An Art Journal to Share, Connect, and Create." She has been interviewed globally for magazines, newspapers, and podcasts about the adult coloring phenomenon and its benefits for people and has presented for the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program and was featured on "CBS Sunday Morning." To help people further reduce their stress, Lacy has also released a mindfulness meditation album entitled "Lavender Dreams," and is releasing her second album, "Lavender Destinations," this year - both with original guided imagery and music." 

Lacy will be on hand with us for the hour to share her expertise, ideas, and to answer any questions or comments you may have!!! LIVE viewers will be entered to win a free, autographed copy of one of Lacy Mucklow's coloring books, "Be Grateful and Color: Channel Your Stress into a Mindful, Creative Activity"!! 

 **episode will be recorded for later viewing.**  

Event: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/367998158070404/

We had a great time and the hour went by quickly!  Watch a recording of the broadcast here: