Why (Mindless) Creativity?

Before creativity found me in 2008, when I was pregnant with my first born, I was one stressed-out lady. I looked cool, calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside, my mind was filled with anxious, worrisome, fearful and negative thoughts.

And once I hit my early 20s, I starting having anxiety attacks, that lasted for years and had me running out of stores, restaurants and so many other places, because I couldn’t handle all the stimulation.  

And because of that, I spent many years trying to find natural ways to calm the anxiousness I felt inside of me because I CRAVED inner calm and wanted my anxiety to go away so very badly. 

I tried it all; yoga, mediation, massage, exercise, organic and local foods (I was a hostess home to a local farmer), slow walks in nature, journaling, going to bed early, hot baths, swirling Chinese Medicine balls in my hands, massages, especially after receiving my Journalism and Elementary Education degree, and becoming an elementary school teacher and a Certified Holistic Health Coach. 

All of those things are great, and definitely helped, but my mind was still all over place (it was SO hard for me sit calmly in yoga class, or better yet, sit still in guided mediation).

I couldn't understand why I still felt so frazzled, tired and stressed, even though I was eating the cleanest foods and making self-care a priority. 

While pregnant with my baby girl, out of the blue, I re-connected with my love for photography (a love that was ALWAYS there, but I never was aware of until now) and it was AWESOME! So awesome that found myself learning everything I could on how to take pictures with my DSLR. 

Soon, by chance, I found my match through coloring, doodling and doodle painting, like I did when I was a kid. The kind that involved very little supplies and had me playing with color, without much thought, and only for fun. 

At first, this was hard, because my mind (what I like to call, my left-brain mind…the side that likes to keep things in ADULT order) was telling me how much I suck at coloring and how stupid it was to even being coloring like a kid again, because, yeah, I’m an adult and adults don’t color anymore…adults have way better things to do, like the laundry, cleaning the house and making sure everything is being done so the bills can be paid.

But, something inside of me, kept going, kept coloring, even when those thoughts tried to stop me, because it started to FEEL SO GOOD as I continued to do it, which I now know now, was my right brain mind coming through…the creative and CALM and feel good side!!

And the next thing I knew, I wasn’t only coloring with crayons and colored pencils, but I started to paint with paint brushes, too! Something I hadn’t done in YEARS!

And best of all, the more I colored pages with colors I loved and the more I painted flowers that I used to doodle in my high school notebooks with colors that FELT good to me in that moment, the more my anxious and worrisome thoughts calmed and the more my JOY and passion ignited and the more I stay connected to present the moment. 

Not only did it CALM me (like no other!), but it re-ignited my inner JOY and CREATIVITY (like no other!) and, most of all, it helped me to reconnect AND stay connected to everything that lights me UP with LOVE no matter how stressful my day was (like no other!). 

I started doing yoga and guided mediation more consistently (which I struggled to do consistently for years!!). I started to have more energy to devote toward my passion for photography and creativity. I was cooking and baking more, and, most of all, I was WAY more present and happy with my kids and husband. I was finally connected with that all the things that filled me up with so much passion, love and purpose in my life. It was AMAZING!!

And now, looking back on all those years that I thought I had a major "stress and anxiety" problem that would never go away because I could NEVER find or feel the inner calm I was looking for and all the struggle I went through to figure out what my passions and purpose in life were, I realized that…

I didn't have a ‘stress and anxiety’ problem.

I had a VERY overworked left brain and a VERY underworked right brain problem.  

What does that even mean? Let me explain…

My right brain took a back seat and my left brain stole the show because I was focusing more and more on my to-do list, all the things that could possibly go wrong in life (thank you news media), how I could change myself (um, hello weight loss and negative thinking, I'm talking to you!), how to figure out my passions and was always concerned and anxious about the past and the future.

As we grow older, our left-brain takes more and more control. It has to, because, one, we have adult responsibilities that are SO needed, like getting degrees, finding careers, paying bills to we can feed our families and have a roof over our heads, but the downfall of this, is that the right brain, the side that is more present and where CREATIVITY lives gets buried deep, deep, down inside of us, because it hasn’t had any love since we were kids.

Which brings me to number two, which is, it isn’t our fault, it’s just how society is set up. Society is set up for more left-brain thinking than right brain. And the problem with that is that when the left-brain is ALWAYS in control and never gets a much-needed break, that’s when anxiety, depression and mental problems occur. Because our brains aren’t equally balanced with left and right brain thinking.

And the way to get that balance is to do something creative, hands-on and that requires very little thought! Like coloring and painting like a kid again!

So the more I focused to these very responsible left-brain thoughts that are needed in life, the more my right brain thoughts (that are needed as well) got buried, and the more stress and anxiety filled my life.  

I was NOT giving my right-brain, the side that would CALM and BALANCE all these over worked, left brain thoughts, the much needed attention it deserved. 

We NEED the left brain! It keeps us safe and helps us to continue to be a responsible adult so we can take care of ourselves and our families, but just like with everything else in life, it has to be BALANCED with right-brain thinking and activity, which can be very hard to do in this very fast paced world we live in. 

So when I would try to do yoga or mediation, or anything that was calming (hello right brain!), my body LOVED it, but my left-brain mind would still run the show, because my brain needed a deeper, more hands-on activity, that would EASILY activate my right brain more.

Raise your hand if you've taken a hot bath, but your mind still focuses on your to-do list over and over and over again? ME!!!

So when I continued to pick up my kids Crayola crayons and color, it was the easiest way to activate my right brain, calming, juices.

The more I colored just for the fun of it, the more my left brain thoughts, the side that was running my to-do list on autopilot AND the side that LOVES to tell me that "I'M NOT CREATIVE!" and that "I have way more important things to do!" started to calm.

Because I was reviving my right-brain in this way I would FEEL the heaviness on my shoulders melt away and I'd find myself saying, "THIS IS SO FUN!!" "I LOVE THIS COLOR!!" "OOOO...WHAT COLOR SHOULD I DO NEXT!!" while smiling BIG.

And then, when I was done, I'd feel like I just spent the entire day at the spa.

Aaahhhhhhhh!! It was AMAZING!! 

My Inner Kid Was Revived!

The one who LOVES life.  

The one who lives in the present moment.  

The one who knows exactly what she's passionate about, what she LOVES and what her purpose here on Earth is. 

The one who cries when something upsets her and then once done, gets right back to enjoying the moment.  

The one who LOVES being creative, in her own unique way, because she knows she was born creative, just like everyone in the world is.

The one who LOVES showing everyone what she created without a care in the world of what they think.

The one who is SO connected to her JOY.

The one who is ALWAYS seeing the beauty that surrounds her.

The one who knows what her heart wants and ALWAYS follows it. 

And the one who feels oh, so calm, no matter how tough the day is, because, at the end of the day, she knows she is safe and loved. 

The one who lives life in a more left brain, right brain balanced way! 

You Can't Have Happy Without Sad And You Can't Have The Left Brain Without The Right Brain. 

BUT, like with me, if we continue living life with the left-brain on autopilot, we'll end up with anxiety, health problems, negative thinking and most of all, missing out on the present moment. 

And, most of all, again, like with me, we will never see the GIFTS the stress and the struggles actually bring us. Because, yes, even the bad stuff IS good, which CREATIVITY helped me with seeing!!

We're ALL creative!

We just have to re-ignite that inner CREATIVITY that lives deep within us, so it can help us create that much needed calming, balance we all CRAVE in this VERY fast paced, fear driven world.  

CREATIVITY is different for everyone, but, what I’ve found, is that the only way to EASILY reconnect with it again, when it’s been YEARS, is to calm the busy mind with some kid-like, mindless, creative fun that involves crayons, markers, paints and even a camera, and then whatever unique CREATIVE sparks that live inside you (because we ALL have our own unique ones!) will BLOOM again or connect to you! 

Mindless-creativity isn't a "must do activity" for only toddlers and young kids. It's a "must do activity" for EVERYONE, no matter the age! 

Because it's the easiest way to connect to your right brain thoughts and get its (balancing) juices flowing again. 

Because when your right brain is turned on in this simple, and fun, and mindless, creative way, stress EASILY melts away and calm, balance, joy, creativity, passion, purpose, love, rejuvenation, energy, confidence and motivation blossoms, which then, results in living a slower, happier and present life, no matter how left-brain the day and the world may be. 

Life isn't meant to be lived ONLY in the fast lane (left brain!).  
It's mean to be lived in the slow (right-brain) lane, too! 

Because it's this slow, right brain lane, that's gonna help you BE the calm, happy, joyful, patient, passionate, present person you're meant to BE!

That's Why I've Created This Space

Because I was SO stuck in the fast (left brain!) lane in my younger years and all of my 20s (and can still stay there at times now in my 40s!), and because it was the ONLY thing that FINALLY had me FEELING the inner CALM and JOY I had been looking for and because it's the ONLY thing that helped me connect to my inner passions and purpose in life, I created this website to help me (and YOU!) to stay connected to BEing a more calm, happy, fun, creative, passionate, loving and present human being that I'm (you're) meant to BE...through mindless-creativity. 

Life is NOT slowing down!

Stress will ALWAYS be there, especially as we grow more and more into our adult years.  

But I know for me, and I'm sure for you, too,...

I don't want to look back on my life wishing I didn't focus SO much on my to-do list and how much stress it brought me. I don’t want to look back wishing I had been more present with my kids as they went through each stage of their young lives.

I don’t want to look back wishing I hadn't been SO exhausted and SO snappy to my kids and my husband all of the time. 

I don’t want to look back wishing I hadn't lost my joy, my smile, myself.  

And, most of all, I don’t want to look back wishing I hadn't missed all the moments that I know would have filled my heart with love. 

I wanna look back and be so happy...

that even though life was chaotic and hectic and had me feeling oh, so frazzled, I still took the time to take care of myself, to slow down, to calm my mind and to BE CREATIVE!  And when times did get tough, I was still 100% focused and aware of what matters most to my heart....

the JOY my kids bring me…

the JOY my husband brings me…

and the JOY that life brings me! 

So If You're Like Me...

And you've tried it all (head still going a mile a minute in yoga and when you try to mediate?), and you're SO ready to FEEL more inner calm and peace, then why not give those left-brain thoughts a much needed break, in this simple, fun and kid-like way!?

You'll be amazed at what comes through for YOU once you open your inner, creative kid doors again.

You’ll…

• feel the calmest and most rejuvenated than you ever have before.

• BE more present with your kids, your husband and your life.

• ignite your inner joy sparks.

• revive your inner, creative self (this doesn't mean you'll be a painter or an artist or a doodler...it just opens your, unique, creative doors again!).

• revive your inner passions, your inner loves, your inner purpose again.

• see the GOOD in the BAD and see the gifts and lessons that come from life struggles and stresses.

• do more calming and soul nourishing activities more consistently.

• connect more to your intuition and make decisions based on how you wanna feel.

• focus more on what lights up your heart with love.

• smile more.

• feel more balanced and light.

• connect back to YOU. 

• feel more confident to share WHO you are and what YOU love with the world.

• live in a very fast-paced, left-brain world with ease.

• be less snappy to the people you love the most.

• have more positive thoughts.

• embrace all emotions.

• and so much more!

I know I was! (And I never thought I was creative...HA!). 

I'm SO Happy You're Here! 

When you get some time, please make yourself at home, put your feet up, browse around and BE inspired to get your inner, creative calm on, so you can continue to BE the calm, happy, present and CREATIVE person you're meant to BE! 

My Little Bio

Renee is one of Whitney Freya's Certified Creatively Fit Coaches and she's also a Certified Holistic Health Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Journalism degree and also Florida Atlantic University with an Elementary Education with ESOL endorsement degree. She was a substitute teacher on Guam, taught 2nd and 3rd grade in Florida and tutored K-12 ESOL students in Virginia. She's a busy mom to a big sister and little brother and has lived in Florida, Guam, Virginia and Louisiana thanks to marrying her college sweetheart (GO GATORS!) whose career is in the United States Coast Guard.