I was captivated by the aesthetics of wellness culture. I was drawn into the ‘Pinterest perfect’ vision board of green juices, matching activewear sets, the organised 5:30am morning routines, pilates and hot yoga classes. Iced matcha lattes balanced delicately beside someone’s journal filled with neat handwritten affirmations. It all looked so fresh, so peaceful and so aspirational. Like everyone else had discovered some secret formula for becoming effortlessly radiant, fulfilled and totally ‘that girl’.

And gosh did I wanted a piece of that pie ( which would probably be gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, seed oil free ).

So what began as wanting to feel healthier and honestly ‘look good’ , gradually turned into micromanaging my body, my habits, my routines, my food, my appearance, and eventually even my personality. Everything became optimisation. Self improvement. Self-fixing. Consuming endless amounts of wellness content, obsessively reading self help books, listening to podcasts, following health creators online for motivation.

Obsessing over the next trending or ‘game changing’ product I needed to purchase in order to ‘glow up’. I’m a little ashamed to admit I fell for many marketing schemes on social media, so blinded by this pursuit of becoming this ‘wellness girl’. The key words and hashtags flooding my social feeds included: “clean eating, clean girl, healthy, wellness girl, pilates princess, that girl, fitness, goals, workouts, healthy recipes, glow up, becoming her, health and wellness…”

Of course somewhere along the way, my impossible pursuit of achieving “wellness” slowly became a way to disconnect from myself. My life felt sterile and boring, like I’d lost my personality. And unfortunately what took the brunt of this disconnection to my true self, was my creativity.

Creativity cannot breathe under constant self-surveillance, control and restriction.

Subscribe now

I didn’t realise it at the time, of course. I genuinely thought I was helping myself. I thought if I could just become more disciplined, more productive, healthier and hotter, the I’d get back to creating when I’d achieved all of this.

But I became exhausted. Physically, mentally and spiritually exhausted.

Because when your mind becomes consumed with rules, comparison, tracking, shrinking yourself, or performing wellness ‘correctly’, there’s very little room left for imagination.

Creativity needs spaciousness. Some freedom, to expand, to blossom and flow.

I think one of the strangest things about modern wellness culture is how often it pulls us away from our bodies while convincing us we’re becoming “more connected” to them.

We’re taught to analyse every craving, optimise every meal, track every step, perfect every routine, wake up earlier, drink more water, meditate correctly, heal faster, glow brighter, run further, lift heavier, stretch more deeply, eat cleaner. The list is endless…

I noticed how it almost destroyed my relationship with art. At first I stopped creating freely. Then I actually stopped creating all together.

Creativity, at least for me, has always been deeply tied to play, curiosity, mess, wonder, experimentation. But wellness culture, especially the hyper-curated online version of it, often leaves very little room for messiness. Everything becomes polished, aesthetic, optimised, clean.

You’re encouraged to become the most efficient version of yourself rather than the most aligned authentic version of yourself.

I remember going through periods where I was so consumed by food rules and wellness habits that I could barely hear my own intuition anymore. I’d spend more time researching what to eat, what supplements to take, what workouts to do, rather than listen to what I needed. I was spending more time trying to “fix” my body than inhabiting it.

And meanwhile, my creativity quietly withered in the background like a neglected house plant.

The ideas stopped arriving so naturally and inspiration felt distant. The idea of creating became too daunting, so heavy and filled with dread. Looking back now, it makes perfect sense. Creativity requires presence and needs some attention.

You cannot fully immerse yourself in a painting while mentally calculating calories.

You cannot deeply connect to your imagination while obsessing over productivity, time blocking your google calendar.

You cannot hear subtle creative instincts over the constant noise of self-criticism.

I also think there’s something important to say about how wellness culture often repackages control as empowerment, especially for women.

We’re told that controlling ourselves is dedication. That shrinking ourselves is discipline. That hyper-vigilance is self-care. But many of us are simply becoming more disconnected from our actual needs underneath the facade of “health and wellness”.

And the irony is, true creativity asks the opposite of us. Creativity asks for openness, trust and even surrender. It asks us to listen rather than control. To observe rather than constantly correct ourselves. We must allow the magic of inspiration, ideas and the imagination to unfold naturally.

Some of my most creative seasons have happened not when I was perfectly ‘disciplined’, but when I felt safe enough to exist imperfectly. When I wasn’t treating my body like a self improvement project. I think that’s why I feel so passionate now about talking about the connection between creativity and wellbeing in a more honest way. I genuinely believe many creatives are struggling silently with this.

It’s about finding the balance, of taking care of yourself and your health on your terms and in a way the feels good and sustainable to you. The things that support you as a creative so you feel healthy, happy and inspired to create your art. Not so depleted and drained from intense workouts, diets, and regimes that creating art falls right to the bottom of the list of priorities.

To find balance is to stop approaching wellness from a place of punishment and start approaching it from a place of care.

So slowly I stepped away from the harsher sides of wellness culture, loosened the reins and let myself out of that self made cage. Then the fog cleared and creativity began returning to me again, not all at once, but in small whispers and hints.

I started doodling, then painting, making mood boards, writing. I reset my social media algorithms to uplift me instead of guilt me into not being productive enough. I began following creatives and inspiring people.

I chose to workout in a way that feels good and I enjoy. I began eating in a mindful and compassionate way, I replaced the intense routines and regimes for simple rituals and self care.

And that’s when I began feeling most connected to myself again.

Not when I was performing wellness beautifully online.

But when I returned to the quieter, more human things: Rest, art, nourishment, presence, self expression, play.

The things that modern wellness culture often forgets to leave room for.

Which is partly why I created The Art of Mindful Eating.

Because healing my relationship with food was one of the biggest changes I made in creative wellness journey.

It was about reconnecting to myself creatively, emotionally, physically, and spiritually too. It was about learning that nourishment and creativity are deeply intertwined.

That taking care of ourselves as artists isn’t self-indulgent, it’s essential. Not because we need to earn rest or ‘optimise’ our creativity. But because we deserve to experience our lives fully while we create.

If this piece resonated with you, I explore these themes more deeply in my e-book, The Art of Mindful Eating : a guide to mindful nourishment and healing your relationship with food in a softer, more compassionate way :

The Art of Mindful Eating E-book/ Digital guide

Yours Artfully,

Eleanor Grace x

Even if it all feels too heavy, please keep creating your art.

I know its rather bleak out there. If like me, you’ve been constantly doom scrolling through all forms of media, you’ll know all to well. In an attempt to keep up, to stay somewhat informed and not falling ignorant to what’s happening in the world. Can leave you feeling helpless and useless, drained and angry, heartbroken and [insert your emotion here].

This isn’t a piece writing about the current state of the world, my hope is this letter serves as a candle lighting up the darkness.

This is honestly a reminder to myself as much as it is to you, the reader.

A reminder to not abandon your creativity when the world feels too heavy. To still make your art. Even when external noise and the overwhelm of current events feels soul crushing and desolate of hope. Please do not let this be a reason stop creating.

It’s easy to use this as a very valid reason to not make your art. You may experience guilt and maybe even question: “What’s the point? The worlds crumbling and burning around us. How could I possibly create art when there is so much suffering and pain happening. I shouldn’t I do something more ‘useful’?”

But that is in fact all the more reason to do it. Make. The. Art.

We always need the art. Art is the highest form of hope, it’s a silver lining in those gloomy and grey clouds. It’s the glimmer on the horizon that offers possibility.

It can be a way to connect in a world of disconnection, to reach through language barriers and cultural differences. It’s to be experienced and shared, not hidden and discarded, or worse — just kept as an idea, never manifesting into a physical creation.

It is not at all frivolous to indulge in the arts, or to create and explore creative pursuits. It’s both essential to our own wellbeing as artists, and the wellbeing of those who engage and experience it. The healing power of art can have a ripple effect out across many beings, spaces and places.

Art is the song you play to calm your mind, to cry your heart out or scream the lyrics to, expressing that inner rage.

Art is the painting, you pause to admire, forgetting your worries even just for a moment as you’re transported deeper into the colours, textures, tones and composition.

Art is the book, you settle down to read each evening after turning off the phone. Providing an escape from reality into fantasy worlds and imaginative realms.

Art is the movie or tv show you immerse yourself into, experiencing the visuals and sounds, the feelings evoked, as you laugh and cry through cinematic storytelling.

Yes art can indeed be a form of escapism. A moment of relief to be teleported somewhere else, as someone else, to experience something else.

However it can also be a tool for channeling our real life emotions, feelings, thoughts into an outlet, to help us make sense of ourselves, our lives and the lives of others. Whether you are creating the art, or experiencing the art. It’s a conduit for our emotional and inner landscapes.

Just like that song that relates so closely to your recent breakup, you share that emotion and experience with the songwriter. Like the final movie scene that moves you so deeply, it inspires you to take an action in your own life. It’s the words you write that flow onto paper as you decode those once jumbled thoughts into your own story of heartfelt emotion.

We will always need the art. We can’t stop creating because bad things are happening. Art and creativity is the light that can filter in through the cracks, to remind us of the beauty and magic humans can create, amongst all the doom and gloom.

This is not a way of ignoring and bypassing the suffering and pain in the world with toxic positivity. Instead we can choose not to let it consume and break us completely. Art is not letting the darkness win. We can convey a message or emotion, spark an idea and action for a good cause. We can alchemise the pain, experiences and emotions into the art itself.

To not create your art is a disservice to all the people who would benefit from it.

So dear artist, which ever form or forms of art you create, please keep going, please keep creating it, please just make the art.

The world will always need creativity, your creativity.

After all, the Earth without art is just ‘eh’ .

It may one day burst through your door, arriving with such a flair of excitement and endless possibilities, an all encompassing energy as you’re filled with inspiration and motivation. Only to later do a swift disappearing act, dissolving into nothingness. You’re left wondering when or if you’ll ever experience that euphoric creative high again.

It can be a dancing act, an emotional roller coaster or a game of cat and mouse. But it’s just the joys of being an artist, it comes with the job right?

Perhaps it doesn’t need to be such a dramatic roller coaster. Maybe we can experience less of the whiplash, the extreme high and lows, and burnouts and creative blocks that can be so draining?

Of course I’m not implying we can have full control over how or when inspiration manifests. The ebbs and flows are essential to the creative journey, which can in fact be exhilarating and all part of fun ( most of the time ). So there is no algorithm or formula to hack creativity, to become the master of it. There will always be an otherworldly, unexplainable magic to this energy. It can’t be replicated or predicted and that’s exactly what makes it so enchanting.

What if, instead of controlling and grasping so tightly to creativity, we learn to ride the waves differently, flow with the currents, not fight and thrash against them? It’s all about how we approach it and work with creativity. You may look at others and think that they have it so easy, always seeming to be inspired and create with consistency, like creativity favours them as the star pupil.

What if the difference between you and these people isn’t that they are better at art and creation, but their relationship with creative energy?

Now take a moment to consider, how have you been treating creativity?

Have you been open to receiving inspiration, with trust and patience? Or have you been panicked and stressing over when the next idea will come?

Have you been listening to those quiet calls, those whispers of ideas and inspiration? Or has your mind been overwhelmed, loud with no space to listen?

Have you been forcing, taking and running with your creative ideas until you burn out completely and diminish that flame entirely?

Maybe you’ve been pushing it away, avoiding those nudges from your soul –– always an excuse of not enough time, or “this isn’t for me”.

Or are the fears of being seen, fears of failure, self doubt and so on, all crippling you from allowing creativity to flow through you and be expressed?

I guessing you relate to at least one of these statements, I most definitely have and still do from time to time. It’s clear to see the ways in which we treat creativity matter.

Let’s imagine that creative energy is a dear friend or a loved one. You could be pushing them away, freaking them out by being too clingy or even disrespecting that friend. Alternatively you can be inviting them in, with open arms and listening to them, treating them with kindness and understanding. Creativity is an energy after all and how you react and respond to that energy, will effect how it reacts and responds to you. It’s just one of the laws of nature.

So if you are desperately grasping onto an idea; working and forcing, taking too much, and eventually burning out that flame. Creativity is probably going to run away and hide for a while to recover from that intensity, cue the creative drought and *crickets*.

Or if you repeatedly ignore those calls of inspiration, turning away each time you hear the whispers, those hints and ideas that drop right into your lap. Soon creativity will give up and try someone else who is open and grateful to be receiving these gifts instead.

Maybe you’re preoccupied, your mind filled with so much from media, negative thoughts, external and internal noise. Creativity will be knocking at your door but you won’t be able to hear, after a while it’s going to give up and try another house.

Reframing how we view creativity, as an energy, is how we cultivate a relationship with it.

Yes it’s still a mystical essence of unexplainable forces, but if we remain open and curious we can be open to receiving the inspiration, magic and ideas.

How exactly do we cultivate and build this relationship with our creativity? The secret lies in your daily habits, how we live our life. It’s how we spend our days, how we relate to the world around us, where our time and energy goes and our openness to receiving. It’s often in those small habits we think have nothing to do with creativity, that are causing these blocks and severing the connection.

There is a quote that goes along the lines of, “Show me your calendar and I’ll show you your future” meaning the things we do everyday are adding up and directly affecting our future.

So if you’re serious about being more creative, pursuing an artistic project or career, how are you actually implementing that into your days, weeks, your lifestyle? Are you setting aside time to write, draw, paint, play music and so on? Just like you make time to see a friend or loved one, to connect with, they will feel appreciated. The more time you spend with your art and creation, the more you’ll build that foundational relationship with your creativity.

Do you allow spaces to receive your ideas and inspiration? The spaces and moments of stillness and peace, to simply let your mind wander, allowing your nervous system to regulate. If you’re constantly on go-go-go mode, with a dis-regulated nervous system, you’ll be in fight or flight mode. There is no way of hearing or connecting to creativity in this state, as you’re simply in a state of survival. You’re running from that hypothetical mountain lion, you’re brain isn’t giving you tools to paint a picture.

It can be simple small acts that compound over time to help you slow down, notice and listen to the whispers of your creativity. This could be a walk in nature, or ten minutes a day writing in your journal. Think of these moments as tuning a radio, as you spend time adjusting your frequency and reducing the outside noise, you’ll begin to tune in and hear the magic and inspirations as creativity comes into focus, you meet each other on the same frequency, connecting.

Cultivating a relationship with your creativity, means accepting and allowing these magical forces at play to simply be. They are swirling around and you can’t catch those ideas in a net by running around desperate and panicked. By slowing down, listening, tuning in and being open to receiving, that’s how you connect with creative energy. Release the need to control, enjoy the dance and ride those waves.

This is the art of creative living. So how about we welcome creativity into our home, just like inviting in an old friend. Invite it in for a cup of tea and a cosy seat by the fire, sharing old stories, listening to one another.

Then just maybe, creativity will want to stay around for longer and visit more frequently.

Subscribe now