Slow Down Your Life

Hi there,

It's been over a month and a half since I quit my graphic design job, and starting my creative healing journey has been eye-opening.

One central theme I want to talk about is slowing down your life.

You’ve probably been in a situation where you tried various things to escape the rat race, only to end up disappointed in yourself. You wonder why you're not more motivated or still feel stuck chasing new shiny objects to cure your itch.

It's an endless, self-deprecating hustle cycle!

I realized that to heal myself, I had to move away from my corporate self slowly. I didn’t know how much that part of me was stressing me out physically, mentally, and spiritually. I became more aware of why I was endlessly multitasking in my personal life and doing things just for the sake of doing them.

I had enough and decided to take a career break from graphic design. The idea of both returning to corporate and freelancing isn't ideal for me. My mental capacity and my heart were no longer in it.

I don’t want to set a date for how long my career break will be. I want to heal fully, uncover my purpose in life, and enjoy slowing down for once.

Benefits of Slowing Down

1) Gratefulness

Slowing down has made me appreciate the little luxuries in life. Every day, I’m incredibly grateful for God, a loving family, and my boyfriend, who supports me. Knowing I’m not alone on my creative journey is a tremendous help.

2) Getting Back to Traditional Painting

It's been over a decade since I last did oil painting. I bought oil painting supplies, an easel, and other art tools to fulfill my creative needs. Oil painting requires a lot of patience, which allows me to slow down and be more intentional with my artwork. Out of all painting mediums, oil painting brings me the most joy.

3) New Creative Hobbies and Ideas

I thrive creatively by slowing down. As artists, we often get our best ideas by doing nothing! Because of this, I came up with some illustration ideas in my sketchbook that I wanted to paint. I’ve also started to enjoy cooking, something I previously disliked.

Now that I’m out of the job, cooking to save money has become necessary. I’ve found joy in making foods I love, turning them into "Fancy Fridays," where I prepare meals like braised short ribs, lemon garlic risotto, and French onion soup. These homemade meals often turn out better than anything I could order from DoorDash.

I’m also interested in exploring other mediums like alcohol markers and polymer clay. These future hobbies are on my wishlist.

4) Self-Care

A huge part of my creative journey is self-care. Without it, my 'spaghetti mind' would have become a spaghetti Godzilla wreaking havoc in my life.

I started with morning journaling as a daily habit and gradually built other habits. I avoid overwhelming myself with too many new habits, choosing a few to stay consistent with. From there, I engage in creative activities based on how I feel daily. Some days, I feel like painting; others, I might doodle or take a nature walk.

I can’t stress enough the importance of a self-care routine. If you want to see my entire self-care routine, you can read it here.

What about you?

What slow activities would you like to incorporate into your life? Please share your thoughts, and let’s inspire each other on this journey of slow living and creative healing.

Stay creative,

Ariana