How the Ocean Can Artistically Heal the Soul – “Life teaches us to be like water, strong yet calm, steady yet yielding, subtle yet beautiful.” This quote by Holly Daniels Christensen perfectly captures the ocean’s presence as an inspiration and grounding force throughout my life’s journey.
Raised in tropical Florida, the ocean surrounded me. At a formative age, the sea became a faithful companion. Long stretches of quiet beach walks brought stillness to my soul. Endless waves washing the shoreline filled me with childlike wonder. I discovered the ocean grants us moments of reset; its timeless power resets our spirit just as steadily as it smooths stones to glass.
However, it was during my years in Southern California that I truly witnessed the Pacific Ocean’s might. Standing small against towering walls of surf made me feel vibrantly alive. As I facilitated workshops to grow my budding business, Painting Your Soul, I adopted a daily ritual of taking self-care beach strolls each golden California sunset. Creativity flowed in this period of professional growth and opportunity to expand my program’s reach.
Inspiration from Serving
A transformative moment arose from a late-night phone call from a friend in the hospital. Upon learning that her terminal diagnosis prevented her from attending my workshop in person, I promised to bring the experience to her hospital room. I sent my workshop materials to her in a clearly labeled box, complete with easy-to-follow instructions – with all the components to immerse her in the workshop’s essence. From that bedside, witnessed by nurses brushing tears away, my friend painted bold colors unburdened, declaring this the freest she had felt in years. This inspired my commitment to making such experiences accessible to all, leading to the evolution of the Painting Your Soul expressive arts kit in the years that followed.
Returning to the quiet Florida coastline just as the pandemic erupted in 2020, suddenly, my small seaside hometown became a sanctuary. Lonely individuals around the world began joining my TikTok beach walks, experiencing a community that had vanished from their lives overnight. Yet my vision to spread creative inspiration remained incomplete. I longed to again soak in the Pacific’s infinite vastness, seeking the final missing pieces.
Driving later down California’s coastline with restrictions lifted, inspiration struck me as I passed over Big Sur’s cliffs. Gazing for several days into the Pacific’s wild wonder, the inspiration hit me to create the meditation that could be used in my kits. My hands furiously wrote to capture nature’s majesty – the words, colors and energies coming together along the water’s edge. By the trip’s end, the full Painting Your Soul expressive arts kit – together with a journal, essential oils, affirmations, sounds of the ocean, and all the materials for painting – was complete.
I’m humbled by opportunities now to share this passion wider than I ever imagined. Ahead of us — those who harness the sea’s inspiration for expressive arts — stretches a journey yet unknown. If we listen as the ocean teaches, we, too, will flow calm and strong through all that lies ahead. For those who are dealing with loss, grief, trauma, depression, or other mental illness, in particular, my desire is that these practices will be a reset for your spirit and a creative spark for your soul. I want to pass on to others the peace found through my lifetime’s walks along the shore.
Embracing the Ocean’s Gift
The ocean’s inspiration takes many forms, subtly flowing into each moment along the shore. Here are three ways I’ve found the ocean can help you soak in its blessings through mind, body and spirit:
1. Mind: Bathe every sense in the sea. Sink your toes into soft sand, letting granules massage the soles. Breathe deeply of salty air to refresh your lungs tired of urban living. Savor the sound of waves rushing the shore, each crest and fall cleansing worries from an overloaded mind. Allow the ocean to overwhelm sight, sound, scent and touch until you feel reset, washed clean by the sea’s timeless power.
2. Body: Capture inspiration through creative action. Sketch seashells in the wet sand, mirroring their spirals in fluid lines. Photograph the ocean’s endless beauty—after all, no two wave formations or sunsets are ever the same. Craft lyrics and verse from soaring cliffs consumed by nature’s wonder, words flowing freely in her presence. However, you express that surging feeling strengthening your creative core along the shore. These gifts borne by the sea’s inspiration have a willing audience inside of you.
3. Spirit: Share the ocean’s peace with others. Spread calm by leading friends on seaside picnics, toes sunk in sand. Organize neighborhood beach cleanups to improve the coastline for future generations. Take your mindfulness practice to the oceanside, with rhythmic waves amplifying the effects of meditation. However, you open access so others can also share in this precious resource called the ocean; their renewed energy will strengthen your own. Each act of service deepens our interconnectedness.
The ocean has been a never-ending well of inspiration and comfort over the many years I’ve walked along its shores. By developing this expressive arts program, Painting Your Soul, I’m able to share some of the peace of mind, creativity, and renewal the ocean has brought me.
My hope is that by passing along a piece of the ocean’s gift of calm and restoration, the kits might help inspire a sense of peace, spark some joy, or provide refreshed energy to others. Just as the tides’ steady rhythm grounds me, I want the creative process to have a similar recharging effect on all who need it. By sharing the wisdom and clarity I’ve gained from the ocean over a lifetime of walks along the shore, perhaps we can all move forward with more strength – flowing smoothly ahead no matter what uncharted waters appear on the horizon.
For within the ocean’s timeless power resides the promise that beauty, healing and new beginnings await – if we seek them out.
Discover the colors of your inner world with Karen Hanlon’s ‘Painting Your Soul,’ the recipient of Best Holistic Life Magazine’s Best Emotional Therapy Program of the Year 2024. Let this award-winning box guide you on a journey of self-discovery and emotional healing.
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