Here are some tangible ways to express the journey of grief through art and colour. Some of these suggestions may resonate with you more than others. Use them in any way you choose, or follow your intuition if they lead you to express your grief in other artistic ways. Click on the down arrow to view the details for each tip.
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Using your hands and fingers to paint is one way to remember that everyone is unique and will experience grief differently.
If you were to design a family crest, or a mural for a wall, what would it look like?
Make a date with your grief so that it has an invitation to be expressed and not bottled up.
Let loose on a piece of paper using a crayon, pen, or pastel. Scribble and scratch, letting your body decide and not your mind.
Journal when you feel the thoughts are spinning around and you can't stop them, or when you feel anxious, tense or teary.
Don't write for anyone but yourself or with the intention of reading it again. Just indulge the impulse to release what's there and move through.
Use a sentence starter in your journal such as I remember when... I want you to know... or today I'm feeling...
Make a list of the emotions you're feeling and assign a separate colour to each one. Then fill a journal page in any way you want using those colours.
Decorate a memory box where you can collect things that represent your memories and feelings.
Make a batch of homemade play dough, put on some music, and let your hands do the expressing for you.
"Art making is a powerful means of making painful and frightening events concrete, and releasing them. " - Pat Allen
"Creating art can increase health, control symptoms, manage pain, improve learning outcomes and stimulate innovative thinking. " - Agnes Arrien
“Listen to the images that move you rather than interpreting or analyzing them. They don’t necessarily mean anything about you. "- Angles Arrien
Drink your morning coffee from a loved one's favourite mug.
Even though you're not able to touch the hand of your loved one, you can lovingly touch the things they loved.
Cut out a shape, cover it with a thin layer of glue, then add lumps and bumps for texture. It can be a tactile reminder of the rough patches.
Find support through podasts such as Grief Outloud, Widows Empowering Widows, or Grief Encounters.
Journal prompt: The hardest time of day is...
Find a way today to release some steam such as pillow pummels, throwing rocks at the beach, or having a good cry.
Collect some rocks to remind you of things and people in your life that support you.
Your life may not look as it did before, but like a mosaic, the pieces can be redesigned to create new beauty.
Wrap a ceramic tile, a bowl, or small plate in a towel and intentionally break it. Notice your feelings as you glue the pieces back together.
Journal prompt: What I'm missing today is...
Create some colourful hearts to represent things you are grateful for and pin them up where you can see them.
Make a scream box by decorating a cereal box, and taping a cardboard tube to the top. Channel your screams through the tube and into the box.
Make your own string of worry beads to help reduce stress and promote relaxation. Replace worry with a positive affirmation instead.
Make a smile box and fill it with memories about your loved one that make you smile.
Do some writing using the prompt "I feel better when..."
Write a postcard or letter as if you were sending it to your loved one.
Grief can exaggerate feelings of powerlessness. Encourage young ones (or the child in you) to roar like a powerful animal.
Stream of consciousness writing as a practice can help release your thoughts and feelings and provide a mental and emotional download.
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