Creativity offers a way to meet emotion without needing to explain it.
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The final two practices focus on image-based reflection and movement-based release, both foundational in expressive arts therapy–informed work.

4. Altered Image or Photograph

​Images carry emotional meaning shaped by memory and context.
Print a photograph or image (black and white works well). Using crayons:

• Color over sections
• Add or change details
• Shift the emotional tone of the image

When finished, reflect:

• What feelings arise now compared to before?
• What title would you give this new image?

Complete the sentence stems:

• I see ________. I feel ________. I am ________.

If you don’t have an image to print, recreate one from memory using crayons.

Sometimes self-care doesn’t need to be elaborate.
Sometimes it fits in the palm of your hand.
Below are three simple expressive arts practices that use a crayon to support mindfulness, embodiment, and emotional awareness. All you need is paper — and permission to slow down.


1. Color Your Breath

​This practice connects breath, movement, and visual expression.
Sit or stand comfortably. Hold a crayon and begin making marks on paper:

• Move the crayon away from you as you breathe out
• Pull the crayon toward you as you breathe in

Stay attuned to the sensation of your breath. Notice where you feel it in your body. Allow your breathing to slow naturally.
When finished, pause and reflect:

• How does your body feel now compared to when you began?
• Do you notice an image within the lines?
• What happens when you add color?

This practice supports nervous system regulation and embodied awareness.

Color your (inner) world with a crayon.

When we think about self-care, we often picture routines like exercise, nutrition, sleep, or mindfulness practices. While these habits are essential, creativity is rarely included as part of everyday self-care — and yet, it plays a powerful role in emotional and nervous system regulation.
Several years ago, adult coloring books surged into popularity, becoming a multi-billion-dollar industry. Mandalas, intricate designs, and themed pages filled bookstore shelves. What did this moment reveal?
It showed us that many adults were craving:

• A pause from daily stress
• A way to focus attention in the present moment
• A gentle, accessible form of creative expression

Coloring offered an escape — but more importantly, it offered regulation.

Emotional exploration does not have to mean intense introspection or analysis. In fact, approaching emotions too forcefully can sometimes create resistance. Creative expression offers a softer entry point.

Through expressive arts, emotions are explored indirectly. A choice of color, a repeated movement, or a symbolic image can reflect emotional states without requiring immediate interpretation. This allows emotions to unfold at their own pace.

There are moments when emotions feel too layered, too old, or too tender to put into words. In these moments, being asked to “talk it out” can feel frustrating or even impossible. Creativity offers another way in.

Creative expression engages different parts of the brain and body than verbal language alone. Color, movement, sound, and imagery allow emotions to be externalized without requiring explanation. A feeling can be shown before it is understood.

Many people associate creativity with talent, performance, or finished products. Expressive arts offer something very different. Rather than focusing on artistic skill or outcomes, expressive arts emphasize the process of creating as a pathway to emotional awareness, meaning, and connection.

Expressive arts integrate multiple forms of creativity — including visual art, movement, sound, writing, and imagination — to help individuals explore internal experiences in ways that do not rely solely on words. This approach is especially helpful when emotions feel complex, overwhelming, or difficult to articulate.

From an emotional wellness perspective, expressive arts provide a gentle way to slow down and notice what is happening internally. Creating invites presence. It engages the senses. It allows emotions to take shape through color, rhythm, image, or gesture — often revealing insights that cognitive reflection alone may miss.

The ancient saying “know thyself” invites us into deeper self-awareness—a lifelong process at the heart of health and wellness, mental health, and psychology. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche observed that we often understand others better than ourselves, a reminder of how complex our inner world can be.

A healthy self-concept—how we see ourselves, others, and the world—supports emotional well-being, problem-solving, and healthy lifestyle choices. When we strengthen our self-concept, we build greater trust in ourselves, increase self-awareness, and support positive patterns of thought and behavior.

One gentle way to explore self-concept is through expressive arts. Creative practices invite reflection beyond words and help us connect with identity, values, and meaning in ways that feel accessible and embodied.