paint to music
This beautiful practice comes from Australian artist Clare Thackway. She encourages listening to the music and responding to the rhythm by making lines across a page with paint. Make whatever lines, marks, spots and shapes you feel like, not overthinking the process, but working with paint and music from a gut response. It’s like a meditation.
TIME NEEDED
10–15 minutes
MATERIALS
– access to a stereo or some way to listen to music – a piece of A3 paper (or bigger)
– a paintbrush
– paints
– a glass of water
HOW TO TAKE THIS DOSE
Take three big breaths, in and out. Notice the tension you might feel in different parts of your body. Put on some music. Ideally, it’s music that gives you energy and inspires feelings of joy, hope or excitement.
Grab your paintbrush and put a little paint on it – not much – then dip it in the water. Start moving the brush across your paper, in time to the music. Make changes in the style of your painting according to the rhythm and melody of whatever song you’re listening to. You're not trying to make an image here. Simply tune in to the feeling of the brush moving across the page. Look at the colour spreading, the way the watery paint moves on the paper, too. Feel free to pick different colours as you go along.
Do this for as long as you are in the flow of it. At the end, you might have paper full of colour, interesting shapes and lines, and maybe even a few surprises.
BENEFITS
Painting to music and making repeat patterns engages the prefrontal cortex of the brain. And it helps bring us into the present moment. Listening to music can also help to regulate our nervous system. When we practise loose, free playing with paint, we can let go of perfection – it’s just lines and swirls.