Ahhhh...Isn't Art So Relaxing?

I wouldn't call myself a "colorist," really,  but I've been into drawing and painting pretty much my whole life.  It has always been a part of who I am.  So I totally understand why people have turned to "adult coloring," doodling, etc. in the last couple years as a way to escape the pressure and stress of societies demands.  However, I have a hard time thinking of the actual process of producing any art as truly being "relaxing." 

 

Producing art can present you with loads of stressful situations.  As in the cartoon I sketched below, the pencil lead can keep snapping, the sharpener might not work, you can spill coffee on your work, accidentally color outside the lines... It can be quite stressful, actually!  

 

But I guess it isn't the process that is actually the most beneficial part of producing art.  It is the feeling you get when your work is complete and actually looks halfway decent.  I have learned over the years not to crumple up my paper and throw it across the room when I'm frustrated.  If I stick with it and adapt to my mistakes, the final product can still come out okay.  I have found this to be the case with running ultras as well.  If you keep pressing on past the "lows" and keep doing all you know how to do, eventually you will reach the "highs" and eventually the race will be over.  In fact, this is true of life in general.  Keep pressing forward and make the best you can out of the mistakes of your past.