This is such a wonderful infusion of art and mindfulness, I love how the collection has been collated. You can either work your way through the book in order, or find a matching emotion and turn to that page. From joy through to loss, nature to friendship, and wellness to courage, there are 18 different emotions for you to explore within 80 pictures and thoughts. Collator Ravenous Butterflies, an art and literature blog by artist, poet, and journalist Lisa Azarmi, has picked an inclusive range of art and words to grace the pages. As she explains in her introduction: “Finding a sense of calm in the maelstrom of life is a necessary antidote. Escaping for a few moments each day and immersing myself in the beauty of art has saved my life. It has given me the ability to think and see more clearly and take time to enjoy simple pleasures”. Alongside each artwork sits an appropriately thoughtful snippet from literature. Both art and words range in time period and each allows you to view the other with more understanding. For something so seemingly simple, it is very cleverly done and I found myself exploring for longer, considering, pondering, and seeing further and deeper, so of course it just had to be both a LoveReading Star Book and Liz Pick of the Month. Calm Your Mind is a gorgeous and welcoming book to accompany and hold your hand through difficult times.
An expertly curated collection of art and literature for all to benefit from the advantageous effects of creativity on calmness and stress reduction.
Calm Your Mind uses the power of art and ideas to quiet your racing mind and help you achieve a deep inner sense of stillness.
This exquisite book, the second from the hugely popular online emotional well-being community Ravenous Butterflies, is the perfect companion for those times when you're feeling agitated, overstimulated, and troubled by daily stresses and worries.
It showcases a beautiful selection of 80 tranquil yet stirring landscapes, portraits, and abstracts from artists and illustrators both famous and obscure, including Augustus John, Mabel Lucie Atwell, Emile Claus, and Nikolay Nikanorovich, paired with inspiring quotations from authors such as Haruki Murakami, Rabindranath Tagore, Maya Angelou, and John Berger.
The contents page is artfully divided into 24 calming journeys that suggest routes in which to navigate the book to help you cope with different emotional situations. Feeling burnt out after a hard day at work? Struggling with sleeplessness? Unable to concentrate? There's an inspiring solution for all these issues and more within the pages of this wonderful book.
