4 Common Blogger/Artist Health Problems (And How To Fix Them)

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We as bloggers and artists, despite what many people think, put a lot of strain on our bodies in our line of work. The strain comes from hours hunched over our desks, over-working our wrists, and sitting all day in a chair. Pain may not be an immediate result from this type of lifestyle, but over time, it will set in and take a toll on our bodies. Below are the four most common health problems bloggers and artists have, and solutions to fix, or prevent, the damage they cause.

Carpel Tunnel

I've had carpel tunnel since I was about twelve years old. It came after too many art and writing projects and got progressively worse as my school career went on. When we spend years typing, drawing, painting, carving, sculpting, and doing other such creative activities, we can cause damage to our wrists and hands. There are special tools that can help prevent discomfort.

Ergonomic tools are a go-to for helping people with carpel tunnel syndrome and even arthritis. If you're a blogger, you need an ergonomic keyboard wrist rest to take the strain off of your wrists from typing. If you're an artist, you need an ergonomic grip for your pencils and pens. There are specially made paint brushes with this feature. These tools are created to distribute pressure more evenly across your hand.

Another very simple way to help deal with the strain is taking quick breaks a couple times an hour to stretch your wrists and hands. Roll your wrists in both directions, stretch your fingers forwards and backwards. Do this for a few minutes to get the blood flowing in your hands.

Combining stretching and ergonomic tools will help greatly with the discomfort that comes from working with your hands.

 Neck Strain

Neck strain is another common problem for artists and bloggers. Our workspaces are below eye-level and require us to look down, hanging our heads, adding strain to our necks. There are two simple fixes for this problem.

The first is to take frequent breaks. Roll your neck side to side and stretch your shoulders. The second is to raise your work surface closer to eye-level. By doing this, you'll not have to hang your head as low, therefore taking strain off of your neck. You can raise your computer by setting it on a small, sturdy box or even a few books. If you're an artist and don't use an easel, invest in a art desk that has an adjustable surface angle. Or, if you can't invest into an entire desk, you can get a portable desk box easel. By simply raising your work surface, you can relieve neck strain.

Poor Circulation

Circulation problems are probably the most common issue for creatives. We're most often sitting, working tirelessly without a thought of standing up, only finishing our projects. This inevitably leads to a lack of proper blood flow to our legs and feet. There are two things I do to combat this.

The first is stretching (see a theme here?). Get up frequently with an emphasis on stretching and moving your legs. Yoga is great for this; a gentle workout that provides great benefits. Or you can just turn up the volume on your favorite song and jam out for a little while. It's up to you, just get moving!

The second thing I do is use a foot roller. Whenever I'm sitting down to write or work on my art, I just place it under my feet and roll it back and forth. The way it works is by stimulating the pressure points on your feet. The one I use can also be frozen or heated to add extra therapeutic power. You can find it here.

Back Pain

Sitting all day also can lead to back pain. And, if you chronically sit with poor posture, it can lead to a misaligned spine. I've found three things to help prevent this. The first you've probably already guessed.

Stretching. Yup, you guessed it! Stretching and yoga will promote proper blood flow to your spine and create a strong core necessary for a healthy posture. If you're having trouble sitting up straight, you may need to get special tools to help you do that.

A posture corrector will help you sit up straight by pulling your shoulders back just enough that you can't hunch over. Or, if your lower back is the problem instead of the shoulders, you can use a tailbone pillow. This will help with hip pain as well as back pain. Yay for added comfort!

The final thing is to see a chiropractor. Many people don't like the thought of going to one, but I have had a good experience. Not only has my back pain decreased, but my neck pain as well. I highly recommend it!

There you have it, four common blogger and artist health problems and ways you can fix them. Make sure to keep your health a priority so that you can keep creating and doing what you love!

Have you experienced any (or all) of these problems before? What did you do that you found helped? Share in the comment section below and don't forget to subscribe at the top of the page to stay up to date with artist and blogger lifestyle tips!

Healthy Living Tips For Creative Entrepreneurs

Calling all creatives! You've got to remember to take care of yourself. When you're healthy, your business is healthy. Whether you blog, run an Etsy shop, or freelance your creative abilities, making healthy choices with help your business thrive.

But this isn't just any typical healthy living post, this is geared directly to the needs of all artists (that means you too bloggers, I consider you 'word artists'!) We need specialized tips for our line of work. Alrighty then, let's get started.

Exercise

Getting the proper exercise is especially important for artists and bloggers because we spend most of the day hunched over our work. This can mess up your spine's alignment, which can cause a whole lot of other issues. At the very least, we need to stretch multiple times a day. A perfect way to do this is to practice yoga.

Yoga is a wonderful form of exercise. It's easy on the body while still promoting healthy blood flow and toned muscles. If you're not into cardio or lifting weights, yoga is definitely for you. Not only that, but it's easy to do in the comfort of your own home. There are several YouTube channels you can follow, or, you could use a site like MyYogaWorks*. Whatever you choose, make sure you get moving! Focus on stretching your back, neck, and hands. These areas get the brunt of our work.

*Not an affiliate link, just a really great site I wanted to share!

Food

Eating the proper foods is the foundation for good health. I know this especially well; I have Celiac Disease and changing my diet has helped me heal. There is a 'diet' I'm rather partial to: the paleo diet.

The Paleo Diet is great for all lifestyles because it cuts out all junk food by default. Now that doesn't mean not eating treats, because there are some pretty darn delicious ones like these. But by eating more nutritious foods, you're really supporting your creative process. Processed foods can cause a symptom called "brain fog" (not being able to think clearly or quickly) which can affect your work. How can you come up with new and exciting ideas if your brain is taking a nap? It's time to buckle down and eat healthier!

Mindset

We creatives tend to be very critical of our own work. This can lead to us having a negative mindset about ourselves and possibly the world around us. Negative thoughts are very bad for your health; they keep you from enjoying life to the fullest.

You see, as artists of all different kinds, we have the job of capturing all that is wonderful and meaningful in this world and funneling into a single artwork. If we live life  through a negative lens, we won't be able to do our job properly. We are here to help people, to inspire them. You may think that using the 'rose colored' lens in life is just plain naïve. But I beg to differ. It's a choice, a choice to see the good. When we make this choice, we realize that nothing is impossible for us. And then, only then, will new heights be reached.

Relationships

Creative entrepreneurs often spend their entire workday working on their craft. This type of work can make for a very lonely, and arduous day. Making relationships a priority is vital for any person's health.

Artists can become very comfortable in their solitude, but we must push ourselves out into the world. Get our minds off of work, relax, and experience new things. Not only will this enrich our minds and therefore our creative process, but it will also give us that support system we all need on those tough days. Whether it be a family member, a romantic relationship, or a friend, start planning a fun night out in the next week. Leave your work for awhile, be refreshed. Your business will thank you in the end.

Exercise, food, mindset, and relationships are the cornerstones of healthy living for all people, especially artists. This week, get out there and move, eat smart and well, think positively, and have fun with your loved ones.

Do you have any tips for being a healthy artist? Share in the comment section below!

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How To Easily Come Up With New Products

Coming up with new product ideas can become difficult pretty quickly when you start your creative business. It was difficult for me before I even started! I tried very hard to come up with new and fresh concepts off the top of my head. Can anyone you relate?

I had to do something about this to prevent my small business from crashing before ever taking off. Just about as fast as I could, I developed a new anti "creative block" system. And now I going to share it with you!

Look To The Pros

Who better to get inspiration from than the people who have been successful? Now this is important. Do not copy their work. We're there to see the endless possibilities and spark an idea, not use somebody else's. Looking at the work of the 'pros' in your industry gives you a goal to shoot for. For me, this means looking at the work of famous artists and designers. For someone who knits or crochets, this could mean looking for inspiration at clothing stores. You get the picture.

Get Inspired By What's Around You

You can find inspiration for new products all around you. Go outside and be in awe of nature's beauty. Listen to a new music style. Look at those eye-catching pictures on Pinterest (you can find anything there, can I get an amen!) A certain color, sound, or smell could spark your next big idea. I was inspired to paint an Italian scene by some opera music I started listening to. In the end, I ended up painting three Italian themed paintings. Opera was my spark, who knew?

Research The Market

Look around to see what's trending. Not only will you be able to get some new concepts going, you'll be creating things that will be more likely to sell. Go to sites like Etsy and Amazon to see what type of products are selling the best. I jumped on the minimalist train and created some simple artworks after seeing how well they were doing for other artists.

Repurpose Your Work

When the above steps in the system don't work for you, go back to what you can trust. Your very own work. If you have a sculpted vase design that is doing well, smack a new handle on that baby. A necklace that people just can't get enough of? Make it in a new color. A blog post that went viral? Make a part two follow up! I did this with a butterfly sketch. I had one, saw that it was doing well, and then created two more to be sold individually and as a set. You are your best resource!

"Creative block" can be really tough to get through, but the above steps will of tremendous help to you. Have you been through a dry-spell before? What did you do to overcome it? Share how you created when creating didn't seem possible.

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Pen and Ink Series: Drawing Fur

Welcome to the first installation of the Pen and Ink series! This is going to be a fun adventure for both of us. I'm going to share with you the basics of pen and ink drawing. Today's lesson is about drawing fur. For each concept, refer to my drawing at the bottom of the post as an example.

Fur Drawing Concepts

1. The Basic Pen Stroke

• The building block of fur drawing is the pen stroke pictured above. How fancy; it's a line. Why yes, yes it is. But not just any line. If you don't draw this line correctly, your drawing will look far from believable.

• To start. set your pen to the paper (a big obviously here). Then, as you draw your line with a quick motion, lighten the pressure of the pen until it no longer touches the paper. This whole motion should take about 0.25 to 0.50 seconds. Once you've it, practice, practice, practice! Make sure the lines all go the same direction.

*Note: The 'proper' way to draw anything is by using your entire arm to make the motion, with the movement originating from the shoulder. I draw my small pen strokes with the movement originating from the wrist, which I shouldn't, but it works for me. Beware of forming this habit, it won't work on long pen strokes!

2. Fur Length

• You can probably guess how to do this one already. For short fur, draw short lines. For long fur, draw long lines. You control this by how quickly you lift off of the paper. That's it! On the example drawing, you will see that the fur is shorter near the face and longer towards the top of the head.

3. Adding Form

• When look at an animal, you will see that the fur will look darker and lighter depending on where the light strikes it. We need to create shadows and highlights in your drawing too, so that it will look life-like.

• To make a shadow, add more lines, closer together. Then, to blend into the mid-tone, slowly decrease the amount of additional lines you use. Once you reach the mid-tone, decrease and space out your lines until there is more blank space than pen strokes.

• Let's say you're drawing a polar bear. When you draw it's fur, there won't be much work to do. You will use a line here and there just to indicate the presence of fur while making it obvious that it's white.

• Now, let's say you're drawing a black cat. This will take a whole lot of work. The majority of the coat will be composed of lines grouped closely next to each other, leaving very little, if any some places, blank space.

• You can also create fur patterns, like cheetah, by alternating how close you place the pen strokes together.

There you have it! If you have any comments or questions, leave them in the comment section below. below is a pen and ink drawing I did of a gorilla. Take note of the distancing of the lines. Closer for darker and farther apart for lighter. You can check it out here, Now it's your turn!

Don't forget to subscribe at the top of the page so you can follow this series along with me!

Challenge: Draw a mouse! Don't forget to send a picture in when you're done.