| Wellness
✨ Let’s get into it ✨
⏱ 2 min read
💡 TLDR
Forget the spa day—picking up a paintbrush might actually be the ultimate mental health hack. Luxury resorts are now swapping standard hikes for watercolor classes and weaving to help you ditch perfectionism and find your zen through pure, messy creativity.
📑 Quick Jump
Sometimes the best way to reset isn’t a hike or a spa day, but actually picking up a paintbrush. During a July 2026 trip to Mii Amo in Sedona, Arizona, the usual outdoor adventures were off the table due to monsoon season and recent wildfires. Instead of fighting the rain, I found myself in the Artist Cottage doing watercolor painting—and honestly, it was the exact reprieve from pregnancy anxiety I didn’t know I needed. It turns out that even just playing with color can be an incredible mental health hack.
The Science Of Creating
There’s a major difference between “creative wellness” and professional art therapy, though both are magic. While my time at the cottage was just me enjoying some meditative, surface-level benefits, true art therapy is a clinical practice. Licensed professionals like Bella Hudson, founder of Flow State Art Therapy & Counseling, LLC, work with patients to create specific action plans to help them cope with trauma or physical challenges. However, you don’t need a practitioner to feel the calm. Erica Krutzen, a Vancouver-based art therapist, explains that art helps you express what’s inside by putting it outside where you can see it differently. “Art can be healing and grounding as an outlet throughout life, not just within a session,” Krutzen says.
💫 “Art can be healing and grounding as an outlet throughout life, not just within a session,”
Destination Creativity
If you want to try this on your next getaway, luxury resorts are already making it easy to tap into these benefits. At Alila Ventana Big Sur on the California coast, guests can experiment with anthotype, which uses foraged leaves and sunlight to create natural prints, or take trailside watercolor classes. If you’re heading to Hawai’i, the Fairmont Orchid offers hands-on culture through Kui Lei-making and coconut frond weaving. Even Mii Amo is expanding its Artist Cottage lineup this fall with new weaving offerings alongside their current pottery and soap-making classes.
You don’t have to be a pro to reap the rewards, though. Bella Hudson notes that many people feel intimidated because they think art has to be “good,” but in therapy, the goal isn’t about technique or aesthetic outcome. It’s about finding a safe space to reflect without needing words. Whether you’re scribbling with no goal in mind or taking a formal class at a museum, just letting go of perfectionism is where the real healing happens.
Are you more of a “paint by numbers” person, or do you prefer totally unstructured creative chaos?
❓ People Also Ask
What is the difference between creative wellness and professional art therapy?
Creative wellness focuses on the meditative and surface-level mental health benefits of making art, while professional art therapy is a clinical practice. Licensed professionals use art therapy to work with patients on specific action plans to help them cope with trauma or physical challenges. While creative wellness allows anyone to find calm through activities like watercolor painting, true art therapy is a structured therapeutic process led by trained practitioners to address specific psychological needs.
How can engaging in art help improve mental health?
Engaging in art helps improve mental health by providing a grounding outlet to express internal emotions visually. By putting feelings outside of oneself, individuals can see their emotions differently and find a sense of calm. This process works as a mental health hack because it allows for reflection without the need for words. Letting go of perfectionism and focusing on the process rather than the aesthetic outcome helps create a safe space for emotional healing and stress relief.
What kind of creative activities are available at luxury wellness resorts?
Luxury wellness resorts offer a variety of hands-on creative activities ranging from traditional crafts to nature-based art. At Alila Ventana Big Sur, guests can try anthotype using foraged leaves and sunlight or attend trailside watercolor classes. The Fairmont Orchid provides cultural experiences like Kui Lei-making and coconut frond weaving in Hawai’i. Other destinations, such as Mii Amo, offer diverse workshops including pottery, soap-making, and weaving to help travelers tap into the benefits of destination creativity.
Why do many people feel intimidated by starting art activities?
Many people feel intimidated by art because they mistakenly believe that their creations must be aesthetically pleasing or technically skilled. This pressure to produce "good" art can prevent individuals from experiencing the true healing benefits of the creative process. However, the goal of using art for wellness is not about the final product or artistic technique. Instead, the value lies in finding a safe, unstructured space to reflect and express oneself without the burden of perfectionism.
💬 What do you think? Let us know in the comments! 👇
📰 Source: Vogue