I spend a lot of my life encouraging other people to create.

As an artist and the owner of Colors & Cocktails in Downtown Kalamazoo, I have watched thousands of people pick up a paintbrush, sometimes for the first time in decades. And I cannot tell you how many people walk through the door nervous.

“I’m not artistic.”

“I can’t paint.”

“I can’t even draw a stick figure.”

When someone is nervous, I usually ask them one simple question:

“Do you want to have fun?”

That’s all I need!

You don’t need to know how to paint. You don’t need to consider yourself creative. You certainly don’t need to be “good” at art. If you are willing to have fun, try something new and give yourself permission to create, that is enough.

And I think that is also why art can be such a beautiful form of self-care.

Art doesn’t have to become a finished product. We don’t have to sell it, frame it, post it on social media or even show it to another person.

Sometimes, art can simply be something we do because it feels good.

And I think we need more of that.

I’m a business owner, an artist, a wife, a mom of two young boys, a friend, a daughter, and about a hundred other things depending on the day. Like so many people I know, I can very easily fill every minute of my day doing something for someone else.

We spend SO much of our lives pouring into other people. Our children. Our partners. Our families. Our friends. Our employees. Our coworkers. Our communities. There is always someone who needs something from us, and so often, we put ourselves at the very bottom of that list.

But if we want to continue pouring into the people we love, we have to pour into ourselves, too.

That doesn’t have to be selfish or extravagant. It doesn’t require an entire day at the spa or a weekend away. Sometimes it is simply giving ourselves an hour—or even ten minutes—to do something that brings us happiness.

There is always another email to answer. Another load of laundry. Another appointment. Another meal to figure out. Another person who needs something. Another notification on our phones.

If we wait until everything else is done before we make time for ourselves, we may be waiting forever.

So, stop “shoulding” and make a plan.

How many times do we say, “I should get together with my girlfriends,” “I should start painting again,” “I should read more,” “I should take that class,” or simply, “I should make more time for myself”?

Take out the “should” and put something on the calendar.

Call your friend and make the lunch date. Buy the sketchbook. Sign up for something you’ve always wanted to try. Schedule an hour to create at your kitchen table. Make plans with your kids to paint together. Whatever fills your cup, make an actual plan to do it.

Because our calendars have a funny way of filling themselves if we don’t intentionally fill some of that space with things that bring us joy.

Art, for me, is one of those things.

Creating asks us to be present.

When you’re mixing a paint color, cutting paper for a collage, doodling in the corner of a journal, arranging flowers, taking photographs, painting a piece of pottery, making something with your children or simply coloring while you listen to music, your brain gets a chance to focus on what is directly in front of you.

There is something incredibly freeing about that.

I think one of the biggest barriers adults have with art is that somewhere along the way, we decided creativity was only for people who were “artists.”

Children don’t think this way.

Give a child crayons and paper and they usually don’t stop to ask whether they’re talented enough to use them. They just create. They choose the purple crayon because they like purple. They make the sun pink. They draw a person with arms coming directly out of their head and proudly hand it to you like it belongs in a museum.

I think we could learn a lot from them.

We need spaces in our lives where the outcome doesn’t matter.

That is what art as self-care means to me.

It doesn’t necessarily mean signing up for an elaborate project or setting aside an entire afternoon. It might mean keeping a sketchbook next to your bed and buying yourself the really beautiful pens. Taking ten minutes to watercolor while your coffee is still warm. Putting on music and painting with your kids without worrying about the mess. Picking up a hobby you loved when you were younger simply because you miss it.

It might even mean trying something you are terrible at.

Especially something you are terrible at.

There is freedom in doing something without needing to monetize it, master it or turn it into another accomplishment.

I see this all the time in my work. Adults can be so hard on themselves. We compare our work to the person sitting next to us. We apologize for what we made. We point out the mistake before anyone else notices.

And I often find myself saying some version of: It doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.

I think that applies to far more than art.

Our lives don’t have to look like anyone else’s either.

Creativity gives us an opportunity to practice letting go of perfection in a very small, safe way. You can paint over something. You can start again. You can leave the mistake there and decide you actually like it. You can change your mind halfway through.

You can make something just because you wanted to make it.

For me, self-care is increasingly about finding little ways to come back to myself in the middle of a very full life. Sometimes that is getting a massage or going for a walk. Sometimes it is sitting quietly with a cup of coffee. Sometimes it is laughing with girlfriends, reading a book, spending time with my family or putting my phone somewhere I can’t reach it.

And sometimes, it is creating.

Not because I need another finished piece of art.

Because I need the process.

So if it has been years since you have picked up a paintbrush, opened a sketchbook, made something with your hands or allowed yourself to be creative, consider this your permission slip.

You do not need to be an artist.

You do not need to be good at it.

You do not even need to finish.

Make something messy. Make something beautiful. Make something ridiculous. Make something nobody else will ever see.

Just make something.

Or maybe start with the same question I ask people when they walk through my doors feeling nervous:

Do you want to have fun?

If the answer is yes, that’s all you need.

Stop “shoulding.” Make a plan. Put something on the calendar that is just for you.

Because sometimes self-care isn’t about escaping our lives. Sometimes it’s about finding small, beautiful ways to be fully present in them—and remembering that while we are busy pouring so much love, energy and care into everyone around us, we deserve to pour a little of that back into ourselves, too.

 

About Lauren Parker Lasater

Lauren Parker Lasater is a local artist, entrepreneur, wife, mom of two young boys, and the founder and owner of Colors & Cocktails in Downtown Kalamazoo. At the heart of everything she does is a love of creativity, connection and community—and a belief that art is for everyone.

For more than a decade, Lauren has encouraged people of all ages and artistic abilities to let go of perfection, try something new and simply have fun creating. When someone tells her they aren’t artistic or arrives nervous about creating, her response is simple: “Do you want to have fun? That’s all I need!”

Lauren is passionate about supporting local artists, women-owned businesses and the Kalamazoo community she calls home. As a busy business owner and mom, she is also passionate about encouraging people—herself included—to stop “shoulding,” make the plans, prioritize the people and experiences that matter, and intentionally make room for joy.

 

About Colors & Cocktails

Colors & Cocktails is an art boutique, gallery and art studio located in the heart of Downtown Kalamazoo that is woman-owned and operated by local artist Lauren Parker Lasater and her amazing team. With a mission of bringing happiness to people through art, Colors & Cocktails proudly hosts more than 30 local makers and vendors and is deeply committed to supporting women-owned businesses.

Throughout the year, visitors can enjoy Makers Markets where they can meet and shop with incredible local artists and discover unique, locally made goods.

Colors & Cocktails also offers a variety of art classes and workshops for kids and adults, with opportunities to sign up for scheduled classes or book private group experiences. Visitors can also pop in to create at The Art Bar, the company’s newest addition to its Downtown Kalamazoo space, up to one hour prior to closing.

Colors & Cocktails is proudly a Top Four Finalist for Woman-Owned Business of the Year in the 2026 Chamber’s Choice Awards. Winners will be announced September 17, 2026.