About The Stress Less Pencil

Hi, I’m Lorena

I want to bring as many people (back) into making art, because I think it's a wonderful way to destress after a busy, to connect to ourselves, and to have some creative fun. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way people decide that they either can make art or that they can't. I'm here to tell you that art is for everyone, and that it doesn't matter what it looks like, it only matters how it feels. 

I live with my husband, daughter, and dog in the beautiful countryside outside of Gothenburg, Sweden. I’m originally from Germany, but have also lived for many years in London, UK, and Lyon, France. I’ve been working in online marketing for over 10 years, and know the stress and anxiety that comes with a fast paced job first hand. I’m a lifelong learner and have degrees and certificates in Social Anthropology, Pedagogics, Marketing, Positive Psychology, Art and Healing and more. All of my personal and professional experience has helped me to create the Stress Less Pencil.

The Stress Less Pencil - An Origin Story

When I was growing up, I thought being an adult meant you had it all figured out. Life poses no more big surprises, you know how to handle any situation. At over 40, I think I can safely say that that's not the case.

Tired, Stressed, and Anxious

Each one of us deals with our very own Himalayas of problems, challenges, worries, and stressors every single day. Some are big, like illness and grief, and some are small, like endless work emails or loads of dirty laundry. Or the fact that I keep stubbing my toe on that stupid chair.

We do the best we can, and even though we improvise half the time, most of us manage to hold things together quite well. And we can be very proud of that. But the ups and downs of life, the permanent stressors, and worries can also take a toll on our mental health. Many of us feel tired, stressed, and anxious.

If we are lucky, our parents do our best to prepare us. My father taught me to be creative, and to draw. My mother taught me to cook, do laundry, take care of my finances, and be a good mother. And (I think) they turned me into an overall decent human being. However, what nobody taught me growing up was how to take care of my mental health. 

Beer or Pencils?

For most of my twenties and well into my thirties, I dealt with pretty high levels of anxiety. I had no idea. I thought how I felt was normal. Everyone is stressed out at work, right? And everyone always goes to the pub after to relax over a few pints, right?

It wasn't until years later, that I really understood what was going on. I was stuck in a vicious cycle of anxiety and self-medication-through-party. Continuing on that route would have led me straight to self-harm or alcoholism or both. And I was sure as hell not going to end up there! So I pulled the plug. I quit drinking and smoking and turned to the arts to deal with my restless mind and hands.

As a kid, and even into my teens, I always did a lot of drawing and crafting. I could get totally lost in trying to build a television from cardboard boxes, or spending weeks working on a personalised book for a friend, complete with stories, drawings, and stickers. I love stickers. Over time, I gave up on these hobbies in favour of hanging out, drinking, and partying, and losing endless weekends to dealing with the emotional and physical fallout.

So I decided to turn beer back into drawing, cigarettes into crochet, and binge-watching TV into creating. The positive impact on my mental health, my resilience, my creativity, my energy, and my drive have been amazing.

Based on my own experience, continued training, and research, I created the Stress Less Pencil to help you too to tap into your creativity and to deal with the emotional ups and downs we all face every day. Whether you think you can draw or not doesn't matter! Let's get over that pressure, give ourselves permission to make ugly art, and have some fun!