5-10 minute read
by: Sunny Voitsekhovsky

Some of the links I share may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you! I only recommend things I genuinely love and align with. Weirdo at heart. Healing with humour. Expressing authenticity and joy 💖✨🙂‍↕️🌻🙏

Halloween is my absolute favourite holiday – inviting in the weird, the mystical, the misfit and the MAGIC ✨

The costumes, the candles, the chaos! The chance to be unapologetically weird and creative? Yes please. Every October, I can feel my inner witch cackling with joy. It’s the one time of year the world actually celebrates shadow work and self-expression instead of labelling it “too much.”

But here’s the thing: Halloween doesn’t just have to be about sugar highs and spooky vibes. It can also be a sacred invitation to regulate your nervous system, express your emotions, and give your ADHD brain the happy chemicals it craves (hi dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin 💋).

So light your black candle, turn up the lo-fi haunted beats, and let’s get messy, witchy, and creative. Here are 10 easy, spooky art therapy creations that’ll calm your mind, heal your nervous system, and fill your soul with pure, pumpkin-spiced joy.

Fun Fact about me: I don’t actually enjoy Pumpkin Spice all that much, and I never have Pumpkin Spice Lattes, as those are coffee, and we all know I don’t drink that stuff; however, I see a lot of you do, and so does my partner. She’s low-key obsessed, in fact.

Want to continue healing creatively? Join the STARDUST Container.

👻 10 Spooky Art Therapy Creations for a Calm Mind & Regulated Nervous System

🕸️ 1. Witchy Watercolour Night Sky

Let your brush wander across the paper with purples, blacks, and deep blues. Add stars, a glowing moon, or a witch silhouette flying by.
Therapeutic benefit: The flowing nature of watercolor encourages emotional release and nervous system regulation.You’ll literally watch your worries bleed into art.

This image was created using Google Gemini AI for this blog and to encourage inspiration.

“The goal with art isn’t to go out and buy everything new. Use what you have! Get Creative!”

— Sunny @AbundantBetch

👻 2. Textured Ghost Painting

Grab some modelling paste, tissue paper, spackle, or anything that adds texture—and paint your own little textured ghosties on canvas. Play with the paint using your fingers, a palette knife, or even old brushes. My partner and I found this idea on Pinterest and decided to make our own ghost art—it’s both spooky and strangely healing. (While I’ve worked with texture before and absolutely love it, Megan and I haven’t had a chance to create this specific piece yet—but it’s next on our list!)

There’s something about painting with texture that feels both grounding and transcendent—like being out of body while deeply in your body. It’s a form of self-expression that lets your emotions flow through touch and movement rather than words. Also, fun tip: If your love language is physical touch, this can create the sensation of that – creating with the Universe!

Therapeutic benefit: Working with texture helps your body release stored stress, regulate your nervous system through tactile stimulation, and increases dopamine and serotonin by engaging your senses. It’s grounding, present, and pure creative joy.

Just search “Textured Ghost Painting” on Pinterest for more ideas :)

🎭 3. “Mask” Your Mood

Create a “spooky” mask that expresses how you actually feel—ghosted, fiery, witchy, anxious, or calm. Use paint, feathers, or torn paper. I always like the papier-mache look, or in elementary school, I remember making a mask of my own fae using gauze, also known as a plaster strip mask.
Therapeutic benefit: Helps with emotional regulation and expression without words. A safe outlet for your shadow side 👁️.

The mask I made in elementary school was painted orange, with blues and some pinks. It hung in my bedroom for a while, then was tossed in the art pile, now it lives at my mother’s… perhaps we got rid of it? I’m not sure to be honest, however, it was one of the COOLEST experiences possible, to make one of these with a friend, loved one or stranger in art class!

🍁 4. Earth Element Art (Leave No Trace Witchcraft)

Step outside and gather what calls to you—fallen leaves, sticks, stones, petals, bark, pinecones, even a little dirt. Create a witchy landscape or Halloween-inspired scene using only what nature provides—no glue, no tape, no tools. Let your intuition guide you as you arrange your materials into shapes, patterns, or symbolic art forms. (I love doing these on a black piece of paper for that extra POP!)

Maybe your leaves form a crescent moon, your stones outline a cat, or your twigs shape a tiny haunted forest. When you’re done, snap a photo to honour your creation, then let the wind, rain, or time take it away—returning it gently back to the Earth.

This is creation as ceremony. It’s impermanent, grounding, and deeply connected to the elements around you.

Therapeutic benefit: Working directly with the earth promotes nervous system regulation through grounding and sensory connection. The natural textures and organic flow of materials support presence, peace, and serotonin release.It’s mindfulness disguised as magic—and it’s free.

Just search “Art with nature elements and materials only” on Pinterest for more ideas :)

Artist: Sister Golden, for both the skeleton and witch made from natural materials, originally found on Pinterest

🦇 5. Bat Wing Gratitude Garland

Cut out bat shapes and write one thing you’re grateful for on each wing. String them together into a garland for your wall or altar.
Therapeutic benefit: Boosts serotonin and oxytocin through gratitude and creativity. Also—it looks cute as hell.

Fun Tip: Write your gratitude and affirmations with gold or silver marker to give it that extra flair and make it a family activity or a craft with your partner, that way you can infuse your home with the energy of gratitude, benefiting all. These are my absolute fave gold and silver markers, including acrylic and oil-based paint markers… get ‘em here for you halloween and holiday crafts.

💀 6. Skull of Self-Love

Draw or paint a sugar skull that represents parts of yourself you’ve buried or forgotten. Fill it with affirmations, bright colours, and words of power.
Therapeutic benefit: Combines inner healing, identity integration, and dopamine activation. Shadow work meets sugar skull.

This art therapy exercise allows you to open up forgotten layers of self, maybe the self you’ve masked all this time. It’s a helpful creativity activity to unlock your purpose, connect with your inner child and allow you to experience the passions you once had (but forgot about).
This list features my fave fantastic (and affordable) art supplies for both adults and children. You can also find my fave arts and crafts supplies for Halloween crafts and art therapy activities (like these ones), on the same list.

Get creative with this idea! If you can’t find a skull from the dollar store, think outside the box! Check out my Fave Art Supplies for inspo. These don’t have to be exactly as in the picture, let your imagination wander… maybe you decide that little wooden ornament skulls are best for this project for you and your family.

Pssst… I have these blank little wooden skull ornaments, and they’re so stinkin’ cute!! Check them out here.

The STARDUST Container is YOUR LEAP towards a more fulfilled, creative and joyful life… A healed life.

A Grant for Growth…

The STARDUST Grant: A Cosmic Invitation for Creators, Dreamers, and Change-Makers

Every so often, the Universe nudges me to make magic more accessible — and this is one of those moments.

The STARDUST Grant is my way of sponsoring part of your tuition into the container, because I know not everyone has the financial freedom yet — but they have the drive, purpose, and spark to create extraordinary change.

Normally, this experience is valued at $299/month (and currently available for $97/month) — but through this grant, you can join for just $30/month.

This isn’t a sale. It’s an energetic exchange designed to support those who are ready to rise but need a little cosmic boost to get there.

Limited to only 3 spots, because energetic alignment matters — and this is a sacred investment, from me to you.

Grant Application

🔮 7. Create a “Patronus” Spirit Animal Bookmark

Draw or paint your favourite spooky creature—wolf, raven, cat, or owl—on cardstock and turn it into a bookmark. My favourite is adding sparkles and glitter! Pro Tip: I like laminating my bookmarks and adding a handmade tassell or some spooky beads on the end.
Therapeutic benefit: Taps into imagination, connection, and mindfulness, while encouraging focus and presence (hello, ADHD joy).

I like utilizing recycled carboard and materials as much as possible in my art projects. Go diving in your recycling bin at home (or the neighbours if you dare) and find a piece of carboard that sticks out to you. Have old yarn or string laying around? Turn it into a Tassel!

“Art is meditation. For the mind that wanders, ruminates and stays up at night... art is the solution. Art is therapy.”

— Sunny @AbundantBetch

🧙‍♀️ 8. Tiny Altar of Joy

Use found objects—acorns, dried flowers, leaves, stones, candles—to make a tiny altar or shadow box that represents peace and joy. You can even make this a “travelling” altar by using an old eyeglasses case or a small box.
Therapeutic benefit: Regulates your nervous system through grounding and tactile connection. Plus, it’s hella cute and witchy.

I love adding rose petals and whatever else I can find in my witchy cabinet. Bay leaf is for manifesting wealth and good luck - that’s always fun! My fave is incorporating incense or herbal resin so I can burn it all in my cauldron afterwards.

🕯️ 9. Mood Potion Painting

Assign colours to emotions (red = anger, blue = peace, gold = joy, etc.) and mix them together intuitively on canvas or paper. No plan, no pressure.
Therapeutic benefit: Releases emotional buildup and activates dopamine and serotonin through sensory flow.

I love working with textured art and paintings, so for myself personally, what speaks to me is doing this as a textured painting; however, I could also see (and feel intuitively) how this would be a fantastic watercolour exercise/meditation.

Sometimes seeing your emotions splayed out brings a sense of understanding, clarity and a love for that emotion, or at the very least an acceptance that hadn’t arrived until now. This is one of my favourite activities. In the past I have created these paintings using textured paints, markers, through decoupage art or even digital painting through one of my favourite apps: Procreate. You can learn more about the tools I use here.

🎃 10. Paint Your Inner Monster… We all have one 😛

Draw or paint your “inner chaos gremlin.” Make them weird, funny, dramatic—whatever feels right. Then name them.
Therapeutic benefit: Encourages emotional awareness, self-acceptance, and a sprinkle of humour. Because sometimes your anxiety just needs a silly name and googly eyes.

This one time, I painted what anger felt like and looked like to me by focusing in on the feeling, and painting it while moving through anger. I also doodled a little ADHD “monster”, he’s hot pink and so cute!

Sometimes seeing our own emotions painted as gremlins or monsters humanizes them, allowing us to feel and find acceptance… eventually loving the monster within. And other times it makes us look at things differently… recognizing we no longer want to be held by said monster. When that time comes for you, Join The STARDUST Container and claim your power.

We have a grant happening right now. If you’d like to be considered, complete the STARDUST Grant Application, and may the odds be ever in your favour.

✨ The Magic Behind the Madness

Every one of these spooky art rituals engages your nervous system, dopamine pathways, and inner child—helping you reconnect to calm, creativity, and joy. You’re not just crafting… you’re regulating, healing, and expanding.

So grab your paints, your crystals, your glitter glue—and remember:
You don’t need to be an artist to make art.
You just need to be willing to feel, play, and let the magic move through you.

🔮 Choose Your Magic

Want more creative healing rituals like this?

🧠 Join my newsletter for soulful regulation tips, art therapy prompts and healing in a creative way, allowing more Light and joy into your life. ADHD hacks and tools are accompanied.

🎨 Or browse my Etsy Art Shop to bring a piece of this magic home.

AND

When you’re ready to commit to yourself, join me in the STARDUST Container, where you will transform the “bad”, the “hungry”, the “monster” in you, into Light.

your leap is waiting.

10 Spooky & Soul-Soothing Halloween Art Creations for Nervous System Regulation (and a Happy ADHD Brain!)