Deadlines for work. Coffee spilled. That one sock that always seems to be missing. Stress is omnipresent. But see what happens when you add DIY alcohol ink coasters to the mix. It’s like magic: one splash and your bad mood morphs into a trippy one on paper.

Get a pack of yupo paper. No, really, standard printer paper won’t work here. You need this fake kind since the inks like to move around on it. Put a couple drops of color on. Don’t think too much about where they land. Let gravity be your partner in art.

Take a breath now. Stop for a second, really. You will hear your inner critic get louder. (“Why blue?”) “That’s a strange squiggle!” Tell it to take a break and get a cup of coffee. Your hands shaking just makes you more interesting. There are no grades here. Did you accidentally sneeze on your design? Hey, guys! New texture!

You can either tilt the paper, blow lightly, or take a straw out of your kitchen drawer and go to town. See how colors blossom, crash into each other, or just linger out like introverts at a party. Every picture is full of life. All of a sudden, the tension you felt before cha-chas off the page and into the abstract chaos.

Some people employ a solution for mixing. Some people get isopropyl alcohol from the bathroom cabinet. Each way makes its own magic. Every time you try, it turns out differently, which is a good thing if you’ve been frustrated all week. Say it with me: It should look like it may happen at any time.

Don’t be surprised if 10, twenty, or thirty minutes go by. You will glance up from the kitchen table with dirty hands and a clear mind. Don’t go to art school. Anyone can join, even kids, grandparents, and the cat. It’s a mess. It gives you freedom. You don’t want to be perfect; you want that sigh of relief that comes when you’re lost in the whirling rivers of ink.

Put your masterpiece (or wild mess) in a frame if you like it. Celebrate the fact that there are other ways to deal with stress besides order. There are times when the chaos on a piece of yupo is what saves your head. And later, when things go wrong again, you’ll remember that a splash of ink can do a lot of good.