Celebrating memberships, friendships and groups - July 2021
Providing a safe environment to learn how to express yourself through creativity.
An opportunity for you to meet likeminded people support and friendship.
Friends
Being creative can kick start health benefits providing more energy and confidence
Just begin to notice how you would like to express yourself
Just a few minutes a day is enough to reconnect to your creative side
Spend some time creating just for fun
Perhaps spend time in your dinner hour with your notebook or sketchbook
Art for Wellness
Art for wellness community outreach art project utilising creative activities to support local people including those experiencing mental health conditions such as stress and anxiety.
The growth of Creative Wellness Journey supported groups has been amazing over the last 7 months and its thank you to the members for their loyalty, dedication and commitment to make creativity and sharing art for wellness such a success.
Benefits of being in the groups:
A safe space to learn how to be creative
Meet other like-minded people
Share your creativity with others
Look and learn in easy step by step lessons
Members Creative Gallery
Its thanks to members creative contributions here is a small selection.
What is the most important thing you learnt about being creative?
Here are comments from members...........
That it’s just the most important part of my life. It helps me cope, face trauma and relax. Explore ideas.
It keeps me sane. Well, relatively sane...
It takes thoughts elsewhere....
u just gotta have a go at it.
Mistakes can happen. Move forward.
Your imagination is bigger than your abilities.
Just that ... that I keep learning!!!
There are no rules: If YOU like it, then it´s perfect.
That i need to be creative every day.
Just start
It’s not about perfection
Being creative is a big plus when you try something new.
Being creative and having the freedom to express yourself with drawing and painting makes less room for lies...I forgot the person who quote it but yeah
Every creation is magical. No matter what is it, creating something new is world of its own.
Dedicating Art for friends 2020 - 2021
In no particular order...........
Jayne Woodhouse-Brown - Dragonflies
Her love for dragonflies and what they stand for.........
Dragonflies around the world symbolise change, self-discovery, and finding purpose in life ✨ These colourful insects are a reminder that growth comes when we are challenged, tested, and willing to change 💕
NHS and All Key Workers - During Lockdown
Captain Tom - Dedicated to NHS Campaign and reaching 100 years young
Lotus and the Tiger - Lizzy Shortall
To celebrate the launch of her incredible novel in 2021
Dedicated to Leeds Recovery College
Thank you for helping me recognise when I need to step back and take care of myself. For your genuine kindness. You will never know how often the smallest gestures made the biggest difference. It has been life changing, in helping me grow to be a stronger woman.
Volunteer Experience
Volunteering has been helpful in a many ways, giving me something to focus on, sharing my lived experience, helping and supporting others and eventually finding my dream for the future. Meeting people from different walks of life, often people who have experienced illness, or mental health issues where mutual support is a high priority.
The friends I have met will be in my heart and mind always and feel I blessed for the opportunity to have worked with you all.
https://www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk/advice-support/leeds-recovery-college/about-the-recovery-college/
Dedicated to Recovery Coach Academy - Naetha & Callise
Tribe - Building a community of Recovery Coaches in the UK
Recovery Coach Academy is the leading light for change, hope and building community networks and Naetha & Callise are true ambassadors for the UK. To meet so many wonderful friends which now we are (students to friendships the power of people) all working towards our own dreams or pathways for the future.
Attending Recovery Coach Academy course with Naetha & Callise has changed the direction of my life path and given me so much both personally and professionally.
Dedicated to Sandra Losty - Recovery Hour IE
For her love of flamingos
Recovery Hour is an online space where people from all fellowships and other support groups that help people stay in recovery, come together to discuss topics that relate them about their recovery.
Inspirational Stories
My Pathway is Colourful by Heather R
I was learning how relaxing and therapeutic art was for me and this has had massive positive impact on my mental health and anxiety.
Emma's Creative Life - her inspirational story
In Emma sharing her creative open and honest account of her love of creativity may this provide hope and allow you to believe in art for wellness, creativity and new beginnings.
The practice of Art is to make your soul grow
My first memory of being creative was probably spending hours and hours colouring as a child. If I was lucky, I would be allowed a velvet colouring poster as a treat.
The power of Art and How it Influenced my life
You can do it alone or you can do it with someone else. And that someone else can be 3 year old or 83 year old or anything in between. The art you create can be a technically brilliant portrait, a finger painting or some cut up photos stuck in a scrapbook. It really doesn’t matter, just as long as it stimulates your brain and makes you happy. https://www.creativewellnessjourney.co.uk/post/gary-art-teacher-story
Magic Moments
As part of our mental wellness journey it helps to build a good picture of positive experiences. Looking at good times spend with family and friends, remember places visited and what you did. Even recording loved one's past and present is an emotional heartfelt memory.
“How far we travel in life matters far less than those we meet along the way"
The time to focus on the positives, life’s lessons and celebrate friends and people who have either been a blessing or a lesson. Knowing that at times I may have been challenged beyond my comfort zone, pushed into new directions, felt fearful, disappointment, bullied and oppressed. On the bright side I have also felt excitement, content, kindness, love, hope and belief which always outweighs the bad times.
Collaborative Working - Sharing networks who support mental wellness and bring people together as well as special people I know who's groups or business support creativity and life lessons.
Working with other communities and professional bodies and develop working alliances and partnership with individuals and organisations.
Who's aims and ethos are to bring people together through groups and workshops to support wellbeing.
Copyright © 2021, Creative Wellness Journey
Debbie Crouch
Creative art for all ages and abilities. - Let’s share the beauty of creativity