Since my last post I have had a zoom meeting with Peter May who is one of my favourite authors! His books are brilliant, I recommend you read some if you haven’t already. Anyway the meeting went well and Peter shared a great idea we may work on in the new year. I have to schedule in some more meetings and will update you on author related things as and when they occur.
This month is the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, it runs from the 4th to the 22nd October and has events across Scotland, take a look on the website to see what’s on. I just booked tickets to an event at Lyth Arts Centre that’s part of the festival, I’m looking forward to it.
As part of my project Inspired By Books, I have planned some workshops, starting this month with a local mental health group. I wanted to include this as part of the project because I have been looking into art and wellbeing this year and really believe that art can help with our mental health. It can help to boost confidence and make us feel more engaged and resilient. As well as these benefits, engaging in art can also alleviate anxiety, depression and stress. It can help us be more present in the moment. and it forces you to slow down, ignore life’s distractions and concentrate on the details.
I like to listen to books or music when I’m doing art, sometimes I wont do either, I get so absorbed in what I’m creating I don’t need anything on, but this is how I thought about this project, really listening and taking in a book while I am so relaxed in my studio creating led me to start making prints based on what I was listening to, and really imagining the story coming to life and visualising different things, places and people.
I think we all have something that can help us de stress and take some time to just center ourselves and that can be different things for different people. Maybe it’s yoga or a Gym session. Maybe it’s music on full blast in the car! Abstract painting, A walk with the dog, maybe even a trip to the shop without the kids...we all need that now and again.
I’m interested what activities or habits you all have that helps with your mental wellbeing and why? Mine is art and books, especially if it is at the same time! comment here, send me an email, or a message on social media and tell me yours.
