Healing Arts
I came across the terms ‘Healing Arts‘ and ‘Arts On Prescription‘ at an event a few years ago… and loud sirens went off…
THIS… This was exactly what I’d been experiencing first hand during my art classes.
It had first happened for me, in an untutored class way back in 2011…
I was a frazzled mess, with two young children, managing my husbands company admin, sorting the house, the school runs, the PTA, helping out at village events… everything for everybody else, other than myself.
I met a lady, who suggested I come along to her art group on a Friday morning… two hours, once a week.
I was really nervous to go…
Doing something for myself seemed selfish, indulgent even, and despite being quite outgoing, it felt so uncomfortable. I didn’t know anyone there, and… and… and….
I plucked up the courage and went.
I couldn’t have been met by a kinder, more supportive bunch of people, and I started to look forward to those Friday mornings all week every week…
Turned out I was pretty good at art too. I’d always loved it as a child and as a teenager, but life, and more ‘proper’ pursuits took over.
Those two hours to myself, once a week, changed so many things. I was happier, and everything got calmer at home.
They’d always chuckle at me, because I couldn’t stop humming and singing whilst I was there… an hour in, and I literally couldn’t help myself… (They always said not to worry, they liked it, I’m not so sure!!)
I certainly never anticipated that an entire career change would come out of it!
I won a competition at Tate Modern in September 2011, an off the cuff entry, which turned into an amazing experience, it was the catalyst that made me realise I wanted something different…
I stopped running my husbands office, and found myself an art studio.
Yikes… What now?!
Well… that’s when encaustic found me.
It literally stopped me in my tracks, and I’ve never stopped using the medium ever since. It has the most soul connecting, healing properties. I never dreamt I’d be running workshops myself, but I had a regular run of people asking me to share it with them, and so my new art studio life began, and I’ve been on a mission to share it with as many people as possible ever since.
I wish I’d kept a tally of how many people I’ve shared encaustic with over the years, it has to be in the thousands. I’ve done countless exhibitions, open studios, workshops, and talks, and later went onto create online courses for people further away, most people I came across were as fascinated with wax as I was.
What’s the connection with ‘Art On Prescription’…?
It was during my in person workshops I saw the biggest shifts and transformations.
The first time it happened, I left my studio in awe… WHAT had just happened…?!!!
Again, and again and again, I witnessed the same transformations.
The pattern was clear…
People would come in, saying how much they can’t do this… “I can’t draw a straight line, I’m useless at art, I’ve no idea what I’m doing here”, etc. etc…
Around half way through the workshop, they were ‘gone’. I used to call it ‘the quiet hush’… they’d connected, and lost themselves entirely in the process of creating. It was a joy to watch.
There was often an outpouring of what ever was going on in peoples lives right now. Things that I would never expect people to share so openly, it was as if the creativity opened the opportunity to ‘get it all out’… and as the old saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved.
Regularly, despite saying it was almost time to finish up, I never had the heart to stop people mid flow, and they’d carry on painting long after the official workshop end time, simply not believing where time had gone when they did look up…!
I saw the same pattern in so many; from angsty teenagers, through to elderly grandparents… it didn’t matter what gender, or age, but there was a definite, visible ‘something’ going on with each swoosh of the wax.
That’s why the Art On Prescription line and Healing Art rang so true with me. I had experienced it myself, and now, I was witnessing it with others.
I’ve never studied art therapy, but the results have been clear to me.
A chat, a cuppa and some painting, (or singing, or whatever it is for you) and many of our gigantic problems, start to crumble away.
‘Ahh… I feel so much better’, and ‘I really enjoyed that’ were the words I often heard, as I waved people off into their cars!
I’m not suggesting that wax painting will cure all known ills, but what if it helps a little bit….?
Whilst checking my facts on the Arts On Prescription study, I came across a couple of stats on the NHS England & Serious Science websites…
“Between a third and a half of all visits to doctors are actually for non-medical reasons… for example, feeling lonely or socially isolated.”
“An arts-on-prescription project has seen a 37% drop in GP consultation rates and a 27% reduction in hospital admissions.”
Quite amazing findings…
The full articles are here:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/getting-creative-to-change-peoples-lives/
http://serious-science.org/arts-on-prescription-9416
Whilst 2020 saw travel and indoor events were restricted for so many, I created this really easy, short, gentle healing / art therapy workshop, explaining the intuitive process of applying hot molten wax.
You don’t have to be “good” at art. Simply use colour, texture, and enjoy the delicious fluid sensation of applying hot molten wax to paper with an iron.
It allows you the freedom to express yourself, without any concern of creating a perfect piece.
Simply loose yourself in creativity.
This online course will have you creating in no time. It explains the tools needed, but with the emphasis to get straight into the application of hot molten wax, easily, at home.
I have other courses for perfecting your techniques, this course is about the pure simple joy of creating, without the worry of what you’ll create… which I believe can bring a transformation of emotions, the ones I witnessed time and time again during my in person workshops.
My wish is that you have similar experiences.
I saw changes in my life after two hours, once a week… what could you do?
Its super easy to start.
Great as gifts for others, or yourself, and suitable for all, from teenagers to grandparents!
Order this kit + this online workshop and let me know how you get on!
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