Arts for Wellbeing
The All Party Parliamentary Group’s report on the Arts and Health states:“The arts, creativity and the imagination are agents of wellness: they help keep the individual resilient, aid recovery and foster a flourishing society.”
At present I run creativity for wellbeing community classes in Bristol for adults that want to support their wellbeing by learning and trying new creative skills. During the class we can acknowledge our inner critics, how to embrace our creativity thorough play, experimentation and curiosity and learn about how we respond well to some art materials and not others. I teach techniques and creative methods that enable participants to carry on with art-making at home if they want to.
I also teach ‘creativity for wellbeing’ as a lecturer for Bristol School of Art These art courses are government funded, so anyone who normally might not be able to afford to pay for an art course can attend free of charge if they feel it would support their wellbeing. I have taught on behalf of Bristol School of Art at Headway Brain Injury Charity, Barton Hill Settlement, Wellspring Settlement, and Hillfields Community Hub
During my arts degree I became interested in how creativity (both making and being with others who are ‘making’ ) affected the wellbeing of the individual and group as a whole. I undertook work experience with an art therapist and worked with psychiatric outpatients in a closed arts group in which I learnt valuable insights into the individual relationship to creativity and impact on their health and how being part of the creative group/community supported recovery.
After finishing university, I gained employment with Willis Newson and gained valuable experience in the collaboration and participation needed in healthcare settings to enable the arts to be viewed as a valuable and essential asset of the service that people receive in supporting their wellbeing.
Over the past 20 year I have worked in partnership with voluntary, educational, community and social organisations, using arts/and or nature to recognise and respond to the changing health needs of individuals and wider communities . I have facilitated groups, written and run community arts projects, taught and facilitated arts and health projects on a 1:1 basis and in larger class/group sizes.
These roles have offered the opportunity for me to grow my compassion, curiosity into creativity and respect of individual health needs and the impact individual health needs have within communities and society.
Organisations worked with are: