Fiona on finding calligraphy amidst a challenging postpartum journey
Date: 24th May 2024
Fiona shares her difficult journey after having a baby including feeling she'd lost her identity, to losing her job and a diagnosis of depression, to a realisation that creativity has a huge impact on our mental health and wellbeing.
Jo’s long term love of growing flowers
Date: 4th April 2024
Jo has been growing flowers since 2005 and although she doesn't necessarily think of it as a creative health practice, she knows it has real benefits for her and describes it as meditative and fulfilling.
Mal on the use of film in health
Date: 30th March 2024
Mal talks about supporting a client to make a sitcom to deal with challenging issues and addressing women's health issues through film.
Tracy’s painting as therapy for antiphospholipid syndrome
Date: 24th April 2024
After a protracted period of health issues, Tracy was finally diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome. Here she describes how painting the syndrome helped her to embrace it.
Nadia talks about creating comics and singing for long covid recovery
Date: 2nd April 2024
In 2020 Nadia was admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Her recovery was long and difficult and she was eventually diagnosed with long covid. Here she describes the profound impact that drawing, storytelling and making comics had on her during this time. She also discovered signing to help her breathing.
Genny’s African dance fitness and Happiness Island
Date: 1st April 2024
Genny retrained at the age of 60 to be an African dance fitness instructor working with people over 55. She also created 'Escape to Happiness Island' after a period of depression. Its a place of mindfulness and creativity which encourages people to use their imagination to release stress.
Emma talks about finding time for oil painting
Date: 5th April 2024
Emma talks about her role in the creative industries and how she discovered her love of painting on a course with Ramsgate artist Joe Allen. She describes painting as like meditation and nourishing.
Becki describes outdoor arts and nature activities
Date: 13th March 2024
Becki describes the work of Nature Makers supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and adults through outdoor arts, craft and play.
Katie describes using poetry to support her day to day life
Date: 29th March 2024
Katie is a poet. She describes a practice of writing a four line poem every morning, currently taking inspiration from Lemn Sissay's recent publication 'Let the Light Pour In'. It gives her a sense of what's possible in the day. In 2022 she set up a new poetry night.