Celebrating Mother's Day: The Importance of Self-Care and Nurturing

 

Happy Mothers Day, It’s a time of reflection and appreciation for the incredible women who have shaped our lives. 

From the mothers who raised us to the maternal figures who have guided and supported us along the way, Mother's Day is an opportunity to celebrate their love, sacrifice, and unwavering presence. As we spend time honoring those in our lives, we also take time to think about our own self-care and nurturing our well-being.

Self-Care Matters

Self-care is a fundamental aspect of maintaining balance, and overall well-being in our lives. Taking time to showing ourselves love and carving out moments of solitude, indulging in a favorite hobby, or simply giving ourselves permission to rest, self-care empowers us to recharge and replenish our energy.

Sometimes prioritizing self-care can often feel like a as meeting the needs of others can leave little time or energy for self-nurturing. However, practicing self-care is essential.

Celebrating Self-Care

I encourage mothers and maternal figures to take time for themselves, engage in activities that bring them joy, and honor their own needs and desires – whatever that may be, whether it's enjoying a leisurely morning, taking a peaceful nature walk, or indulging in a creative pursuit, let's celebrate each and every day in a way that nurtures the mind, body, and soul.

For More Ideas for Self Care - Join us HERE

Art Bundles for Good #8 is Back! Until 7th May!!

Art Bundles for Good #8 is back now for 5 days only! If you missed the sale last November, this is your final chance. There are more than 100 classes from more than 85 different artists, all for one low price. You don’t want to miss this!

This is an incredible chance to learn a broad range of artistic styles from dozens of different artists and we are supporting a great charity.

Visit the Art Bundle website to see all the amazing courses included. They are all listed on the homepage.

GO TO THE ART BUNDLES FOR GOOD

There are over $5400 worth of courses and resources on topics like watercolour painting, art journaling, sketching, mixed media, drawing, abstract art, acrylic painting, collage, pastel pencils, colored pencils, creativity and much more all bundled together for one low price.

This is an amazing opportunity to get more than 100 art resources at such a low price. With so many products, it works out to less than $1 per class!

The best part is that 25% of the Art Bundle profits are going to support Courageous Kitchen, a Bangkok-based charity helping refugees. Get over 100 top art learning resources from more than 85 artists AND do some good at the same time. We’ve already raised US$ 131,054 for charity.

GO TO THE ART BUNDLES FOR GOOD

Cyber Week Sale - 50% off ALL Courses & More!!

I have a Cyber Week Sale currently and I am offer 50% off all my courses!!

You have a selection to choose from and it is a great opportunity to spend some quality time being creative.  

If you want to take advantage of the Course Discount use the code: CREATE50

CHECK OUT THE COURSE PLATFORM

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Etsy Store

I am also offering an additional 20% off my Etsy digital stamps.  I currently have a store sale, you can get an additional discount which will be a whopping 40% discount off all items until Monday 28th November 11.59 EST

Use the code ORDER20 to get the additional 20% discount in the store.  I have a new selection of digital stamps, which can be altered to create a series of different looks.

Here is one of the digital stamp designs, once you print them out you can create different looks to use in your creative projects.

CHECK OUT MY ETSY STORE

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Remember to check out the Art Resource Hub which is FREE to join to to check out additional offers for November that are being offered.

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One BADASS Art Journal Course - Giveaway!

I will be teaching on the course next year, and we are holding a giveaway

You have the opportunity to enter the Giveaway, Learn More Here

Stay blessed this weekend and be a blessing.

Limitless - Your Brains potential

 

What would you do if you could see how much better it was going to get, how different would you act now? and what would you do with the time you have?

Limitless

I have always liked the movie that came out called 'Limitless' and the idea of being able to maximize the use of your brain to 100%  to learn and do all the things you wanted to do.  Though I wouldn't want to have to continually take a drug to do so.  Some say we only use 10%, others say it is a myth and we use far more.

I think it depends how we are looking after the bodies that we have been given.  How do you look after yourself, nurture and take care of your body?  What foods are you putting in, or rather what kind of foods are you putting into that which you want to take you all over the world, perform and interact  or not if the last two years have been anything to go on - When was the last time you had a health check-up?  Are you drinking enough water, getting enough rest, finding ways to destress in a stressful environment ? and the list goes on.

Are you doing all you can do to keep your body in tip top condition in order to use all your abilities to their maximum potential?  It can be a massive challenge when you are bombarded with foods filled with E numbers and preservatives or pesticides (The food industry determines that we can safely ingest a number of harmful chemicals), these are designed to make our foods look the 'right' color, bind them or keep them at a certain consistency - and that is just one part of our lives I will not go into the environmental effects on our bodies and brain health.  

With all that and more that we are told by big business that won't harm us but have been found years later to be responsible for cancers and other illnesses you can understand why we might not be performing at 100%

What can we do?

We can have an impact on our brain and overall health by doing several things:

• Get enough sleep, take a power nap if needed - don't feel guilty
• Eat a balanced diet - A variety of food groups - quality food, not processed, heavily salted or laden with fat or sugar.
• Increase your water content - most of us are drinking water but not enough - if you feel thirsty then you are already dehydrated.
• Exercise your brain - puzzles, conversation, social interaction, learn something new, teach what you learn to others.
• Fresh air - exercise your body, go out into the fresh air, get some sunshine on your body
• Take part in a creative activity - great for your mental health and wellbeing
• Plan what you want to do, set some goals - make a list, schedule and find time to pursue those things that are important to you, challenge yourself.
• Growing your own food
• Get rid of the clutter - mental, physical... and more

These are just a few things to get started of the ones currently on my list, let me know what you ones you do.  Stay blessed and be a blessing

Arts and Wellness - Stitched Play

Come and check out the Arts and Wellness video where I look at some stitched projects as well as reflecting on current events.

Let me know how you get on and which is your favorite wall hanging.  Will be finishing them and adding to my Etsy store - (details to come)  Or just contact me for prices if you would like to purchase sooner.

Listen to the Podcast

Arts and Wellness Wednesday - World Wide Disaster Movie! Podcast

What do you do when you feel like you are one of the characters in a Disaster Movie, and you are waiting for the director to call 'Cut' but there is no director and this is real life.  You have to find ways in which to manage the emotions that you may be feeling, and ways to work through the day to day.

Depending on where you are in the world your freedom of movement may differ and you may be experiencing a variety of emotions as you try and make sense of it all, the scale, magnitude and everything in between,

In last weeks Arts and Wellness Wednesday I shared some tips that you might want to think about moving forward.  It included setting a routine/schedule for yourself - the first week that you may have been off it might have seemed like an extended holiday or weekend, but the days seem to be rolling into one so having a routine that differentiates the days will help.

Thinking about learning a new skill or picking up an old one might help with your day to day.  Check out the video below to see some of the other ways in which you can put things in place to help you cope with the emotions that may arise.

In this weeks video we look at some additional tips that you might want to put into place, especially for those who are carers.  Using art and creativity is always a great way to help express what you are feeling and it is important to acknowledge as time goes on.

Listen on the Podcast

If you would like to join me on Creative Encourager you can schedule 2 free half hour sessions to look at where you might want to take your creativity, areas of growth - see the link below

Creative Encourager - If you want to talk about creativity and the direction your going and need an ear, sign up for a FREE 30 minute call http://bit.ly/Encoura

Stay blessed and be a blessing

Podcast Episode 96 - Arts and Wellness

In today's show I share with you my work in the field of Arts and Health.

As a mixed media artist I work with a variety of mediums and tools to express myself in my work.  I completed my degree in Complimentary Therapy, at the University of Westminster specializing in Nutrition and Massage Therapy, and saw the benefits of improving diet and the use of different forms of massage and essential oils. I could see clearly the link between diet, health and well-being. Alongside this I painted and wrote about art and creativity, and wanted to further explore the impact of creative activities on our health and well-being.

Inspiration
My journey into Art and Health started to take shape after my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I was making the transition to a self-employed artist and I was driven to look at meaningful ways that art could impact on others and enable me to share my passion. By chance I asked my mum if she wanted to do some art she would normally say no, this time asked what I wanted her to draw. I gave her a picture and paper and some art supplies and said, try this and she didn’t look back. I was shocked that an hour and a half later my mother was still engaged and enjoying drawing her version of the image I had given her.

As the years went by I gave my mum more and more creative things to do. I realized that Art could play a big part in working with those who had physical or mental health challenges, including those whose illness caused mental distress for themselves and those who cared for them. Art could impact and benefit people from all walks of life and act as a preventative measure.

My Mother Mavis enjoying her art activity

I started to do my own research and training, looking at ways to develop workshops that could impact on the health and well-being of the participants whether they presented with a health challenge or not. I ran art and creativity workshops for a special Dementia Day Care Center in London for those with varying degrees of Dementia and other conditions for over 3 years and alongside this presented on a local radio show talking about creativity and the positive health benefits that can be gained and I collaborated with other artists and spoke at seminars and conferences on the benefits of creative activity.

The Need for Research

There has been quite a lot of research done on the impact of the arts and health across the board especially in the UK and the USA, and wider afield not only visual art, but dance, theatre, music, storytelling and more;

• The arts are being used in different health environments hospitals, homes, centers, waiting rooms where both for staff, visitors and patients were being impacted in a positive way, both as active and passive participants;

• Stroke, Children’s, geriatric and cancer wards found that art and creative activities helped patients deal with the emotional stress that was a result of their illness and the proceeding isolation;

• Art and colour is often used to design interior and public outdoor health spaces, across communities and there seem to be whole movement of people who could give positive feedback to the work they had been doing in the creative field;

• It has been identified with providing solutions and as a means of prevention, to those who previously would have been prescribed antidepressants, or it has been shown as an outlet for people who are isolated or feel lonely;

• Where arts and creative activity were being promoted in the local community it got individuals out of the house, and programs were developed which also impacted on their physical health and nutrition.

Art on Prescription?

I further enhanced my training with a series of courses that led me look at how to setup a social enterprise that supported, engaged and encouraged the community.  I also looked at the ways in which you could to use reminiscence in a creative way, and measure the impact of the work done.

I created a series of creative reminiscence programs that included music, art, and discussion in a relaxed atmosphere, and followed on not only working with those with dementia, but their carers and others working in a health care environment. I also had the opportunity to do a series of training seminars in France and Norway and give presentations on my work with the elderly in the UK. 

I was also involved in a project called Community Health Lab - ‘Art on Prescription’ with a remit to show how effective a creative activity could be on improving the lives of the ‘hard to reach’ communities. Included on the program was dance, movement, horticulture and art therapy. We received funding to work with artists and creatives across the board to deliver a program where individuals could either self-refer or be referred by their GP to take part in a series of 6 workshops.

We were able to show through monitoring their blood pressure, and weight, and a general mental health questionnaire at the beginning and end of the program that taking part in the workshops had a specific impact on the participant’s health and well-being and they also showed improvement in any feelings of isolation. Art Therapists have been recognized by the NHS and work in all areas of health, combined with a large number of artists who use art as a therapeutic tool.

Realityarts – Creativity for Change

I set up Realityarts – Creativity for Change, which seeks to engage, encourage and inspire individuals in the use of art and creativity and bring about change in their health. I feel that it is important that we connect and impact communities with inter-generational arts projects so we get people across generations sharing their experience and learning from each other. I am passionate about creativity, and getting people involved in some way, looking at ways in which we can use art to communicate, tell our stories and share these stories that tell of our own journeys.

Art as a therapeutic tool

I believe that the creative process is very important and everyone one can get involved in some way – even if it is just to visit an art exhibition or go and see a play or open air event. When we have access to the arts across all levels of society we can see the positive impact on communities and lives, we hear about the stories and traditions, the old wives tales and the ‘stories ‘granny’ used to tell’. It helps bring together the different generations of a community, it passes on the history and is captured through the creative activity.

Developing art programs can have several benefits:

· Arts programs have powerful results that can have a positive effect on physical health, mental health, and it also helps improve social functioning.

· Arts and Creativity activity is important for our development. For the older adults it is vitally important that there is a continued emphasis on helping them to keep active and mentally stimulated.

· Involvement in programs that calls on older adults to participate, sharing their knowledge, wisdom and stories has been shown to impact on their health and encourages older adults in maintaining their independence and decrease feelings of depression and loneliness. 

Reminiscence is a way of calling the past to mind, particularly positive events, people, or places, to improve older adults' outlook on the present by increasing socialization and self-esteem, improving communication skills, and reducing isolation and anxiety. Listening to music and telling stories stimulate participants to resurrect these memories and focus on what remains. 

The arts contribute to communicating, building a sense of identity, and strengthening social networks in communities.
The arts help create elder-friendly communities in which older adults are able to thrive and function regardless of their ability.

Art in the Environment

There are so many ways in which art and creativity can impact on the health of an individual not just in an art session, but also within the environment. Health organisations and departments in the UK continually look at ways to improve the working environment that also benefits the patients with initiatives such as Paintings in Hospitals, Hospital waiting area exhibitions, and music recitals all which go to lifting up the spirits of those who work or who are being treated. There are many other initiatives that have been promoted.

I currently run an online network for NHS organisations who want to connect with other like-minded organisations developing work in Arts and Health. I work online with other artists creating and developing art workshops which look at the way in which we can encourage the community, using art, art journalling, and art as a therapeutic tool to working on a deeper level that will improve health and well-being. I also run art and creativity workshops and seminars helping organisation’s develop their own programs for staff and the local community and look at the impact of art and creativity on our health. I also create videos of art processes, health, gardening on my YouTube channel. This has also extended over social media where I work with artists and small businesses and offer consultations helping them to develop creative ways to improve their social media presence. 

I have worked with the the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association, giving talks at their conferences, Seminars and Participation program about my role as a carer to those affected by dementia and those working in health care and how you can use creative activities.  You need to equip yourself with information and knowledge, more and more people are affected - the whole community, and it is important to attend some of the sessions that are run and get involved in the work they are doing.

I would love you to be able to access more things without breaking the bank that you can use as a creative activity.  If you would like to work with me or looking for some encouragement to undertake your creative activity you can schedule 2 Free Sessions of  Creative Encouragement

Creative Encourager 

I would love to hear from you, what are you working on at the moment, where do you get your creative inspiration from.

Check out some of the links - Arts and Health NHS Network

Remember to book your free sessions for some Creative Encouragement and be on your way to an amazing creative adventure!

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

Beyond Words Exhibiton - London

A piece of Me still remains - Mixed Media Art - Amanda Trought

I have been invited to take part in the Exhibition called Beyond Words - The Healing Power of Art, running from the 4th June to 27th June, taking place at The Darnley Gallery, London.

It is great to be included in the exhibition.  My work for me has always been about unraveling and sharing stories, and I feel that there is always an element in a piece of art that can be related to.  

The Arts have been used to communicate and express experiences in our society past and present, it keeps our cultures, and traditions alive.  It can take many forms through craft disciplines such as quilting, pottery, weaving, music, dance, and so much more with the stories at the heart.  Our stories and skills are handed down the generations, and with each generation we can look back, learn and add our experience. 

When we recognized the value of the use of story telling and symbolism in our art we will also see how using it as a form of expression around our health and well-being is valuable.

There is nothing more fulfilling than learning a skill, being taught by an elder/master craftsman and creating from what you learnt, and sharing that piece of work you have created with your own hands.

I have been using art and creativity as a way to express different aspects of my life and perspective. I remember the stories heard from our elders as they gathered around the kitchen table, kids were seen and not heard and often the adults would forget were were lurking in the background until we piped up with a question, and they would order us out.  This too comes out in the creations.  

Learning to capture moments of our lives in art and creativity tells part of our life experience that you might not see if you spoke to me.  When I think of my experience as a carer I learnt to look at my role in a very ordered way and the work I have in this exhibition looks at how I learnt to compartmentalize every thing I did when I looked after my mum who is living with Dementia, and the feeling invisible around all the different roles that are taken on.

A Piece of Me still Remains - Amanda Trought Mixed Media Artist

The different images represent the different roles that I had to take on to make it work, and the numbers represent the passing of time.  I was never able to express that it was what I was doing, but as I created the painting it was what was coming out and found its way to the canvas.

A Piece of Me still Remains - Amanda Trought

I hope you will be able to make it to the exhibition, there is a wonderful range of art work on display.  The official opening night is on Friday 8th June 

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Arts in Health Network

Join the free Arts in Health Network, find out about events happening all around the world, share your Arts in Health Network projects.

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London Creativity and Wellbeing Week

If you want to take in some other events then check out the Creativity and Wellbeing Week, an initiative of the London Arts in Health Forum

For a full list of events happening both in and outside of London click HERE

There is a great variety of events that you can go along to.  Who knows it might inspire you to do something totally new and nurture your creative voice!

Stay blessed and be a blessing

Money Mob - Radio Interview Art and Urban Gardening

Things have been happening so quickly that I was having a hard time keeping up with myself.  I touched down in London nearly two weeks ago and about a week was spent nursing a cold that I caught from my mother.  I am on the mend and just have a cough remaining and I will be sharing more over the coming days some of the things that I have been getting up to.  

I wanted to share what will be happening this evening.  I have been asked for the second time to be on the Money Mob Black business Forum Radio Talk Show which is on every THURSDAY from 6pm - 8pm on Urban Jazz Radio

It is great to be able to talk about some of the work that I am doing both here and in Barbados with art, arts in health and more recently organic Gardening.

I would love to have you join us on the show with your host
Paul Muhammad & Co-hosts Glenys Russell & Sister Barbara

You can listen in the following ways: - 

Listen via the Urban Jazz Radio website:

www.urbanjazzradio.net or

http://tunein.com/embed/player/s118367/

I will definitely be sharing more of my trip so do come back!

My 31 Art Studio Supplies - Inktense Pencils

The Video

I was never really a fan of Water Color pencils, and over the years explored other mediums.  One Christmas my sister got me a Derwent Inktense set of 12 and I thought I would give them a go.  I haven't looked back since and they are among the go-to supplies that I reach for especially when art journalling.

They are highly pigmented and vibrant and are a joy to work with.  These and the Inktense Blocks are amazing.  I definitely recommend that you give them a try.  You can also use them on fabric which for me was an additional bonus.

Check out the video and the resources that I have listed below, you will not be disappointed.!!!

Art Supply Resources to check out

My 31 Art Studio Essentials - Graphite Tint and Soluble Graphite

The Video

A couple of my absolute favorite supplies has to be my water-soluble graphite pencil and my charcoal pencils

that I use whenever I work in my art journals or creating a painting.

I also use, but not often enough the Derwent Graphite Tint water colors which come in some great colors and make a great addition to your supplies.  

In the video I share with you ways in which I use the supplies, and if you want a kick start you can spend time playing around with the colors and create a background page.

I have also listed some of the supplies that I mention in the blog for you to check out.

Artist Resources to check out (click on the images below)

Graphite watersoluble

Prang - Charcoal Pencils

Graphite Tint Water color pencils

My 31 Art Studio Essentials - Brushes

All about Brushes

Can a girl have too many brushes?  Don't answer that one lol!!

Brushes are key depending on what medium you work with and as a mixed media artist. I find that I use a variety and the ones that you see have been collected over a number of years.

I do have my favorite brushes that I use for different projects, but when you are purchasing ones for yourself you really don't have to break the bank and there are some really affordable brands that you can buy. 

One of the things you can do with your brushes If you are in a slump is to spend time ordering them, you may not need all the ones that you have and you might be able to bless someone else or do a trade with another artist.

Take a look at some of the brushes that I have in my collection in the video

The Video

Resources

12 Piece Nylon Hair Brush Set

Royal Langnickel