Self Care Scrapbook
Just as spring has rewarded us with blossom, lush green leaves and sunshine, it’s also marked the arrival of the first of our commissioned works. We took a trip to multidisciplinary artist Tracey Meek’s beautiful studio, Haarlem Artspace in Wirksworth this May, to pick up the work she has created to support the Grounding Theory workbook and she most definitely understood the assignment.
Tracey's approach to our anxiety support tool has been incredibly sensitive and we are delighted with the finished work. A journey through the senses, each item is thoughtfully designed to hold, stroke and soothe. These ‘totems’ will now be incorporated into the pages of the workbook, and illustrate some of the grounding techniques mentioned within the pages.
Whilst we continue to work on the workbooks, we are also using social media to encourage people to think about how they manage their wellbeing and offer tips and advice regarding mindful practices that can support this. In our tri-weekly posts we share our own creative self care strategies and examples of how these can be adapted to suit different situations. We encourage people to share their creativity by commenting on the posts or tagging us in photographs of what they have been working on – we see some amazing work!
What has been truly humbling, is when something we have shared inspires someone to invest a lot of themselves emotionally, as well as their time, and it is especially wonderful when they share it with us. Back in April Lauren shared the beautiful book she had received as part of the Mail Art project and it had a profound effect on a woman who we connect with online. Ruth had used the scrapbook principle to piece together pages of very personal artwork that she was using to manage strong emotions. The result was an amazing mix of collage, colour and carefully chosen words.
“ I was going through a tough time and feeling low, being creative helped me process my emotions and start healing.”
Seeing other people’s interpretations of an idea are always of interest to us, but they can also be beneficial in showing us how future projects can be adapted to reach a wider audience - collaboration is key to what we do after all. If you hold with the idea that everybody can create, as we do, then learning how to express yourself creatively can prove it to be true.
When I was at Art College a tutor once said to me, ‘you are here to find your medium, but you might not find it by the end of the course, so play around with them all.’ I always remember those words, because of the way they made me feel – free to experiment and enjoy the process.
Feeling good about making art is what we are all about at Thortify, and working with artists is just one of the ways that we can explore the different ways that art can be made. We also reconnected with Lotti V Closs this month on how she has used her sculptural practice to produce an emotive multi-layed piece that ties in with another one of our workbooks. The separate interlinked forms build a complete sculpture that represents social theory; Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Creating and making art does not have to be attached to a theory to make it meaningful, though it can act as guidance when you are feeling a little lost, or want to address something specific. The meditative action of cutting pieces for collage, or sweeping a paintbrush across a page, can be enough to allow you to reach a calm space and help get perspective on things. Don’t forget you can share you self care methods with us using the #selfcarescrapbbok tag on social media.
Bees & love, Debra.
