Tuesday 21st January

The energy and creativity surrounding our upcoming online art auction, Inspired Expressions , has been truly inspiring. Artist, Mark Ratcliffe who has generously donated a piece of artwork has written a blog to encourage you to unleash your own creativity.

“I have always been “creative” since childhood and I have fond memories of playing with paint and art materials with my parents. As you get older and the reality of life takes over in terms of work, personal commitments and routines, creativity seems to take a back seat and isn’t always a consideration, especially if you’ve never been exposed to it in a fun way. As an Abstract Artist and Wellbeing Practitioner, I like to inject art and creativity into my wellbeing practices. It doesn’t have to be difficult but believe me, it can really help you navigate to a more serene and relaxed feeling. Art and Creativity can be so useful and a fantastic tool to assist with Mental Health Wellbeing, help ground yourself and practice mindfulness whilst being in the present moment. 

Creativity isn’t just about painting or drawing either; it can mean an array of things like writing, music, dance, photography, baking… and so much more. 

Art can be a great tool to help express emotions. By creating art, people can explore their feelings, manage behavior, and develop new coping skills. It can also have amazing benefits to assist with promoting relaxation, reduce anxiety, improve emotional health and increase self-awareness and self compassion. It is a great tool to use in addition to other practices to help overall wellbeing. 

Grounding yourself through creativity can really help with mindfulness and being in the present moment. Giving yourself the freedom to “just be” without any judgement or expectations.  When you try and ground yourself, try and let go of everything you’re currently feeling and experiencing. Politely say to yourself that it all matters, but for the next few minutes or hour I will place those stresses to one side. Here are 3 areas I’d like you to consider to help with Grounding using Art and Creativity: 

• Focus – only focus on the task in hand at that moment of time; become fully absorbed in the task and concentrate on only that one task (whether that is drawing, painting, journaling, writing etc). 
• Use your Senses – our senses are amazing. We don’t have to have all of them to really benefit from sensory engagement. Really feel the tools you’re using, look at the colours you’re drawn to, listen to how the tools react against the paper, really handle and feel those materials. Connecting with the Senses can really enhance your creativity process and ground yourself. 
• Mindfulness – keep in mind that you can be present for that period of time. Don’t worry about what might happen later, forget yesterday, be in the moment of the hear and now without placing pressure on yourself.

I talk about Mindfulness and you can inject art and creativity into simple exercises. Try this one: 

Creative Exercise: 

1. Take a piece of paper and draw circles on the page; they do not have to be perfect and you can use a pen, pencil, crayon – whatever you have available to you. 
2. Let go of any stresses you’re currently feeling. All that is expected of you in the next few minutes is to draw circles and follow these simple steps. Allow yourself a few minutes just for you. 
3. Take each circle, one by one, and fill the circle with a different pattern. Be as creative as you want. They can be simple lines, swirls and patterns. 
4. Focus on one circle at a time; do not worry about doing all the circles at once. Taking one at a time will slow you down, focus your mind on the present moment. 
5. Once you’ve completed each circle, sit back, and really look at each circle you have done and the pattern you have drawn in each. 
6. At the end of the exercise you will hopefully be feeling a little more grounded, more relaxed and you’ve just practiced being in the present moment. Congratulations- you did a great job! 

I have also written and produced an online course which expands more of these type of techniques, and so much more. 

Art and creativity can offer a great tool and mechanism to enhance and support your mental wellbeing. Explore what you like, without pressure of judgement and celebration being able to ground yourself and practice being in the present moment of the here and now (whether through painting, crafting, or music, or writing – whatever you’re drawn to). The benefits of reduced stress, improved emotional health, and a greater sense of mindfulness can really help enhance our lives and mental wellbeing.”

You can following Mark art tutorials via his YouTube channel here or visit his Facebook and Instagram at @MarkJRatcliffeArt.

Feeling inspired by Mark? Our online art auction, Inspired Expressions will take place from Tuesday 25th February until Sunday 9th March. Browse the collection here.