Connecting With Your Creative Self:
Art Journaling is a creative well-being tool, where we put our internal selves onto the page, allowing honesty and freedom to explore emotions; giving yourself a safe space for self-care, discovery and helping your self-development. It allows us to have a visual conversation with ourselves, distracts us from negative thoughts and feelings, and offers an accessible and portable platform for us to escape, reflect, take stock and re-calibrate.
At a time of acute national anxiety, during the first lockdown of 2020, the pilot 'Art Journal Project', funded by Scottish Government Supporting Communities Fund was a 'community well-being' focused programme of guided workshops, bespoke tuition and specialist support from professional artist tutors. Aimed at adults during lockdown who may be struggling to manage stress or to ‘make space’ in order to achieve balance and well-being, the project targeted carers, key workers, people suffering from physical or mental health issues, people struggling with loneliness, isolation, grief or trauma.
Through observation and application, participants explored their relationship with themselves, their environment and others - discovering new, constructive channels of self-expression and developing self-management tools to maintain their own well-being. A private Facebook page offered a safe space for the group to come together, share ideas, inspiration and access feedback and support - from each other and the tutors.
The project's web sessions were designed and delivered by experienced tutors with input from a well-being professional. Over twelve weeks, fifteen participants from in and around Langholm learned new skills such as drawing, painting, collage and printing; exploring key themes:
Flora & Fauna, Landscapes, Domestic Life, Composed Life, Portraiture, The Figure, Pattern & Texture
The project culminated in an exhibition, showcasing curated samples of the art journals and larger scale pieces that graduates had worked towards by developing their skills via art journal workshops and feedback sessions. The exhibition featured as part of a local 'Langholm Making' open weekend, linked to Spring Fling, and the response was overwhelmingly positive - both from visitors and participants.
By sharing, and celebrating their creative journeys, the participants' confidence levels were boosted significantly, and as a result, many of the graduates have continued developing their work - some professionally, with the aid of ongoing, informal OPA mentoring.
At a time of acute national anxiety, during the first lockdown of 2020, the pilot 'Art Journal Project', funded by Scottish Government Supporting Communities Fund was a 'community well-being' focused programme of guided workshops, bespoke tuition and specialist support from professional artist tutors. Aimed at adults during lockdown who may be struggling to manage stress or to ‘make space’ in order to achieve balance and well-being, the project targeted carers, key workers, people suffering from physical or mental health issues, people struggling with loneliness, isolation, grief or trauma.
Through observation and application, participants explored their relationship with themselves, their environment and others - discovering new, constructive channels of self-expression and developing self-management tools to maintain their own well-being. A private Facebook page offered a safe space for the group to come together, share ideas, inspiration and access feedback and support - from each other and the tutors.
The project's web sessions were designed and delivered by experienced tutors with input from a well-being professional. Over twelve weeks, fifteen participants from in and around Langholm learned new skills such as drawing, painting, collage and printing; exploring key themes:
Flora & Fauna, Landscapes, Domestic Life, Composed Life, Portraiture, The Figure, Pattern & Texture
The project culminated in an exhibition, showcasing curated samples of the art journals and larger scale pieces that graduates had worked towards by developing their skills via art journal workshops and feedback sessions. The exhibition featured as part of a local 'Langholm Making' open weekend, linked to Spring Fling, and the response was overwhelmingly positive - both from visitors and participants.
By sharing, and celebrating their creative journeys, the participants' confidence levels were boosted significantly, and as a result, many of the graduates have continued developing their work - some professionally, with the aid of ongoing, informal OPA mentoring.
Participant reflections:
'I was halfway through week one when I realised that I was getting a lot more out of the project than just a pleasant distraction. All the videos were very informative; I learned confidence building techniques, better ways to hold the pencil, drawing quickly so I wasn’t trying to take in all the details and I found myself becoming relaxed, tense muscles easing and headaches disappearing. It gave me something else to focus on, I looked forward to each new tutorial to see if I could complete it, sometimes with success and sometimes not so but it didn’t matter, I was in a better headspace.'
BELOW: Photographs charting the participant's creative journeys
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