Draw yourself calm: what is mindful drawing?

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A chance to slow down, be creative and connect with nature’s beauty, mindful drawing is our new favourite activity. Here we talk to artist and author Amy Maricle to learn more

Draw yourself calm: what is mindful drawing?

I started drawing back in 2020, during the first lockdown. I was taking a break from my side-hustle after experiencing burnout and needed something to keep my creative mind busy that was not related to work, and drawing fit that bill perfectly.

Following online classes and doodling flowers became a habit and it helped me tap into a whole different side of creativity. I found the whole process really calming and became interested in how drawing and mindfulness can come together. So, when I was offered the chance to speak with Amy Maricle, artist, former art therapist and author of Draw Yourself Calm, I jumped at the chance.

“I use a lot of the mindfulness skills that I learned in my work to help people,” Amy tells me.

“It's really about slowing down and approaching art in a very process-oriented way so that it's inviting and grounding. I find it really helps me and my students to open up to their imagination because things move more slowly, it's less judgemental and it's just way more fun.”

Before speaking I had started working my way through the book, learning more about what mindful or ‘slow’ drawing is all about and having a go at some of the exercises. A key part of the process is tuning in to how you’re feeling, connecting with the breath and taking notice of what you’re doing. Amy explains that noticing the way the pen feels in your hand, the bumps in your paper, the sound of the lines as you draw them, can all help you sink into a calmer, more meditative state.

And this is what mindfulness is about, at its core. Paying attention to the present moment and allowing yourself to get absorbed by it. When we do this, ruminations about the past and worries about the future can fade into the background. As someone who struggles from anxiety from time to time, cultivating moments like this is paramount.

Inspired by nature

As I was working my way through the book, I noticed the patterns were largely inspired by nature. From the soft and wispy milkweed pattern to the intricate cobble design, many of the exercises imitate nature’s own stunning patterns.

Discussing this influence, Amy explains that she’s always been inspired by nature and felt lucky to live close to a nature reserve during lockdown in 2020.

“I live in an area with access to a small nature preserve. It is right on the side of the highway, so it's not so quiet, but it's very close to my house. I know I am extremely fortunate, and I go to that nature preserve often. During the pandemic, it was my medicine, along with my art.”

Amy wondered how she could support others during the pandemic and realised, mindful drawing could be it. She started holding live mindful drawing sessions on Facebook for people to join and it was really well received, and in time she was approached abo

What is creativity coaching (and how could it help me)?

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Can coaching really help with creative ideas, careers and businesses? We explain more about creativity coaching and how it could benefit you

What is creativity coaching (and how could it help me)?

Around half of us think we’re creative, yet 75% of us believe we aren’t living up to our full creative potential. Whether you’re an artist, writer, musician, crafter, performer, run a creative business or side hustle, or are some other kind of creative, chances are, you’ve experienced a creative block.

Creative block (where you feel like you are lacking inspiration, are stuck, or other barriers are stopping you from being creative) can last anywhere from days to years. Many different things can cause a creative block, from fear of failure to perfectionism or even stress.

Feeling blocked isn’t the only thing that can hold creatives back. Perhaps you feel like you’re stagnating, or you aren’t sure how to take your craft to the next level. Or maybe you feel like you’ve got the creative side down, but don’t know how to turn your passion into something you can share with others.

Could working with a professional creativity coach be the answer?

What is creativity coaching?

A creative coach helps you to work through barriers that may be holding you back, as well as to develop your creative skills. If you’re struggling with self-doubt, low self-confidence, or even imposter syndrome, a creative coach can help offer support and guidance, introducing you to new tools, techniques, and coping mechanisms to help you build your confidence, challenge self-doubting thoughts, and feel more comfortable sharing your creativity with others.

Creativity coaches can help you to gain clarity and momentum with your ideas. Providing a space to explore your creative ideas without fear of judgement, a coach can offer support, guidance and accountability. Through working with someone who can help you set goals, identify milestones, and plan how you want to grow, you can create a sense of accountability and a more firm timeline, which can often be beneficial for creatives who struggle to complete projects.

Some creative coaches may specialise in a particular area of creative work, while others may work more generally within the creative industry. Creative coaches often share their specific areas of experience and expertise on their profiles, or many are happy to have a quick introductory call to see if what you’re looking for help with is an area where they can offer support.

How do I know if creativity coaching is right for me?

Coaching in general can have a significant impact on your self-confidence and self-belief. Many find that it can help increase their performance in certain areas, help them learn new methods of organisation, planning, and even help them improve certain skills.

Creativity coaching isn’t just about helping overcome creative blocks. If your job has a creative element, you are looking to launch a creative business or to turn a hobby into a business, creative coaching could be right for you. A coach may also be able to help offer tips and guidance around marketing and self-branding for creative-led businesses, helping you to

Down to Earth: what are the wellbeing benefits of gardening?

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Explore the glory of gardening, and how it can help sow the seeds of wellness

Down to Earth: what are the wellbeing benefits of gardening?

It was May 2022. My first batch of parsnip seeds failed to germinate because it was too cold. Slugs had eaten the first leaves of the runner beans that I had planted two weeks before. The courgettes had suffered the same fate. My plans for the year were wrecked by a seemingly unsympathetic nature. Welcome to the world of gardening for absolute beginners! It’s good for you, honestly.

I was 35 when I got a garden. I possessed only a rudimentary knowledge of plants, seasons (plant in spring, harvest in autumn), and crop rotation, but was keen to learn more and to experiment, knowing that failure would occur. And indeed it did. Repeatedly.

Some of my thoughts were surreal. In my mind I could bargain with the ‘King of Slugs’, and provide him with a humble offering of a broccoli plant that would satiate his kind, allowing me to harvest the rest of my produce in relative peace. He betrayed my trust in what turned out to be a Faustian bargain, and he also allied himself with the cabbage butterflies to further wreak havoc on my small, defenceless, vegetable kingdom.

However, each disaster brought me back to the drawing board. Some issues such as yellowing (under- or over-watering, or a lack of nutrients) or infestation can be identified. But in a similar manner to much that will happen to you in life, sometimes there is no clear explanation for misfortune. Depending on your outlook, it is either cosmic chance, a Gaian malaise, a Darwinian struggle on the micro-scale, divine intervention, or just plain bad luck. And you have to resiliently accept this, and either adapt quickly, or try again next year while being as stoic as you can.

But remember, you are not alone in this struggle, and of course, each disaster will lead to a profusion of opinions about what you did wrong, and what to do again, and may lead to some conversation on non-Covid/cost of living/environment/Ukraine issues.

I have pleasantly chatted about the difference between ‘second earlies’ and ‘main crop’ potatoes. I have been provided with divergent ways to ripen green tomatoes. “Put them in a brown paper bag and leave them on a radiator,” one person said. “Move your tomato plants into the living room,” said another.

Colleagues who never discussed gardening before, and who I thought had no interest in the subject, have told me that broken egg shells or a spray bottle filled with cayenne pepper can deter slugs. Ever discussed parsnips with a man who owns beehives? I have. If someone asks what you did at the weekend, tell them you planted something. I would wager that they will take an interest.

The day I was asked by a friend when her dad should plant his potatoes, my heart could have burst with pride. “Are they first earlies, second earlies, or main crop?” I sagely enquired. There are also numerous Men’s Sheds (menssheds.org.uk) and local allotment groups on the internet that would be willing to help you.

Down to Earth: what are the wellbeing benefits of gardening?

Of course, trying to grow plants in itself is a valuable ecological lesson. You can see that, without direct intervention, many of our food crops are so vulnerable and require the near c

10 new things to try in October to benefit your wellbeing

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From connecting with nature to a film about a rock ‘n’ roll legend, and a podcast that’ll inspire you to make a change, try something new with our enriching suggestions

1. Page-turners

10 new things to try in October to benefit your wellbeing

You Need To Hear This: 365 Days Of Silly, Honest Advice You Need Right Now by Chronicle

It’s the pocket-sized agony aunt you never knew you needed, and this trusty book comes with 365 pieces of advice, affirmations, and jokes for your everyday conundrums. It’ll help to keep you grounded when anxiety strikes, or just provide you with a chuckle when you need it the most.

(Chronicle Books, £12.99)

2. Out and about

Make a pine cone bird feeder

There can be less food on the ground for birds to feed on during autumn, but, fortunately, September is the month that pine cones start to fall. Use this opportunity to connect with nature and make a pine cone bird feeder for your feathered friends. Head outdoors and select your pine cone, then simply spread peanut butter over the scales and dip or roll it in bird seed.

(Visit countryhillcottage.com for more inspiration)

10 new things to try in October to benefit your wellbeing

3. Act of kindness

Regift your Happiful magazine

Are you guilty of throwing away your magazines once you’ve finished reading them? If so, try passing on the kindness by dropping off a magazine to your nearest and dearest, or offer to donate it to a local salon or doctor’s surgery so they can make use of it in the waiting rooms. That way, your magazine can be enjoyed by others over and over again – and remember Happiful is recyclable!

4. Lend us your ears

‘The Climate Question’

How can oceans help us capture carbon? How does climate change affect our mental health? These are just a few of the questions discussed by BBC specialists in this informative podcast about climate change. If you’re worried about the planet, and have questions that you want answered, give this a listen.

(Available on all platforms)

5. Plugged-In

Tales of Eleanor

If you’re looking to break free from a heavy news cycle, meet the hedgehog who’s injecting Instagram with doses of positivity, one paw at a time. The wholesome, hand-drawn illustrations explore the daily struggles of a hedgehog, each with their own reminder to slow down and take a moment.

Dopamine dressing: discover the trend that is encouraging us to live life in colour

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It’s the technicoloured trend of 2022, but is there more to colourful fashion than meets the eye?

Dopamine dressing: discover the trend that is encouraging us to live life in colour

On the third Thursday of every month, the Old Spitalfields Market in Shoreditch, London, is infused with colour, pattern, and joy. And we’re not just talking about the treasures that can be found on the flea market stalls. Cue the regular gathering of vibrant spirits and creative souls – people who love, and live in, full, bold, bright, wonderful colours.

The Colour Walk, as it is today, has been led for the past five years by upcycling fashion designer Florent Bidois, and was inspired by the life and work of artist Sue Kreitzman, who could, be reliably found in her technicoloured glory each Thursday at the flea market.

“Sue is the constant inspiration behind the Colour Walk. To me, she is the face and I am the arms,” Florent explains. “In December 2016, I organised my first Colour Walk as we know it: a monthly gathering of creative people who love to dress up and love colour. “I have committed to organising it every month ever since, apart from a 16-month hiatus due to Covid. It’s about supporting the market, expressing ourselves, and just having fun.”

Dopamine dressing: discover the trend that is encouraging us to live life in colour

Here you will find a feast for the eyes, a multicoloured spread of prints, patterns, frills, and flare. Thrifted, crafted, savoured, and celebrated – below the kaleidoscopic surface, the Colour Walk is a safe space to express yourself as you truly are, and Florent shares that he’s often told about deep feelings of ‘belonging’ experienced by attendees. Here ‘Colour Walkers’ find their tribe, a supportive group of people who gather together to experiment with style and with colour.

While the Colour Walk is a concentrated culmination of self-expression, these days, more and more of us are beginning to add a bit of buzz into our everyday wardrobes – and if you’ve walked into any highstreet clothing store recently, you might have noticed the prevalence of a certain trend. Dubbed ‘dopamine dressing’, bright, bold colours, statement prints, colour blocking, and neon are all the rage in 2022, and retailers are chomping at the bit to deliver on our desire to infuse some joy into our lives. After all, following the hard times we’ve been through recently, it only makes sense.

But the idea of boosting our mood with colour and with fashion isn’t anything new. In 2012, a study from the University of Hertfordshire found that when participants wore clothes of symbolic value to them, their confidence increased. And, all the way back down the timeline, the emperor Charlemagne – born around AD740, near Liège in modern-day Belgium – wore red shoes at his coronation, as a symbol of his authority.

Colour has a huge impact on how we respond to the world around us (think marketing campaigns, and what the colours used are trying to get us to feel about their product), but they also do the same with how we relate to ourselves, and on what we tell others about the people we are. Momtaz Begum-Hossain is a colour theorist, author of Hello Rainbow: Finding Happiness in Colour, and also an attendee of the Colour Walk – who was, in her own words,

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