Art Therapy

Where are you placing YOUR FOCUS?

Sometimes we need to zone IN on what our needs are without the confusion of everything that is going on around us. While having time out camping by the ocean one weekend, I was compelled to get creative after finding this little deserted table on the beach. It was such a perfect spot and surface to open up to self-expression and this is the therapeutic artwork I created (see photos). I simply allowed my feelings to flow into my hands and be intuitively expressed with soft pastels and with no thought for how it was going to look at the end. It is such a relief when we are able to allow this; to let go and rest our mind in the art. It is truly pleasurable. There must have been a little drop of water on the table that soaked into the centre of the page because when I…
Explore more
Meetup womens art therapy workshops

A Different Way To Re-Discover Your True Colours

Hello curious soul. Have you ever wondered “who am I? What makes me ME?” We are all survivors of many things and through some experiences we lose touch with our true essence, the unique colours that make up our authentic selves. You know that sensation you feel when you hear upsetting or shocking news? The feeling of energy draining out of you, like part of you is washing away…like your colour is draining from your mind, body and soul and often you can be told “you look as pale as a ghost”. Metaphorically it is as if you have lost some of your colours; the colours that describe your authentic vital energy and essence, that makes you the unique individual that you are. Very often, we experience difficulties in revitalizing those colours with just words. This is the power of Art Therapy: its ability to help you tap into and…
Explore more

Creative expression and letting go of the fear of Judgement

As I put pen to paper to write this article, I am checking in with myself knowing that I may be judged for what I write. How can I write from a place fearing judgement about my concept of love? I stop to tap into myself. I breathe and go within, feet grounded on the earth, still my mind and connect to my ‘home space’ (gut) and heart. I ask my highest self, “is expressing my passion for expanding my self-love and supporting others to do the same worth being judged for? I hear a resounding, ‘yes’! I believe self-love comes most easily when we are at peace with ourselves, a place of self-acceptance and feeling comfortable with who we are, how we express ourselves and connect with our world. It feels easy being ourselves. However, many of us have made agreements with ourselves that hinder our full expression and…
Explore more
Queensland Art Therapy workshops

What if Creativity was more than just Paintings & Drawings?

My Southern African upbringing was vibrant, eclectic and sometimes unstable. Living alongside many different cultures and witnessing their diverse qualities of life made me deeply curious about people, especially women, surviving in a harsh and mostly male dominated world. What they taught me, was their capacity to embrace and live a creative life.  Creativity is a powerful way to begin to explore wellbeing in your life, to see a different way of ‘being’ and ‘doing’ even when you have very little. Connecting to our creative self, means the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated experiences, solve problems and to generate solutions. It means taking risks, ignoring doubt and facing fears…our self-doubt and fears being one of the biggest causes of dis-ease in our mind, body and soul. Many of us believe we are not creative but we do…
Explore more
Growth through Art Helen Bradshaw Sunshine Coast

What is Creativity

Being creative means the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated experiences, solve problems and to generate solutions. It means taking risks, ignoring doubt and facing fears. We do it every day i.e. cooking, decorating, work, driving a new route to work and our clothing, yet many of us believe we are not creative. Anyone can be creative! The greatest misconception is that creativity is related to how well we can paint or draw. For many thousands of years, we have utilised our creativity resulting in invention, progress and is evident today on cave walls as a form of primitive storytelling. When we surrender to our creative self, we free our mind, opening exciting doors we didn’t even know were there, and inspire a more authentic and joyful life.   
Explore more