Week Thirteen: Winter Solstice Reflections

The Winter Solstice marks the point where the days start to lengthen, symbolising the overcoming of darkness. For me it is a time of reflection. What have I learnt over the last three months? And where will the focus be over the next three months? So much of my time has been spent drafting plans for the allotment recently that it has taken me away from the foraging of plants for natural colour. I've reached a point within my project where I am realising that natural colour making brings together my interests in art, design, nature, wellbeing and science. I'm thinking not only about community gardening and creative workshops, but also the design of products to sell. I'm thinking about collaborations with fellow designers and am making plans to explore how natural colour making can also be applied to ceramics and wood. I was trained in design before working in the arts and cultural sector and it feels so refreshing to be bringing these skills back into my life.

Logo Development

This focus on the intersection of art and design has led me to explore the decorative arts. I am particularly interested in the arts and crafts movement and would like to learn more about the contributions that female artists and designers made to this period. I'm interested in the way that the arts and crafts movement has influenced the development of therapeutic interventions in occupational therapy. As I take some time to rest over the Christmas period, I will start my research in this area and question how this will inform the development of Slow Colour Yard.

Women of the Arts & Crafts Movement

This week I have also started the 'Introduction to Arts in Health' course at Wrexham University to develop further my knowledge and skills in this area. I have come to realise that my work in Creative Health has been heavily influenced by lived experience and I am left questioning how I would approach a project that I have no lived experience of? I will focus on the role of the arts in supporting people with dementia when completing my assignments for this course, pushing me out of my comfort zone and embarking on a period of research into an illness that I have a small amount of experience with.

Week Twelve: Slow Colour Yard

This week I have begun the process of setting up Slow Colour Yard. Slow Colour Yard is a Community Interest Company that has a focus on nature-based and creative interventions for health and wellbeing. The allotment will become home to the majority of Slow Colour Yard's activities, which will include gardening sessions, natural colour making, cyanotypes, printmaking, flower pressing and nature journaling. For me, Slow Colour Yard brings together my experience of working within both social prescribing and the arts and cultural sector, utilising my skills in project management and creative health.

AI Generated Image

My intention for the 'Developing Your Creative Practice' grant was to re-establish my work within the arts and cultural sector, but the further I enter into this period of research and development the more that I am realising that this isn't about returning to something and is very much about moving forward and carving a new path. Something is evolving quite naturally and I'm choosing to lean into this and follow this new direction to see where it takes me.

Slow Colour Yard is an opportunity for me to explore leadership within the arts. It feels a little bit funny to call myself a Director. I have always believed that relationships are key, and that if I work in a way that is true to my values then the output will not only look right but also feel right. So I'm taking a bit of time to connect with my values again whilst I begin to think about policies and procedures for the organisation. I'm realising that this work cannot be rushed. Neither can it be an afterthought to the more creative aspects of running a business. My brain is full, but in a strange way it is energising. Everything about this process just feels right.

Week Eleven: Arts-Based Coaching

As we are now in December, I'm thinking about what the seasons can teach us. Winter - a time for hibernation. Time to stop, take stock and save energy for the New Year (which I feel will be a busy year ahead!). After a visit to the allotment this morning, I am spending the rest of the afternoon cosying up with a mug of mulled wine and some reading on arts-based coaching. After completing my course in 'Creative Health & Wellbeing through Artmaking' with UAL this week, I have found myself wanting to learn more about arts, health and transformative experiences.

Studying

Arts-based coaching draws inspiration from art therapy and coaching techniques to help people to achieve personal growth, overcome blocks and reach goals. I had previously explored creative health as a tool for achieving mindfulness, but I am now questioning how art can be used to reflect, make decisions and take steps forward in life. Over the last 10 weeks, my own experience of taking part in creative health activities have helped me to identify the things I need to let go of within my life and the areas that I wish to concentrate my energy on moving forward. Developing a practice in this field has helped me to regain some self-confidence and I am now thinking about the design and delivery of activities for others in the future.

My blog posts may be a little shorter over the Christmas period as I take some time to rest and rejuvenate, but I'm still here and I'm working on some exciting plans for 2026 that I cannot wait to share with you!