Mindful Art – How to Creatively Relax, enables participants to learn how to use your creativity whilst practicing mindfulness to help shift from being in constant ‘urban chaos’ to serene inner calm and equilibrium. A range of Mixed Media art techniques and mindfulness practices and tools to help you focus on being in the moment and allow free-flow creativity in the process helping you to relax and de-stress.

Creative Art Therapy is being utilised more commonly as a form of mindfulness and relaxation. The ability to tap into your inner-self and creatively express thoughts, emotions and feelings in colour and imagery is of great therapeutic benefit. The actual process for creating art (or anything creative) is highly beneficial mentally and physically, as we respond by relaxing and finding inner peace, (calming your nervous system) through what is being produced whilst having some fun in the process.

Course Outline:

• Each session consists of structured creative-art as therapy activities designed to enable individuals to unplug, unwind and reconnect with their inner creative-selves.
• Using simple fun artwork techniques, and simple relaxation and breathing exercises, and easy self-care tips.
• Focus is on understanding and managing stress levels and being able to relax through the process of creating joyful art, utilising mixed media, different mediums and techniques such as:
• free-flow drawing & doodling
• painting
• collage
• mandalas
• Mediums include: lead pencil, coloured markers, pencils, watercolour, inks, crayon pastels, acrylic paints

Learning Outcome:

• Each session will have key objectives to achieve at the conclusion, however, it is entirely up to participants how much of it is achieved. It is meant to be self-driven and self-actualising, however participants have the benefit of having each session facilitated and are guided accordingly. There may be some additional work required to be done at home prior to the following session.
• Practice mindfulness and easy relaxation breathing techniques with guided visualisations and short meditations. Soft/relaxing music will be utilised in each session.Creating personalised Self-Care Toolkits to use on a day to day basis to help identify ways to relax, de-stress, recharge, emotionally vent and uplift.
• There will be focus on hands on creating as well as group discussion and sharing as well as reflection time in each workshop session.

What to bring:

In most sessions all materials will be provided by Tutor unless instructed. Participants may wish to bring their own:

• Writing pens/pencils, note paper or note book A4 preferable.
• Coloured pencils/ watercolour pencil/crayons
• felt pens or markers, gel pens (non-toxic)
• acrylic paints and paint brushes, water container and paint shirt or apron
• A4 size envelope folder or display book for storing handouts and art work.

Art Supplies Discount:

As a bonus for learning Art with SGSCC, all enrolled students are entitled to a generous 10% discount off the purchase of art supplies when they shop in-store at Eckersley’s Art & Craft, Taren Point!
View Eckersley's Website for product ideas.

About the Tutor:

Facilitated by an Artist/Art Therapy and Holistic Creative Arts Therapist.

Melissa (Mel) Martin is a local contemporary Artist, Holistic Creative Art Therapist and a Mindfulness practitioner, who is passionate about enabling one’s inner ability to create, through artistic expression, seeking to inspire and promote wellbeing through an artistic journey of healing and personal growth.

Mel facilitates local art classes/workshops in the community and privately, where she explores with small groups their true selves and the potential they have and the fear that is holding them back. By engaging in this therapy, Mel is able to reach into the lives of the people she can help more directly or build a personalised service for an individual or group looking for opportunities to learn how to relax, reduce stress, improve confidence, empathy/compassion, problem solving skills and workflow.
Mel works with kids, adolescents

Mel’s Art of Zen is Mel’s business entity located here in the Shire.

Qualifications:
Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapy (HICAT) Diploma,
Holistic Therapies College, QLD
Art Therapy Diploma, Health & Harmony College, QLD.
BSc (Psychology), UNSW.
Change Management Post Graduate Diploma, CSU.
HR Management Certificate,
Sydney University.
Member -International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT)
Working With Children Check Approved.
Services NSW.

Tutor
Martin, Melissa

Other Information:

• To ensure resources are ready for you at the start of your course, we ask you ideally enrol at least one week before the course commences.
• All courses need a minimum number of students to run ("we try our hardest to get those") . If your course does not have enough students it will be cancelled before the commencement and you will be informed.