Focus on Wellbeing in Art

I was fortunate to attend a course on Wellbeing in Art this week.  It was a great experience which demonstrated how art can be used as a way of addressing our mental health.  When faced with a blank piece of paper to draw or paint on it can, for some, be a little overwhelming.  Thoughts such as, “what shall I paint?”, “what happens if I go wrong?”, or “will theirs be better than mine?”, can undermine our confidence and prevent us from trying.  This was overcome on my course by starting off with a huge selection of pictures to choose.  We were told to not over think it, trust your instincts and choose and arrange the pictures you liked best on your piece of paper.  We were then given a selection of art materials to choose from to adorn our paper with, from varies paints, pastels, pencils and charcoals.  Having the starting point of the images gave us the confidence to begin the piece of art and once you began, having the opportunity to paint, draw, stencil anything you felt like was very freeing and ultimately creative.

At Springmead, along with the busyness of our curriculum, we aim to incorporate a holistic approach to caring for the whole child.  Helping the children explore different ways of expressing themselves, such as through art and music, enriches their world.  When I told the children that they were going to be allowed to paint, draw anything and in any style using all our art supplies, they were very excited.  We had gentle music on in the background, as well as some excited chatter, there were moments of calm.  In many ways it didn’t matter what the end result looked like, but having the time to explore and be creative was appreciated by all.

 

Georgina Boyden, Year 2