Olea Creative

I LOVED making the handmade paper…absolutely loved it! It was simple and gave me the space to nurture my impatience. Impatience requires nurture. It deserves to be observed and explored. When I started to paint with watercolour paint I ABSOLUTELY hated the process. I was frustrated and noticed how I became rigid and inflexible because it wasn’t turning out the way ‘I wanted’ it to turn out. Read more in the comments….

Inspired by a client to give myself space and connect and let go #oneononesessions #creativeexpression #notanartist #notacounsellor #guidance

We can perceive to have the greatest intention to receive a response, the mind arrives at this conclusion, not the heart. READ FURTHER IN THE COMMENTS….

In the therapeutic arts community there are discussions around the providing a balance between expressing freely and offering creative prompts.

To express freely offers a person the space to express themselves without self judgement and rely upon the freedom of the use of different mediums.

Offering creative prompts on the other hand means giving people specific themes, questions, or ideas to help spark their creativity (read more below on how limits can actually boost creativity). These prompts can kickstart exploration, encouraging people to dive into topics or emotions they might not have thought about.

Prompts can also help break through creative blocks, spark new ideas, and deepen self-reflection.

My preference has always been the freedom to express myself freely through the use of different art mediums. I will intentionally use mediums such as watercolour to break down my general dislike for them.....which is no longer the case.

This particular prompt I was given was a visualisation activity around ascending to a mountain and taking in to consideration elements of our life experiences such as adversity, resilience and inner strength.

Admittedly, I enjoyed the exercise because even though the piece did not look like what I "expected" it turned out far better because of the story behind it.

Have you ever played with creative prompts? What was your experience? Did you enjoy it or was it a pass?

One of the creative aspects of my studies is how to look at mandalas from a therapeutic perspective.

Numerous studies have highlighted the therapeutic benefits of mandalas across various settings, emphasising their potential to enhance wellbeing and healing. These studies have offered valuable insights into the effectiveness of mandala-based interventions and have contributed significantly to the growing fields of art therapy and mindfulness practices.

Studies have provided evidence based data for the therapeutic value of mandalas in diverse contexts. The creative process of drawing or colouring mandalas has been found to promote relaxation, mindfulness, emotional healing, stress relief, and self-expression.

NOW.....aside from all of that "relevant jargon"....I personally hated having to create a mandala. I love watching others create them, I am fascinated by geometrical shapes.

I am my own worst enemy when it come to creating shapes that "need" to have repetitive shapes and they "need" to look identical in order for it to look fluent, symmetrical etc etc....

However....this is only my perspective because my inner critic and perfectionist comes roaring out AKA Esmeralda the "unhealthy" EGO and she needs to have a hissy fit...and she did and then she settled in to tuning in to colours!

Colours are my world. It connects me to intuition, brings me peace and connection to Mother Earth.

In the end, I was pleasantly surprised at the result of the mandala for a first timer!

Have you dabbled in mandalas? What is your take on them?