Olea Creative

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?

I used to scribble all the time as a child without knowing why. It allowed freedom pull out the raw emotions of anger that I would feel because I couldn't verbalise it in the household environment I grew up in.

Scribbling as a therapeutic tool taps into the raw, unfiltered expression of a person’s inner world without the need to verbalise what the person is feeling at the time.

Unlike more structured forms of art, scribbling allows for spontaneous, free-form movements without the pressure to "make something appear a certain way".

In a therapeutic environment, sometimes, words aren't enough or aren't the right medium to capture complex feelings. Scribbling allows a person to move beyond verbal limitations and tap into deeper layers of their awareness.

Scribbling allows for flow; continuous movement between thoughts and emotions. The process of creating spontaneous marks can feel like a relief from can not said it in words and yet can ground a person and help them to delve in to exploring themselves in a kind and compassionate way.

When was the last time you scribbled? Would you be open to just playing with it again? What do you think of when prompted with that question?

There is a space between the exploration of creativity for myself and providing guidance to clients on a one on one basis or a group setting.

This post is about creativity for myself.

I flew off the radar in sharing creativity for quite some time now, however, whilst studying it's putting me in the space of creativity on purpose if I want to get through the studies.

I remember when I decided to leave creativity behind to give myself space.

There was no time limit placed upon myself as to how long I was not going to practice creativity.

It's something I'm willing to question now rather than forcing myself to do so.

I'm aware there is a strong belief around creativity that holds me back.

And it is perfectly OK once you accept this is what it is.

Each of the photos I have attached are activities I had to do. Some I loved because it was freedom, others caused restrictions which I hated.

And that is OK too because every experience gets you to that space of awareness of yourself and exploring yourself through that awareness.

I am very upfront with my clients and participants when they ask me about my creative practices because in order for me to be honest with them, I know I have to be honest with myself first.

I am crediting these experiences with gratitude and more importantly and weirdly to my chiropractor.

Nicole, my chiropractor is not interested in the 'cracking' approach, but if it happens, it happens.

She calls it the 'unwinding of the spine', decades of holding the spine in a position that is unnatural and doesn't conform to how we hold ourselves.

The sessions are pretty intense both physically and mentally, however, it is a positive process of awareness.

I hold myself better.
I breathe better.
I embrace confidence.
I embrace the renewed awareness.

It is self care!

IT'S ON AGAIN.....

I am running another session on the 21st of April at Beach Road Body and Mind. Bookings to be made by 12 April at the latest, 6 spaces available.

If you would like to find out more, please send me a message on here, or give me a call on 0403 237 302.

Cheers
Marija

The power of community is clear when we accept and give permission for our own creative expression to come out to play.

It teaches us that our own individuality can feel empowered and accepted in our own little world. It grants us the freedom to embrace our true selves and fostering connection with those around us.

Creativity is whatever you want it to be. It can be with art mediums, cooking, gardening or any other craft imaginable.

It's not about sticking to rules of how something should appear. Question your resistance to creativity.

What does it bring up for you?

I always say to the kids at school; "If you don't make mistakes, you won't learn from those mistakes. Imagine the possibilities of what that mistake will open up for you."

When I'm stuck, I use this phrase and then it’s possible, however small it is, to move forward.

I HAVE TWO LOGOS!

My almost 10 year son had a play with creativity (don't tell him I said that!) and helped me out with colours.

My first logo has a warm tone that resonates with BREATHE NURTURE PLAY.

My second one with cooler tones for LEARN GROW INSPIRE.

Both have their own purpose.

More on that to come when I share the sessions on offer.

Stay tuned...again!

INTRODUCTION TIME, click on the photo and it will take you to my Instagram account.

INTRODUCTION TIME The hardest thing I find is putting myself out there in front of a camera, I would rather be behind it and throwing some paint around or some other creative outlet. So here I am, in one of my natural habitats, the beach. The other is the forest. I have an almost 10 year son and a fur child called Tully. Both are my shadows...its usually...mum, mum, mum feed me or purr purr purr, feed me. I always wanted to be a teacher. I knew that some day it would be in some form of 'teaching'. Besides this business, I am also a Teacher Assistant and work with neurodivergent children. I denied myself the creative path for decades because of perceived views on creativity, particularly art and fear to trust self. I have a massive fear of speaking in front of people or even to my one on one clients AND YET I'm driving myself forward and doing it anyway. My son describes me as a "bit of a hippie and a bit much as times!"...says he who LOVES to connect with gemstones. I speak to the sea creatures that wash upon the shore at the beach and I hug the trees when I'm in the forest. I love collecting gemstones, I use them to connect to intuition through meditation, I keep pieces in my pockets or I wear as jewellery. I use them with my group sessions and with my one of one clients. I have a decent collection of oracle cards and they always give me pockets of wisdom to carry with in my heart. Colour is life in my own heart. Colour teaches me things about people when they pick a bit of paint and move it around, or the way in which they use other art mediums I have on offer. I offer different types of sessions through my business and will be posting soon what's on offer. Stay tuned!