Counting creativity workshop
Art and Mindfulness
Discover how mindfulness can allow us to create freely, and how creativity can allow us to better know ourselves.
In this workshop I will share how mindfulness can allow us to create with more freedom. We focus on the creation process as the purpose, rather than the artwork created. Mindfulness allows us to be in the present moment, to release worries or concerns about the past or future, and this is my way of accessing the current moment, mindfully through art.
What started out as an experiment to explore creativity has become my daily mindfulness practice and a way to access meditation. This has allowed me to create a deeper connection with my inner world, an anchor to calmness in a turbulent outer world. This practice can be a mirror to our internal world, a place to observe, recognise and let go of mental patterns (perfectionism, inner critic) as well as a place to play!
So I invite you to join us to slow down, sink into yourself and capture a moment in a mindful painting practice.
La Bonita is a luxury boutique hotel located in a beautiful rural area of Doi Saket, Chiang Mai. One of their core values is creativity, and they present an artist in their gallery space each month to share different talents and showcase a wide diversity of art.
I am delighted to collaborate with them to bring you ‘Counting Creativity’ exhibition and workshops.
Art as a mirror to life
I trained as a natural history illustrator, which aims to realistically reproduce an image of an animal or plant captured in a moment in time. This type of art creates completely the opposite of what I seek out as an art viewer, I prefer large abstract paintings and minimalist styles. Colorfield painters like Helen Frankenthaler and visionary abstract painters like Hilma af Klint are some of the most impactful for me. I tried for many years, but was unable to create the type of art I loved to lose myself in. This created a constant tension inside me, and every time I went to paint, it was like stepping into an internal battle with myself.
It was a slow and gradual process to arrive at my daily art practice that nourishes me and brings me tremendous joy. Getting here involved working on my self as an individual as much as developing my artistic skills. I discovered these are inextricably linked for me. In hindsight it seems like an obvious thing now, but at the beginning I really did not realise that until I changed the way I viewed myself, nothing else could change. Once I did that, I was able to create with joy (rather than the previous frustration), and I actually liked the finished pieces – it was truly magical!
How did I do this? It was by dedication to myself via a painting practice. Poetically, the problem contained the solution.
Art and Mindfulness
Art is my meditative practice, how I connect with myself and listen to what’s going on inside.
Wise teachers from many cultures ancient and new, share in common that they prescribe meditation to all humans:
“All human beings have an innate desire to overcome suffering, to find happiness. Training the mind to think differently, through meditation, is one important way to avoid suffering and be happy,” – Dalai Lama
I am not so great at sitting meditation – however I can easily become absorbed in gardening, crafting and painting. Art is my meditative practice, how I connect with myself and listen to what’s going on inside.
In this workshop
We will explore different limitations to release control over outcome, and instead allow ourselves to be present and experience what is. By doing this, the process becomes the focus, and the art practice becomes a meditation of sorts.
Workshop flow:
An introduction about my creative journey so far, my daily art practice and how it can be; a mirror to my internal world, and a great place to observe myself, a way to recognise and let go of mental patterns (perfectionism, inner critic), and a place to play!
We will follow a short mindfulness exercise, connect to nature and then try different practices to explore mindful creativity including collage, painting, mark-marking, rubbing and printing from nature.
Beginners welcome. No experience in mindfulness or art required!
Sunday 6th October
Workshop 13:00 – 15:00. 1000 thb
Explore contrasts with collage, found objects and mark making. Play with composition and negative space to express an idea.
Followed by the Counting Creativity Exhibition opening event 16:00 – 18:00
Sunday 3rd November
Workshop 13:00 – 15:00. 1000 thb
Create textures with mixed media and explore colour theory. Observe the relationships between elements and how it reflects in ourselves.
Followed by the Counting Creativity Exhibition closing event 16:00 – 18:00
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