Being creative keeps you well

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Stage 1 Paper, pen/pencil

Stage 2 The amount of time given to your final drawing will depend on the time you have to do the activity. If you have allowed 10 minutes, then it should be roughly a third of this time – meaning you have 4–5 minutes left. You can figure out the maths. Look at the drawing carefully for a minimum of 30 seconds – longer if you can – and start to spot the patterns or/and pictures that emerge. Highlight these with outlines or, if time, colour in. Allow the colour to guide you, choose what makes sense. As you outline or colour you may start to spot other images – go with it. Stage 3 The very last part of this activity is to write your thoughts. You may want to exorcise a past memory or celebrate it. You should write at least one statement of your current state of mind and, most important, hopes and dreams for the future. These thoughts can weave in and around your drawing. They are only for you to share.

Place the nib on the paper and close your eyes. Take a moment, then begin. Take a line for a walk, don’t lift the pen and keep the nib skating across the paper. Focus on the sound of the mark being made and try and cover the full surface of the paper. Don’t lift the pen at any point. Keep focused on your breathing and what floats in and out of your mind. Go as slow as you can. Make marks that ‘feel’ good or necessary – that give satisfaction. This might mean hard and jagged or smooth and curving, it is entirely up to you. You can set a timer and do the first drawing for 1 minute then increase your timings and with each drawing try and go deeper into a calmmeditative space in your mind.

Being creative keeps you well

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