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Saturday, October 4, 2008

The Power of Gratitude & Art from the Heart!




Well, it's been an emotionally tiring couple of days and my head needed to recover which is why I haven't been posting anything. Feeling brighter today after spending a bit of time in the spring sunshine and visiting an art therapist which I will tell you about shortly!

Many people say to keep yourself grounded and to return to a good place it's a good idea to remind yourself of what you're grateful for in your life. So, I had a good think yesterday and came up with: the sun shining in between the spring showers, my radishes poking their new shoots through the soil (yay!), my kids shouting from the end of the house 'I love you mum' just because they want to ... the list could go on. All small things, but they bring a smile to the face. I love this time of year in the garden when blossom appears on our peach tree, and I can put out my pots of colour in the garden - hence the picture today. Notice the small possum hanging on the pot - some outside 'art' I bought at the garden centre the other day. See, art is everywhere!

Anyway, I went to visit a local art therapist today for an introductory art therapy session. Linda at Creative Seeds is an awesome woman, who went through the basics of art therapy with me and I produced a painting in 5 minutes which I am very proud of actually, but which came to mind naturally after Linda led me through a short visualization. She doesn't actually interpret the painting for you or offer any judgements, rather she leads you gently through your own thought processes, to come to your own conclusions. As Linda states herself, she helps you to find "the true self beyond the personality". Here is probably not the appropriate place to tell what I discovered about myself, but it was a very powerful experience for me. If you've ever considered investigating art therapy I would highly recommend it. No art experience is necessary and it's not just for people who are depressed or anxious (for which it is very helpful), but also for those who want to gain a wider understanding of themselves, by expressing themselves through art. Linda provides a safe space for people to do just that. Sometimes words are just not enough. To get some more insight into this, just go to the Creative seeds website at http://www.creativeseeds.com.au/ You will truly experience art from the heart!

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