Healing and Creativity.

How using art journals helps me through tough times.

Welcome to Denyse Whelan’s Substack.

I’ve been posting weekly for a while. I recently moved to Sunday afternoon posts after being a ‘regular’ Monday morning one. Now, in yet another example of how flexible I am becoming this is a second post for one week, and coming to you on a Wednesday afternoon in Australia.

Healing and Creativity.

I’ve probably enjoyed creating with art-type media for most of my life since I discovered “texta colours” aged 11 and in Year 6 1961.

Over the decades of teaching, especially the young children, I always enjoyed making a colourful classroom environment with their works of ‘art’. It was a joy to come into my classroom for me, as it lifted my spirits on occasion!

Yet I did not do much at all ‘at home’ once I retired because of the ‘busyness’ of health management with my husband and we also did a LOT of grandchild care. “THEY” got to create! In fact, their parents were soooo grateful it happened at our place, not theirs!

In 2013 something switched on.

My own creativity. Via a wonderful on-line community in the U.S. and I became not only encouraged but built my confidence and skills.

I did decide, however, to buy the best quality items because as I grew as an artist, frustration would emerge if the paper or media was not right.

Cancer, Time and Creativity.

My art/creative space.

Without my creative space, and my inclination to want to DRAW, PAINT and MAKE MARKS, I do no know how I would have managed my long periods of recovery and overcoming fears and some added anxiety.

And Then I FOUND these:

Small Journals.

Medium Sized and Large Ones.

I write in them.

I add designs and fun patterns.

I add some photos to the larger ones.

THEY TELL MY STORIES…..

All of these are full.

These are some that no longer need keeping and so, yes, they are now gone. I have thought about the ones where I also write, and will review them over time because “I want to be the one deciding what stays”.

Journalling via handwriting has helped me enormously but because so much of it is personal, I will probably “destroy” (not a nice word) them…myself.

Back to Management of Healing Via Emotional Health Recovery.

I can become quite anxious about…as we humans do, in terms of health recovery and focussing on JUST ONE THING is the way I manage.

In fact, I’ve been known to ‘settle myself’ at night, doing a small collage of flowers. The repetitive nature of flower drawing is very good for my nervous system

And I like to do lots of colours, and patterns and in the small journals (6” x 6”) I finish them!

Here’s a range of them and the fun I had creating within:

I do hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about my emotional health recovery via creativity in this “one-off” post mid week!

Warm wishes,

Denyse x