Hi gorgeous Creative souls!
I have some news and I’m excited and I think you might be too!
Since 2011 when my inner whispers about reconnecting with my childhood passion of drawing & creating, started hammering louder; I have been sitting in quiet contemplation with my soul, trying my hardest to hear what she has to tell me. Whilst I have, over the past 4 years launched myself back into arting; there has been a gentle tension and pull inside me. This tugging on my subconscious made me curious and has been making me dig deeper, to listen more fully and work out what it entailed.
I have been thoroughly enjoying sketching, mixed media’ing and painting; alongside running my practice as an Occupational Therapist. Two loves, two passions…Art/Creating & Helping/Caring.
One of the biggest and most unexpected side effects of picking up my pencil and paintbrush again, was how the act of creativity would have a ripple effect into so many other areas of my life. I got creative at the canvas and then I got creative in my thinking and self reflection. The creativity kept flowing into problem solving around my work future and how…just HOW, could I meld my two passions? Well I kept asking the question (from my left brain) and then after I gently allowed the questions to waft around for a while, my right brain threw up ideas and answers. I knew this process was occurring and it was a really beautiful side effect, as well as icing on the cake to the joy I was already experiencing by painting. What I wasn’t able to do, was conceptualise or put into words or fully realised thought; this process. Back with more on that in a minute.
My left brain would say, “Perhaps I should study Art Therapy?” I considered and explored this for a while until I decided it didn’t sit right for me. I love working with women, helping them heal their whole selves…mind and body, but in a more holistic and non,-just-Western-medicalised way. Although I use therapeutic techniques, I think the best way for someone to make changes in their life, is to integrate therapy recommendations into their everyday living; normalising where they are at and empowering them to believe they can make changes. I didn’t want my helping approach to be rooted in pathology and diagnoses as it felt too limiting and slow. To drill this down even further…I believe that answers come from within and then get enacted externally. All that was needed was someone to offer hope, encouragement and a safe, nurturing space.
So with these thoughts and questions rumbling around…I kept painting. Then one day, I saw an online friend that I had ‘met’ through an e-course I did a few years ago. I saw that she was calling herself an Art Coach. This immediately piqued my interest. I will cut to the chase. She told me about the Creativity Coaching course she was doing and I straight away searched it out. One look and I knew that this direction was for me and that once I had certified as a Creativity Coach, I would be able to guide other people to connect with their creativity within. So I signed up for it and started last month!
This post is part of the course content and I have come here to blog about the first lessons undertaken and what I have learn’t from it.
Going back briefly to the left/right brain experience I’d been having. The Creativity Coaching course is ALL about balancing our left logical ego dominated brain with that of our right intuitive, infinite, creative brain. I mean, I knew about the mechanism and the functioning of the brain from Uni, but I had not connected the dots in terms of my experience of operating in life, out of the two brain hemispheres. Part of the puzzle was complete for me and I am still, joyously piecing it together as I progress through this course. I am SO very excited to share it with you…it feels like home.
Check out my next post to follow, where I start to share my journey ^^^
x Tanya
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