make
“Thank you so much for a lovely art session. It was very calming and good for the soul, please hold more events like this.”
Hannah
I often need to remind myself to take care of my own wellbeing. My typical ‘go to’ route off the stress roundabout is a run or dog walk which always works a treat. However, fresh from an inspirational talk given by Dr Emma Hepburn Clinical Psychologist, Author and Illustrator and a weaving kit recently acquired from SOHTIS, I felt motivated to try something different. If I’m honest, I’d been staring at the weaving kit for a couple of weeks procrastinating over its benefit to me beyond creating something visually interesting and supporting a terrific organisation. This evening I took to the loom.
The mindful process of weaving is rather addictive and quite therapeutic! I find myself reminiscing about times I undertook weaving projects as a child or when my own children used to weave with paper. It was rather nice to pop my racing mind on pause for a little while. The beauty of weaving is that it does not need planning or much time. I’ve found myself picking it up briefly for a quick 5 minute speed weave over a coffee and for longer periods. It’s simple and can be performed alone or enjoyed with the company of others. Unlike crafts such as knitting, there is no necessity to concentrate on counting, purely the enjoyment of selecting the next piece of fabric and seeing my creation take shape.
Do I feel relaxed? Hell, yes! A real sense of calmness. Obviously quite the opposite physical reaction to a run, but nonetheless effective and something to add to my personal wellbeing arsenal.
