‘I could do this for hours!’
Artbox brings a sense of wellbeing to staff at Torfaen Council
A couple of weeks ago Artbox was part of ‘Zest-Fest’ organised by the leading Cardiff wellbeing company Office Om.
‘Prith and her creative workshops were such a brilliant edition to the Wellbeing and Resilience festival we organised. It was lovely watching people go from saying ‘I can’t do art’, to starting to use the materials and then being creative. There were some powerful shifts in the group, people were able to express some frustrations that they might not have done otherwise and to see things in a different light. I heard people leaving the workshops saying how great the workshops were and that they felt much better than when they arrived. It was fantastic to see such a shift in just a 30 minute session. I’d love to see the effects of a longer one!’ Cathy Bailey, Founder Office Om
ArtBox is not about being able to draw or teaching people how to draw- it’s about self-expression, de-stressing, becoming aware of how we feel and operate in different situations.
You can use it do explore how stress impacts on you and how you would prefer the situation to be. You can use your drawings to ask questions of yourself and your situation.
It was great to see people scrub away at the paper with the chalks. It was also great to see them shift into a lighter mood as they drew clouds, smiley faces, their favourite walk with their dog…for people who ‘couldn’t draw’ the pictures created were easy to understand.
Image below was created as part of the initial play session. I couldn’t let this go in the bin so brought it back with me.
My key objective for these short workshops was for people to feel lighter. I want them to experience an oasis of calm and have time for quiet self-refection.
‘I felt a bit of trepidation coming to Prith’s workshop but I needn’t have. Prith was really skilled at putting us all at ease. I can’t remember the last time I just sat and drew, and it felt so good! And it felt really helpful to be able to talk about some things that I wouldn’t have before. I felt much better leaving the workshop than when I came in and I have made some positive changes since, thank you’
What people also experienced however is a renewed interest in art and creativity.
‘I am going to get some of those pastels and do some pictures with my kids.’
‘I am going to find myself a silver smithing workshop to make jewellry.’
One person also commented that it would make him feel ‘more creative’ in his work.
ArtBox is a great way to promote wellbeing in the workplace. Having a mix of activities your staff can choose from means a higher take up across the workforce, which means lower stress levels, lower rates of staff sickness and altogether happier workforce.
To include ArtBox as part of your wellbeing strategy contact me today
Prith