I am very glad you asked.
When you think of zoom you may think of meetings, work and training. You probably don’t think about the ways you can work creatively online. But you can, and I love being able to offer a way in which you and I can work together creatively.
I’m going to be honest, if you can get to the The Caravan Clinic in Pudsey, I would prefer to work creatively that way but only because I can provide you with all of the resources you need. Which means you don’t have to think about it, it’s no extra expense to you and it feel likes my gift to you. I love facilitating creative ways of working.
Not everyone can get to me for various reasons not just because they live miles away and we can still work as effectively together it’s just you need to do a bit more planning and preparation.
This blog series is a guide to help you prepare for your Creative Counselling sessions with me.
Why work creatively?
Working creatively gets you out of your head and gives you a different way to explore your thoughts and feelings. It can often give you clarity on a situation or relief as you’ve found a way to express feelings that were festering. The very act of being creative can help calm your nervous system down. Maybe you are creative and it feels like a natural way to work, or you’ve spoken about your situation before and you need to try a different approach. There are many reason why you might want to give Creative Counselling a go.
What do I need?
Not as much as you think you need.
My advice is to start with A3 paper. This is a good size, not too big and not small. If you only have A4 that is fine but you are a little more restricted and the idea with creative therapy is to not be restricted.
You can choose any medium to work with but I think starting with a pastel is a really good starting place. You can get two type of pastels.
Chalk and oil but I have seen both referred to as ‘soft’ so it can get confusing. Hopefully this photo will help you see the difference.
In the picture the oil pastel is on the left and is the consistency of lipstick (not that I wear green lip stick).
The chalk pastel is on the right and is like a smoother type of chalk and is dusty.
Both can be blended with your finger, tissue or a special blender that looks like a white pen.
I recommend either or both pastels as they are lovely to work with, they come in many shades, you can get them fairly cheaply but also there isn’t as much pressure to draw something good!
Remember that Creative Therapy isn’t about the end product as much as it is about the process. You may look at the end product and be proud of it or realise something new or have strong feelings for or against it but the intention isn’t to create something to display. If you had felt tips you may feel the pressure to draw something in particular or colour in. You can’t be that exact with pastels.
That’s it!
We could do weeks of creative therapy just using these items and nothing else.
You may want to have:
Wet wipes or wet cloth to hand as your hands could get messy
You may want to have something on the table to protect it
Old clothes or an apron. The chalks can be dusty and get in your clothes but it should all wash out
Where do I get the supplies from?
You can get these supplies from many places depending on the quality you want. The quality doesn’t matter for the purposes of Creative Counselling but better quality items may feel nicer to work with and the pigment will be stronger.
I’ve seen pastels and paper in B&M, Home Bargains, The Range and Hobby craft as well amazon. You can sometimes get some good art bargains at TK Max near the stationary section.
If you don’t like getting messy then you can get pastels that are in a plastic casing or you can use wax crayons. Crayons don’t blend like pastels but still allow you to express yourself without feeling like you need to create something particular.
I hope that was helpful and less daunting than you expected.
Look out for my next blog on Online Creative Counselling: Getting Ready. Where I will help you get used to working with the pastels before we meet.
I’m really looking forward to working creatively with you, let me know if you have any questions.
If you’ve not booked an appointment yet please email me at contact@nicolahughes.co.uk
If you’re not ready yet but want some interim creative therapy ideas then why not sign up and get my FREE Well-Being Worksheets delivered to your mailbox every month. Click here: https://tinyurl.com/yubt3dxf
I look forward to working with you soon
Nicola
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