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aand/ornd/or

September and October 2018

It has been a busy two months with the new studio opening in Victoria Park. It is lovely to see the lavender flowering as well as the bottle brush in full bloom. The latest session of Women Recoloring Change is now half way through and being held in this space.

 

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the forum SELF CARE IN THE ARTS at PICA where artists came together to hear 4 speakers and to discuss mental health issues for artists. Significant points included the feelings of artists and their work not being valued in main stream society. This leads to self doubt and loss of confidence and identity. The collective aims to offer support for one another and if you are interested follow the link below.

Cuppa Club: A monthly platform for people in the arts to come together with a cup of tea and support one another. 

Contact: Amy Welsh (emerging artist) via PICA (08) 9228 6300

Speakers were:

Kelli McCluskey (chief executive artist at pvi collective), Stuart Halusz (who created Black Swan’s Mental Health Awareness Plan), Jen Jamieson (artist and arts therapist) and Shona Erskine (psychologist and choreographer).

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August 2018

The new course at Victoria Park CONNECT has commenced and this is a great opportunity to work with others in the Community (members and non-members of CONNECT) . Refer to the workshop page for details. If you would like to join in, please contact Annette at Victoria Park CONNECT or contact me directly.

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July 2018 

Well my new art therapy studio that I mentioned earlier  is nearly complete. Once the garden is a little bit tidier--and therefore safer-- it will be a ready alternative for one-on-one sessions and small groups of 3 or 4 for you or your friends/family/colleagues. ​I look forward to sharing the space in this way. 

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June 2018 

During the last few months, friends have been confronted with life situations that provide many challenges as well as providing opportunities to reflect on their and others' lives. If you also find yourself in such circumstances (grief, illness, elderly parents, redundancies, loneliness) remember to seek assistance and support. 

Beside neighbours, friends or family, there are many organisations which you can contact. For example: 

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May 2018 

During May (and the previous months)  I have had the privilege of meeting a group of educators, who have been providing support and guidance for parents and primary school students, dealing not only with educational challenges but also needing to cope with a breadth of financial and other pressing life demands. These educators and support staff are a great example of how individuals that sincerely care can actively work together to assist others to have a more positive experience.  (These individuals are not named in respect for their confidentiality) 

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April 2018 

This month I attended a panel presentation where the topics of drug and alcohol useage and mental health in the building industry was discussed. 

A key point arising was the recognisition that people come to work as a whole person and not just as a worker or manager. As a result there is a need to adopt a 'duty-to-care' to replace the 'duty-of-care' that has existed in organisations. All people need to be looking out for each other and willing to approach people they feel are at risk or direct those who can assist to do so. 

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If you know anyone in the building industry or you are yourself, you may find MATES in Construction WA a useful contact and support organisation for those with issues regarding alcohol, drugs and/or mental health.  

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March 2018

Women RE_Colouring Change was held again at VPCA during March.  It was exciting to see the insights gained over the 6 weeks as the participants worked with paint, pastels, clay and collage in various ways and at a range of scales. 

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February 2018

February saw the launch of "Working with the imposter within".  This is a one day workshop held at the Victoria Park Centre for the Arts - a great venue with lots of flowers, herbs and fruit trees in the garden outside the studio. 

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It is also an exciting time as a new creative and therapeutic space is being redesigned for me to in Victoria Park. It should be ready by June and it will be wonderful to have another space to work along you and others. 

 

January 2018

The new year has provided an opportunity to commence new courses and work with past clients.

I look forward to working on the upcoming projects involving the creative arts,  design and art therapy.

This year will also see the launch of the new course "Creativity and You" that I have been developing over the past six months.

 

December 2017 

Well the end of year and Christmas celebrations are coming to an end as we head to January 2018. I hope you have had a pleasant time and have managed to deal with all the activities that seem to occur at this time.

In particular I hope you have made some time to self-care for yourself. 

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From my perspective I was lucky enough to catch up with some of my relatives who live over East 

but were in WA over the last two weeks for Christmas and my nephew's wedding. 

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November 2017 

This month I, with my friends Katherine Ashe and Reena Tiwari, held an event at

Kidogo Art Gallery in Fremantle, WA.

"Silent Voices" was an immersive installation involving sound and videos to reflect

on work in the Indian Village of Lakhnu dealing with the need for increased sanitation

throughout rural India. Image is of gallery 2: The video scape

November 12th 6.30-8.30pm 

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October 2017

I attended the launch of the exhibition and book "Small Things" at John Curtin Gallery. The author and artist Mel Tregonning's sister spoke about Meg's journey and eventual suicide.  She also spoke about Meg's drawings and the resultant visually based book, which tells the story of a person who lives with depression or anxiety.

What an inspirational evening due to the four speakers and facilitator who shared their own experiences as well: 

Violet Tregonning, Delroy Bergsma, Tasha Broomhall and Trent Caldwell.

 

Note:

Small Things is available for purchase online at Mel Tregonning Illustration and Allen & Unwin Book Publishers. 

For Blooming Minds free mental health e-magazine, or purchase Tasha’s mental health books and journals, please visit the Blooming Minds website.

 

Useful numbers provided by the organisers are:

 

 

September 2017:

I have just returned from the ECARTE art therapies conference held in Krakow in Poland. I was fortunate to meet with therapists in art, drama, music, dance and nature, who came together to share their experiences and knowledge with each other.  (Thirty three countries were represented!)  http://www.ecarte.info/conference/  I learned a lot which I hope I can bring to my work here.

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Krakow is a beautiful old city which I enjoyed exploring on foot during the breaks.

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