Learn to practice mindfulness and art for self-care at The Brook Inn in Plympton St Maurice, starting Thursday 15th July 2021. Each session includes five minutes of guided mindfulness, five minutes of mindful drawing, a simple art project, and the opportunity to chat and relax.
Come along and grab a coffee or tea in time for a 11.00 am start. The group lasts for an hour and a half. There is no set cost for this group but we are running it on a ‘pay what you feel’ donations basis. Mindful Art Club is a not-for-profit community group.
This weekly art group gives people the opportunity to share their feelings, practice mindfulness, create art, relax and chat. Mindful Art Club:
Improves mental health
Improves social connection
Teaches new skills (relaxation exercises and art for self care).
Want to experience Mindful Art Club in the comfort of your own home?
We have the easy solution!
We are launching a new evening group on Zoom.
A supportive online meeting offering creativity, company and social connection: A short mindful meditation and an easy art project.
About this event
No art experience required! Friendly and informal. Just grab a coffee and join in. Hosted by south Devon artists Peggy Melmoth and Emma Sprawson.
Tuesdays 7.00pm – 8.00pm.
Connect with others, share your experiences of COVID-19, and discover new ways of practising self-care through easy art and mindfulness exercises. Practice being here in the present moment, and accept where you are right now, without self-judgement.
We start with a brief chat about how everyone is feeling, then a short guided mindfulness session, followed by a simple art activity that anyone can do. Our mission is to make mindfulness more fun! We’re not teaching art techniques, we’re just here to play.
You will need any pen, felt tips, some plain paper and a cup of tea or coffee.
You will also need to download Zoom, free video-conferencing software, to your computer, tablet or smart phone, before the day. https://zoom.us
After payment you will receive an email from Eventbrite saying, “Check the event page for all the information you need to join.” The link in that email will take you to a page with the Zoom invite. *Check your spam folder, notifications folder or promotions tab for the email!*
Learn to practice relaxation exercises and art for self-care at The Salvation Army in Ivybridge. Each session includes five minutes of guided mindfulness, five minutes of mindful drawing, a simple art project, and the opportunity to chat and relax.
This weekly art group gives people the opportunity to share their feelings, practice mindfulness, create art, relax and chat. Doodle Your Recovery:
Improves mental health
Improves social connection
Teaches new skills (relaxation exercises and art for self care).
We start with a ‘check in’ to see how everyone is feeling. There is no obligation to speak if you don’t want to. This is followed by some guided mindfulness, then a simple art project which anyone can do e.g., drawing Zentangles or paisley, or making a greeting card.
We end the group with a ‘check out’ to share how everyone is feeling after practicing mindfulness and making art.
This free 6 week, in-person course will start on Tuesday 22nd June, then 29th June, 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th July.
Want to relax your busy mind, without the practice and discipline needed for meditation?
You just found the easy answer!
Our weekly art group at 1pm on Friday afternoons returns to Ocean Studios, Royal William Yard, next Friday 7th May. It offers a safe, easy-going space to have coffee, try guided mindfulness and do some art, just for fun. There is absolutely no talent required, so if you haven’t done anything creative since school that’s fine.
Event Space Ocean Studios
Booking
Booking is essential due to restricted numbers during the pandemic. Message us to confirm your place. We have some limited funding to cover the cost of your session. You can also book here.
If you arrive around 12.45pm you can grab a coffee at the Ocean Studios Cafe, then head upstairs to the Event Space on the right, where you will find Mindful Art Club. You will need to wear a mask to enter the café, but once you are seated at our (socially distanced) art table you can remove your mask for the duration of the group.
How to find us
Ocean Studios, The Factory Cooperage, Royal William Yard, Plymouth PL1 3RP.
Plymouth city centre is 20-minute walk or a 12-minute cycle away. Find us at The Factory Cooperage, opposite Las Iguanas with the red telephone box.
Drive
From Plymouth City Centre take A374 to Durnford Street in Stonehouse. From Cornwall take the Tamar Bridge, A38, A3064, B3396 and A374, continue onto Durnford St until you reach the yard. There are plenty of Pay and Display car parking spaces at Royal William Yard.
Bus
The number 34 bus travels from the city centre and stops at the Royal William Yard roundabout. It leaves from Royal Parade stop A2. 12.20pm. The bus stop is near the Guildhall car park, just down from St Andrews Church.
Boat
The ferry runs every hour from the Barbican to Royal William Yard, or you can travel from Cornwall on the Cremyll Ferry to Stonehouse.
We are delighted to be working with various funding partners to deliver online courses for anyone who would like to learn to practice relaxation exercises and art for self-care. A typical Zoom session includes five minutes of guided mindfulness, five minutes of mindful drawing, a simple art project, and the opportunity to chat and relax. Hosted by Peggy Melmoth and Emma Sprawson.
“I wanted to thank you both again lovely ladies, for giving us the opportunity, of being together, in such a nice group through the Devon Recovery Learning Community. For me, not being creative, it allowed me to enjoy the doodling with you. As I said today in the group, thank you for brightening my afternoon, with an hour of giggles. So good to laugh with you Emma, thank you.”
Linda, online course participant
Our next online course starts on 7th June 2021 and is funded and hosted by Devon Mind. Book here.
These courses are very popular so please book in advance.
Our mindful art courses at The Sunflower Women’s Centre are six weeks long, and free of charge to the participants, thanks to funding from The Sunflower Women’s Centre, and funding from Comic Relief. Each weekly session is an hour and a half long.
Phone The Sunflower Women’s Centre to get on the waiting list. Tel: 01752 977614 (Leave a message).
What to bring: Your own felt tip pens, hand sanitiser if you wish. Coffee and tea is provided.
The Sunflower Women’s Centre, The Gables, 29 Sutherland Road, Plymouth, PL4 6BW.
It’s now one year since the first coronavirus lockdown. This Facebook Live was our first attempt at offering our creative mental health sessions online. We hadn’t yet learned to use Zoom! Since then we have continued to support mental health and combat social isolation with socially distant groups, outdoor retreats and online sessions. There is a rich archive of 45 videos on our Facebook page if you want to try mindful art at home, for free, at any time. We offer creativity and company to anyone struggling in the Plymouth area, in Devon, in these difficult times.
In this video Peggy reads out live comments from people reacting to their very first day in UK lockdown, and viewers share different experiences of their first socially distanced Mothers Day.
As lockdown begins to ease we are able to start two new support groups next week, bearing in mind the ongoing restrictions.
Sunflower Women’s Centre
On Monday afternoons we are starting a small, socially distanced group for four women at a time, thanks to new funding from Comic Relief. These will be at The Sunflower Women’s Centre, 29 Sutherland Road, Plymouth PL4 6BW. To secure your free place on a six week mindful art course call The Sunflower Centre on 01752 977614 and leave a voicemail, asking to be put on the waiting list for Mindful Art Club.
The Clipper, Union Street
The Clipper is Omnium Radio’s Community Hub, at 65 Union Street, Plymouth PL1 3LU.
We will be holding weekly sessions at The Clipper from 9.30am to 11.00am every Friday thanks to Community Sparks Funding from Stronger North Stonehouse. These start on Friday 19th March and you can come to one session at a time, rather than committing to a six week course.
We will be holding the first couple of sessions as non-booked sessions, however bear in mind under current COVID rules we can only have 15 participants in the support session. We will adjust any rules along with COVID restrictions changes. You must bring your own food and drink, and face mask during current guidelines. Once guidelines are eased, The Clipper cafe will be open for refreshments.
We also continue to offer Zoom on Tuesdays funded by your individual donations.
Mindful Art Club:
Improves mental health
Improves social connection
Teaches new skills: mindfulness and art for self care
To find out about when our next online courses and real life groups are launching join our mailing list now. As a thank you for joining, we’ll instantly send you a mindful colouring bundle with meditative art activities inside, to try at home.
Zen doodling is a kind of meditative drawing practice which can be used to easily calm your mind. Zen doodles are just repeating patterns; no artistic talent is required.
Zen doodling combines meditation and art. Learn to practice relaxation exercises and art for self-care. The session includes five minutes of guided mindfulness, a simple art project that can be done at home just with felt tip pens, and the opportunity to chat while we are making the zen doodles and to relax.
In this course you will create zen doodles while learning about the philosophy and benefits of zen doodling:
Improves mental health
Improves social connection
Teaches new skills (relaxation exercises and art for self- care).
We start with a ‘check in’ to see how everyone is feeling. There is no obligation to speak if you don’t want to. We end the group with a ‘check out’ to share how everyone is feeling after making zen doodles.
This online, three week course will start on Thursday 4th March, then the 11th and 18th March.
Are they a business, a charity, a CIC or a community group?
And what are they going to do next?!
Mindful Art Club® is an unincorporated association. We have a small group constitution and a management committee. We recently held our annual general meeting to report on the organisation’s activities. The three trustees were present: Emma, Peggy and Clare, and the minutes were circulated to our regular volunteers, Lee and Linda.
First Emma reported on our funding bids. We were unsuccessful in two bids since the last general meeting. However we have been successful in bids with Comic Relief, Sparks Community Fund and have also received £250 from Plymouth Octopus Project. Emma is about to submit another bid to POP and a bid for Arts Council funding to run two groups.
Because of this funding Peggy reported that the following groups will begin after the current lockdown restrictions end.
Sunflower Women’s Centre on Mondays, funded by Comic Relief.
Friday afternoons at Ocean Studios to be funded by Community Sparks Fund.
Rees Centre, wellbeing course, Tuesday evenings funded by individuals.
Since our last meeting we have networked with a lot of different community organisations including Devon Mind, the Wolsley Trust social prescribers, Plymouth Argyle, Shekinah Mission, Devon Recovery Learning Community and The Clipper.
We have decided to invest in regular professional supervision meetings with a mindfulness teacher, retreat host and counsellor.
We have written a six week course, Doodle Your
Recovery, and a three week course Zen Doodles for DRLC which will be run on
Zoom.
We have joined the Loneliness Action Group with Labour councillor Kate Taylor, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care.
We celebrated one year in business with a dinner party, and made a video of it and sent thank you cards as a PR activity. We promoted our anniversary on our website and social media.
And finally, Emma and Peggy have both completed a five week business course called AWE Sofa Sessions with Dartington School of Social Entrepreneurs. Emma is now going to study the Nuts and Bolts of Business course with them.
To find out about when our next online courses and real life groups are launching join our mailing list now. As a thank you for joining, we’ll instantly send you a mindful colouring bundle with meditative art activities inside, to try at home.
