Sacred Scribble

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Art and Soul Creativity Coaching since 1993

or the art of Intentional Doodling

Creativity for Survival and Sustenance
How’s that for a workshop title?
I mean it.
Creativity for Survival and Sustenance.

Art-making, writing, dancing, sound-making

are POWERFUL tools

to help us through daily living and topsy-turvy times.
They sure have helped me and I see them continually support others.

I ran the brief workshop for an amazing group of powerful, inspiring women
as Chat 20 of Moving Fearlessly’s series.
To learn more about Sacred Scribble and what this simple, elegant (or messy, tangled) process can offer you, go to approximately the 30 minute mark in this video recording.
Creativity for Survival and Sustenance

Yes. Me. Video recording.
After years of saying: I must get some Art and Soul guidance onto video, 2 Zoom workshops were recorded in one week.

The other one was for Carers NSW as part of their Carers’ Week program in Australia.
Nourish and Flourish – the Art of Self-Care.
My own Inner Critic is busily, loudly berating me about How I Act and Appear on Video, but I share this with you anyway.

Sacred Scribble appears around the ten minute mark on this one.
Nourish and Flourish – the Art of Self-Care

May you find soothing, satisfaction and self-care from Sacred Scribbling

with love, art and soul
from Sally

Creature Conversations

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Art and Soul Creativity Coaching since 1993

Creature Conversations
Sally Swain art

Who knew these little winged beings would emerge?

I admit I’m rather fond of them.

Creature Conversations was created over four separate chats with fabulous art therapists. I found it an intriguing way to approach art-making – keeping one piece going over several different exchanges.

Conversation one
with the Dotties – an art therapist peer support group I am blessed to have in my life.

Laying down tissue,

adding paint,

gently watching

the watercolour run,

seep,

move across the mini-landscape

Creature Conversations
Sally Swain art
One

Conversation two
It turns out a respected, experienced art therapist is seeking me out for supervision. I am honoured.

Surrounding,

linking

background colours appear.

I spread out.

Creature Conversations
Sally Swain art
Two

Conversation three
with my lovely colleague about Leaf-by-Leaf project possibilities. We spark. We are dually inspired.

I look at the picture so far.

I see blobs and shapes

that could be little critters.

I draw them forth with texta.

First, a butterfly.

Then a winged cat.

This is truly fun.

Creature Conversations
Sally Swain art
Three

Conversation four

in which a colleague generously listens to what’s been happening in my world. She helps me reconnect with the ground of being.

Earth swirls appear.

Lightly.

Yes – the whole thing is watery,

yet

I have a sense of earth and sky.
It’s elemental.

Creature Conversations
Sally Swain art
Four

Do you

ever make art

while on the phone?

Creature Conversations
Sally Swain art

Oh yeah – I am not great at figuring out how to link up my social media stuff, but I recently joined Instagram. I’m artandsoul.sally . Creature Conversations appears Instagramatically.

with love, art and soul
Sally

What’s with all the hearts?

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Art and Soul Creativity Coaching since 1993

Hearts

are just about the only thing coming out of my brush at the moment.

Musical Swirly Heart
layered, acrylic paintage

Fat,

thin,
pink,

lopsided,

gold,
bosomy,

blue,

pointy,
busy,
small,

large,

soft,

squishy,

protected,

exposed,

alone,

companioned

supported
hearts.

Why the hearts?
Ah, she says mysteriously,

Continue reading →

Sister Pools

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Art and Soul Creativity Coaching since 1993

A Creative Support Partnership

Rosey
a Sister Pool picture
by Sally Swain

Last week, we looked at the Handala – a small mandala with carry-handles.

The Handala arose while I waited for my sister to ring for our creative conversation. An Art and Soul Space blog reader (thanks, Gallivanta) loved that my sister reads me her writings. Inspired by my dear reader, let me tell you about … ta daa … Sister Pools.

For the past year, whenever we can, my sister and I form an interstate telephonic dual Creative Support Partnership. We read each other our writing-in-progress. We talk about current glitches, hitches, joys and successes in our creative process. We divide the time fairly equally.

I paint while she talks or reads.

She writes (or doodles) while I talk or read.

I might paint a preliminary shape on one page of the art journal, then squish the pages together, forming a Rorschach-type mooshy print. (Squish and mooshy being highly technical hoity-toity art terms).

I develop each page differently. Intuitively, spontaneously, I listen to her words, thoughts, feelings and to my own art desires and intentions. It’s a type of Response Art.