Love crafting and creating? Or perhaps you’re a creative soul who enjoys making beautiful things, even if you don’t consider yourself an artist? Join us for a relaxed, hands-on half-day workshop designed to inspire your creativity in a fun and welcoming social setting. Using a combination of recycled materials, eco-friendly natural elements, and a variety of mixed media, you’ll create a collection of unique festive projects to take home.

Whether you’re decorating your home, making thoughtful handmade gifts, or simply enjoying the joy of creating, this workshop is the perfect way to kick-start your festive season.

Adults and Adolescents (age 15+).
All levels of creative and artistic flair welcome.

Content:

• Festive mixed media mini projects, with plenty of opportunity for personal style and creative exploration.
• Colour, design, texture and a range of creative craft techniques.
• Hands-on creating using recycled, man-made and eco-friendly natural materials to produce beautiful festive art and craft unique pieces.

Possible projects include:

• Book or magazine Christmas tree centrepiece
• Mini festive wreath
• Handmade baubles and decorations
• Festive cards, gift tags and creative gift wrapping solutions
• Plus a selection of other seasonal creative projects.

Outcomes:

The workshop will focus on connecting with your inner creative-self through:

• Learn to embrace Eco-Conscious Creating in everyday living as it is simple, mindful, fun and very liberating
• Learning about art appreciation and connecting with our environment on a creative level as a form of relaxation and mindfulness in our daily life
• Practical and experiential hands-on activity, creating your own creative personalised experimental artwork using fun creative mixed media techniques.
• Utilising various art mediums that are derived from and inspired from nature and natural elements, hence the term Eco-Conscious Creating
• Getting into the spirit and fun of the Festive season.

Participants will be contacted prior to class by Tutor.

Course Outline:

• Each session consists of structured creative-art as therapy activities designed to enable individuals to unplug, unwind and reconnect with their inner creative-selves.
• Using simple fun artwork techniques, and simple relaxation and breathing exercises, and easy self-care tips.
• Focus is on understanding and managing stress levels and being able to relax through the process of creating joyful art, utilising mixed media, different mediums and techniques such as:
• free-flow drawing & doodling,
• painting,
• collage,
• mandalas
• Mediums include: lead pencil, coloured markers, pencils, watercolour, inks, crayon pastels, acrylic paints

Learning Outcome:

• Each session will have key objectives to achieve at the conclusion, however, it is entirely up to participants how much of it is achieved. It is meant to be self-driven and self-actualising, however participants have the benefit of having each session facilitated and are guided accordingly. There may be some additional work required to be done at home prior to the following session.
• Practice mindfulness and easy relaxation breathing techniques with guided visualisations and short meditations. Soft/relaxing music will be utilised in each session.Creating personalised Self-Care Toolkits to use on a day to day basis to help identify ways to relax, de-stress, recharge, emotionally vent and uplift.
• There will be focus on hands on creating as well as group discussion and sharing as well as reflection time in each workshop session.

What to bring:

In most sessions all materials will be provided by Tutor unless instructed. Participants may wish to bring their own:

• Writing pens/pencils, note paper or note book A4 preferable.
• Coloured pencils/ watercolour pencil/crayons
• felt pens or markers, gel pens (non-toxic)
• acrylic paints and paint brushes, water container and paint shirt or apron
• A4 size envelope folder or display book for storing handouts and art work

Art Supplies Discount:

As a bonus for learning Art with SGSCC, all enrolled students are entitled to a generous 10% discount off the purchase of art supplies when they shop in-store at Eckersley’s Art & Craft, Taren Point!
View Eckersley's Website for product ideas.

About the Tutor:

Facilitated by an Artist/Art Therapy and Holistic Creative Arts Therapist.

Melissa (Mel) Martin is a local contemporary Artist, Holistic Creative Art Therapist and a Mindfulness practitioner, who is passionate about enabling one’s inner ability to create, through artistic expression, seeking to inspire and promote wellbeing through an artistic journey of healing and personal growth.

Mel facilitates local art classes/workshops in the community and privately, where she explores with small groups their true selves and the potential they have and the fear that is holding them back. By engaging in this therapy, Mel is able to reach into the lives of the people she can help more directly or build a personalised service for an individual or group looking for opportunities to learn how to relax, reduce stress, improve confidence, empathy/compassion, problem solving skills and workflow.
Mel works with kids, adolescents

Mel’s Art of Zen is Mel’s business entity located here in the Shire.

Qualifications:
Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapy (HICAT) Diploma,
Holistic Therapies College, QLD
Art Therapy Diploma, Health & Harmony College, QLD.
BSc (Psychology), UNSW.
Change Management Post Graduate Diploma, CSU.
HR Management Certificate,
Sydney University.
Member -International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT)
Working With Children Check Approved.
Services NSW.

Other Information:

• To ensure resources are ready for you at the start of your course, we ask you ideally enrol at least one week before the course commences.
• All courses need a minimum number of students to run ("we try our hardest to get those") . If your course does not have enough students it will be cancelled before the commencement and you will be informed.