Michelle Rainville here, and in this series we will learn to get comfortable getting uncomfortable, process our pasts, and create meaningful connections to ourselves while creating healthier habits for the future. We will be working on creatively releasing in our first lesson. As a growth focused artist, trauma survivor, parent, partner, and creative, I am sharing my experience and research. I am not a licensed mental health professional!!!! I urge you to do your own research!
I offer this class to everyone and anyone willing to work on themselves. No matter what brings you to Skillshare, these are useful skills to being a human. You don’t have to be an artist or have lots of supplies.
We’ve all lost something -- a loved one, trust, our connection to our art, any change (positive or negative) -- even creating boundaries with a toxic person -- leaves us with a sense of loss. Many of us create myths that the loss or pain doesn’t matter, we should move on, or that loss must be solitary. Yet, how we process and grow through these experiences dictates our reality, goals, and well-being.
In this class, we’re going to intentionally get uncomfortable for the purposes releasing those 800 lb thought gorillas from our minds. I will direct this with questions, relay experiences, and share exercises.
Our project will be externalizing our myths/fears/and more. Then, we will cover, destroy, or damage this work. This activity creates meaningful ritual as a tool of mindfulness, and self care.
Please let me know if you need any accommodations. Subscribe to be updated about future classes in this series!
Thank you for your time and thank you for getting uncomfortable with me.
Project Description
Releasing Activity Art Project
- Set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Do as you need. Adjust as you need.
- Options!!!! These are priming things to think about to help you gather yourself and start the motivation forward. Limiting beliefs, losses, or issues you're working on can all be subjects of this project.
2.1 (Creative Stuck) List all the things stopping you from creating - these can be big or small, real, ridiculous, embarrassing, or silly. Let it all out. Keep going.
2.2 (Loss) When do you first remember loss? Loss of trust? Death? Divorce? Moved? Changed a job (even for the better)? Start listing the things you can personally connect to loss.
2.3 List and counter list
- Ask yourself questions. Take note of your feelings. Is anything repeating? Keep writing or doing whatever medium or modality you need. Noises, body movements, or whatever is within your ability to outwardly express this expanse of feeling.
- After the alert sounds, breathing exercises. Do blow out those candles. We will do a 3 part breath.
- Using a different medium or a variety of colors, start making a mark or squiggle on top. If It bothers you too much, make it a full blown picture. Keep adding details. Cover that list. Do you see anything? Do you doubt that you can create? You already created a list and now are obliterating it.
- Conclusions and suggestions.
- "I just poured my heart into a list and you made me cover it? There was so much information and it's just obliterated!!!"
You are not that list that you created. You are a creator. You created a list of ideas and creatively covered it.
Wishing you adventures in feeling more! Wishing you growth!
