Creative self care: the role of creativity in helping us protect and build wellbeing

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Creative self carethe role of creativity in
helping us protect and build wellbeing

• Start Manchester
• Manchester Mental Health Social Care Trust

Wendy Teall - Lead Artist Juliette Angus -
Occupational Therapist

NHS North West Self Care Conference June 2009
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What will you hear about?

• Creative activities and mental wellbeing
• Coping strategies that involve the creative
  process
• Individual experiences
• Your very own creative experience!

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How do we care for our wellbeing?
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Caring for ourselves

• Responsibility
• Knowledge and skills
• Awareness and insight
• Strategies
• Acceptance of own limitations and needs

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Impacts of illness

• All conditions have impacts
• All conditions bring limitations
• Address the cause
• AND/OR
• Address the consequences

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Addressing consequences/ impacts

• Change outlooks
• Seek different opportunities
• Create new outlets
• Forge new networks

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The arts and mental wellbeing
More and more of lifes difficulties are being
medicalised. Medicine cannot solve these
problemsif health is about adaptation
acceptance then the arts may be more potent than
anything else medicine has to offer. Smith, R.
(Ed) BMJ, 2002
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Coping strategies and creativity
Unique qualities of art
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Coping strategies and creativity
Creative processes
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Coping strategies and creativity
Evidence base
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Impacts of illness
Anxiety depression
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Coping strategies and creativity
Relaxation Joy Focus Mindfulness
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Ive got my life back because of my art Doing
artwork gave me respite from the torment, and
strength to go home and deal with things Coming
to Start has helped me recover from my illness
and live a normal life.
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Impacts of illness
Loss of identity
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Coping strategies and art

• Self-expression
• Self-exploration
• Renewed sense of self
• Ownership of experience

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For the first time in several years I have
composed a piece of music. Writing it has
reignited my self-beliefThis project has helped
me with rediscovering who I am. For the first
time in a long time I am hopeful
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Impacts of illness
Loss of social role Isolation Loss of opportunity
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Coping strategies and creativity

• Skills

New outlooks
Shared interests
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New skillsThinking

• Radiant
• Metaphorical
• Problem solving

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Thinking skills

• My self-care strategy is
• Doing things that relax me
• 5 things that relax me are.
• Watching TV
• Cooking
• Listening to music
• Making things
• Sleeping

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Thinking skills

• What feelings do I get from this activity?

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Thinking skills

• What words are associated with it?

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Thinking skills

• How could this activity be a metaphor for life
  and life-skills?

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Thinking skills

• How could I interpret these metaphors via my
  chosen art process?

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Sampling

• The metaphor in the medium
• How can I use photographic technique to
  represent?
• Relaxation
• Experimental
• Connecting to friends

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Sampling
abstraction
digital filters
lighting
colour
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Sampling
zoom lens work
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Untitled Spice of life From the cradle to the
pan With time to simmer There will be a taste for
every man.
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Self development
If I can achieve having a piece of artwork in an
exhibition by attending only half of the art
sessions on offer, I realise that I can achieve
so much more by putting more effort in.
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Exhibition about self care
Held Manchester Art Gallery Until July 6th
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Helping others discover creativity

• Encourage people to use
• Galleries and museums
• Self-help arts and health resources
• Libraries
• Local classes

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START IN MANCHESTERManchester Mental Health and
Social Care Trustwww.startmc.org.uk
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