Something for the weekend. 😘

Regulating Feelings with Mixed Media Art

Dear Creative Friend,

I wanted to pop into your inbox today because I’ve just shared a new free video on my YouTube channel, and it felt like the right moment to reach out.

Things feel… a lot right now.

Many people I speak to are carrying a sense of heaviness, tension, or overwhelm with everything that is going on around the world. It’s important to grieve, mourn and take action where you can. And also, I’m here to remind us all that it’s important to look after our own nervous systems too.

The news tells us only the negative stuff (hey, this is what sells!), you don’t see many positive stories in the news, so if you’re anything like me, you might be feeling, well, worn to the bone! And being worn to the bone doesn’t help me stay grounded and be functional/ helpful in the world.

I wrote this on my Facebook the other day:

So, while I do also mourn, grieve and take action where I can, I also try to make sure I remind myself that there is a lot of good in the world too, AND of course, I also use my art practice to regulate my nervous system.

This is where mixed media art journalling has been such a steady companion for me over the years.

Not as a way to fix feelings or make them disappear – but as a way to give them somewhere to go.

Art journalling/ mixed media allows us to slow down, soften our breath, and gently regulate our nervous system through colour, texture, movement, and mark-making. When we work with layers, collage, paint, scribbles, scraping back and adding again, we’re doing something very natural and human: we’re letting emotions move, change shape, and integrate, rather than getting stuck.

You don’t need to know what you’re feeling.
You don’t need the right words.
You don’t even need a clear intention.

Your hands can lead.
The materials can speak. ♥️

And something often settles, shifts, or becomes a little more spacious in the process.

In my new video, I talk about this in a little more depth and share how you can use mixed media art journalling as a supportive, regulating practice – especially during times that feel uncertain or emotionally charged.