Starting On The Journey
Starting a new arts for wellbeing initiative during a pandemic was never in the plan. But it was Covid-19 which indirectly gave me the freedom and the impetus to turn a vague idea into reality. My bid writing work for two charities faded away as funds were suspended, leaving me with time on my hands. So during those first surreal, and tragic, months of lockdown, Medley began, tentatively, to take shape, as an informal initiative exploring how art, music and nature contribute to health and wellbeing. For obvious reasons, it went online.
September saw Medley’s website and blog medley.live go live. In October I started producing regular, themed Creative Ideas – suggestions of songs and music to enjoy, art and craft ideas and ways to connect with nature all on the one set theme each time, from Outer Space to Names. February marked another stage for Medley as I ran my first art for wellbeing project, Free As A Bird. Over 200 people signed up for this free month-long project, with resources emailed to them each week. I ran the project a second time in March, this time just for people still having to shield from Covid-19. In March I also ran a small, simple music project, Another Day, Another Song. Each day I recommended a song and people shared memories and responses in a Facebook group. And now it’s May and I’m running a new art for wellbeing project, Plants On Paper.
As Medley grows, it’s been so heartening to start too see people respond. One person commented : “I love your intersectional approach”, another wrote “Using art to explore one’s thoughts and feelings would be a new step for me but this [blog] encourages me to give it a go.” A participant in the Free As A Bird project told me: “I loved painting the birds…It takes my mind off other things…It’s so relaxing” and a member of Medley’s main Facebook group called it “positive, affirming and enabling”.
But there’s a long way to go and these last 8 months have been all about learning! Learning how best to reach people. Learning what people want and need. And learning what Medley’s USP might be. Focusing on my intersectional model, linking together art, music and nature so they feed each other, will be key. Decisions lie ahead: what this will look like, how to balance the three and whether to continue as I am or to try turning Medley into a CIO or CIC.
I’m really looking forward to the Creativity And Wellbeing Week, a brilliant way to see so many different arts for wellbeing initiatives drawn together, showcased and supported. The What’s Next For Creative Practice: Digital And Hybrid event sounds particularly helpful, as we all try to emerge from lockdown and sketch out a way ahead. I’m also publicizing Medley’s own Plants On Paper art project through the Creativity And Wellbeing site, as the project runs throughout the month of May.
This year’s Care theme resonates. In a year when people have come closer together in support and community even while forced physically apart, Care highlights our mutual interdependence. And from a creative perspective, it shows there are many ways to care, as we share art and song and language. Creativity becomes common ground.
All the learning I’ve done these past months has opened my eyes to so many inspiring people and organizations sharing arts for wellbeing. Practitioners like Mahlia Amatina, an abstract artist living with Asperger’s Syndrome who reaches out to share her experiences through her art. And organizations like The Smiling Sessions, which runs singalongs with older people living in care homes or sheltered accommodation, many of whom have dementia. Creativity and wellbeing in action.
