Olinder was a woman over 40 who attended the Write to Heal writing sessions for two years. She had always wanted to write, but she didn’t know where to start. So, she left it as a dream.
She joined the group with some reservation and apprehension: How was she going to cope? What would happen if she developed writers’ block? These and other questions were running through her mind.
She always followed instructions from the Facilitator and produced work at the set time. Eventually, she became much more confident and even wrote pieces of work outside the sessions.
She has now produced a phenomenal amount of work and is looking to write her first poetry book for publication.
Maria attended one half day session of Write to Heal
‘I could say it healed me internally as I opened up about my insecurity and my low esteem and the way I look. We were given tasks to complete and made promises to ourselves to persevere until we accomplish it. We were given powerful phrases – to hang on the wall “ I am Loved, I am proud of myself, I Choose to be Calm, and Relaxed, Everything I do turns to Success, I am Confident in who I am, I express my creativity… ‘ I have been doing repeatedly and it helped me immensely to change my mindset.”
Tia attended a four week art therapy course. Tia wasn’t an artist, but she was very creative. Prior to the course, she had dabbled in jewellery making, ceramics and even some dressmaking. She decided to try the art course to see where it would lead.
At the first session, she was very quiet. She heard other people sharing aspects of their lives, but she listened and managed to paint a picture – yellow flowers in a green spikey field. At the second session, she continued with her painting. She was asked what inspired her to paint the picture. She explained that she was currently at a crossroads in her life. She would buy flowers for her home whenever she could. Flowers made her happy amidst the confusion around her.
A conversation about volunteering started amongst the group of 9 people and Tia became interested in the idea of volunteering. She had a few hours to spare in the week and decided to make some enquiries.
Tia is currently working for a charity shop in Hackney and recently bought a watercolour painting kit. She is looking forward to attending more art sessions to advance her skills.