Mindful Art – Wonderful Walks
Are you looking for ways to feel calmer, happier? Why not try out some mindful art techniques at home?
For many of us, daily walks have been essential in trying to maintain positive mental wellbeing during this weird and anxious time. Luckily Glasgow is filled with beautiful green spaces, such as Kelvingrove and the Botanics, where your mind can simply wander off in a way that makes you feel a wee bit calmer. Take inspiration from your walks and create an artwork at home. At GoMA, we have many artists in our collection who focus their practice around nature, including Andy Goldsworthy, Aaron Angell and Ilana Halperin.
For this activity, we are going to create a drawing or painting (depending on what materials you have) that recreates a scene from your walk. If you wish to do a painting, watercolour paints produce lovely effects to depict nature, however acrylics will be just fine as well. You can use any photos you have taken for guidance.
We suggest to begin with a short meditation, followed by the activity itself. Find a tranquil spot in your home or garden and get your materials ready.
There are several free short meditations online, but we suggest this guided meditation that is accompanied by nature sounds:
There are also some useful tips on the Glasgow Club website: http://myglasgow.club/customer/index.php/mind
Once you’ve finished your meditation exercise and you feel ready, begin your artwork.
We recommend listening to this playlist during the activity: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX4PP3DA4J0N8?si=cwbs5uP5TSqOG2Bh7kBATA
You can add as much detail as you like; you can do just a simple sketch, add colour with colouring pencils, or an intricate painting if you so wish. You can even add natural materials that you found on your walk, such as leaves, flowers, twigs. Just lose yourself in how you feel in this moment as you recreate that calming sense of being out in the fresh air on a walk.
Remember, this is about enjoying the process, try not to judge the result.
You can finish off your session with another short meditation. Hopefully, this Mindful Art session has encouraged you to just take things slow and feel more positive.
Share your creations with us on social media @glasgowGoMA #MindfulArt