Art Together
Sharing sketchbook pages with friends or strangers becomes a social way to keep the play alive, where the best ideas tend to surface, especially on a journey that can feel solitary or forced at times.
Letting the mind move freely without pressure or expectation, with nature and music, creates a flow state that brings unexpected joy, connection, and mindfulness. This is my favourite thing, and something I'd love to share more of here.
During the school holidays me and my pal hosted an art group for kids and enjoyed by parents too. The idea was to capture things they had seen while on holiday in the Lake District and turn them into a collaborative piece they could all feel proud of, alongside nature themed crafts to take home like 'tent pets' and decorated crowns. To the sound of house jazz and in the fresh air, the atmosphere was calmly buzzing with excitement as they were engrossed in their masterpieces.
Here are some moments of collaborative creation from my latest trip to Vietnam. I took some small sketchbooks and a pack of oil pastels, and we tried to capture the incredible scenery in front of us, becoming a group activity with new friends as we stopped off on our motorbike tour through the mountains.
I spent an unforgettable evening introducing a fantastic group of little girls to oil pastels. We drew together on the floor until dark, visually overcoming the language barrier, SO fun and wholesome.
A day in the woods spent with music, chats, and twinkly views of Ullswater Lake was the perfect setting for a long table pastel party. A group of strangers connected over smudges and swirls as we drew trees and explored drawing and blending techniques together. It was lovely to watch people’s approach shift from hesitant to engrossed in their creations, a mindfulness activity I hope everyone enjoyed.
I love the magic that happens when people’s creative brains meet and communicate on the canvas.
This is my best mate and my favourite thing to do after a walk and whenever people come to visit, we give them a collaborative painting experience and have even managed to lock in and finish some paintings of our own.
