2019-09-01 In The Moment

creativity

58 CalmMoment.com

From the explosion of adult colouring books to the

proliferation of mindful art courses in recent years,

many of us have discovered how tapping into our

creative side can help improve our mental health.

With James’ art, the process is intrinsically meditative,

and comes with the added benefit of taking place in a

naturally soothing environment. “Whether I’m

listening to the waves as I stack stones on the beach

or spotting wildlife just behind my shoulder as I work

in the woods, my head fills with a sense of calm,” he

explains. “Because there’s a repetitiveness to what I’m

doing as I place the leaves on the ground, I lose myself

in the process. It’s pure immersion and I can empty my

head of the daily thoughts that crowd it.”

Making art in the outdoors is something we can all

enjoy. “Working in nature takes us back to the basics

of art-making in a way we were confident with when

we were children,” explains Ian Siddons Heginworth,

an art therapist and author of Environmental Arts

Therapy and the Tree of Life. “It’s not about results

or artistic ability; it’s purely about expression. It’s

a sensual and evocative experience.”

Long before mindful art became popular, humans

have always used natural materials in a way that is at

once creative and therapeutic. For centuries Buddhist

monks have made mandalas, painstakingly laying out

coloured sand and stones in intricate motifs as a form

of quiet meditation. From Native Americans to

indigenous Australians, many cultures have traditions

of shamans creating elaborate symmetrical sand

paintings as part of spiritual ceremonies. In fact, so

widespread are these practices that Carl Jung, one

of the founding fathers of modern psychology, thought

that these geometric images must be hardwired into

the human brain. “Today, particularly here in the

West, we are very up in our heads, in our intellectual

selves. Nature takes us back into the essential

experience of being,” says Ian. “People can release

themselves from cycles of thinking they would

otherwise get stuck in.”

The creators of natural art aren’t the only ones

who can benefit from it. Many of us find images of

mandalas to be useful aids for focusing attention

and for meditation. Likewise, by sharing images of his

natural designs online, James hopes to help others

“It’s pure immersion

and I can empty

my head of the daily

thoughts that crowd it”

Pho

tog

rap

hy^ J

am

es^ B

run
t
Working from the centre
outwards, James lets
patterns form organically
without too much planning.