Art has been a form of meditation throughout my life. I can lose myself for hours at a time in a world of colour and patterns. The calmness I find through this gentle creative expression is something I love to share and teach people to find for themselves.

At school we are unfortunately told to paint / draw the same as everyone else. There have been restriction of self-expression put into our curriculum, so many of us are left feeling we are no good at art and never pick up a pencil again. I love to inspire people to find the freedom in Art, to play with colours and not fear the blank canvas!!

I have been working with Children and Adult for the past 9 years. I have worked in schools as a Learning Mentor / Art Therapist for children with a variety of Special needs, from challenging behavioural difficulties (EBD) to non-verbal, physically impaired young adults and nursery children (PMLD).

I use Art as a form of Therapy but depending on the child / adult, I would also include Music, Yoga, Sports activities, Roll-play / Acting and Dance. When working with Special Needs, you have to be able to think on your feet, you cant have a set plan as the child / adult may not be comfortable with what you have set as their moods can be so changeable and erratic you have to be able to adapt fast to the changing circumstances.

Art is a way the child / adult can relax and a way you can create a safe environment where you are not posing questions, you are in a setting where you are having a relaxed conversation. It is a good distraction from the topic of conversation. Then the client / child can feel safe and finds it easier to communicate.

I am a visual artist but I like to incorporate all forms of art from environmental sculptures / clay-modelling / paper-mache / mask-making / wood and bush-work / collage / glass-painting / special-effects make-up and digital images. I believe you should use a variety of medium to broaden the minds of children / adult in order for them to discover what it is that they personally enjoy the most. This helps with self-development, self-expression and self-confidence.

View my website http://www.findingyourself.co/