By Sarah Browning
During October I am running an online art exhibition through my Time for Kindness programme. The theme (of course) is kindness.
I’ve partnered with an artists’ support charity called ArtCan and invited their members to submit work that has some connection with kindness. It is exciting and fascinating to see the pieces that are coming in and the different ways they are connected to the theme.
We have a stereotypical image of artists being tortured souls, spending time in isolation in their garret. But while some artists undoubtedly prefer solitude to enable them to focus on their work, there are also lots of examples of connection and kindness.
An amateur artist
The connection between creativity and kindness is something I think about a lot. I myself am an amateur artist and love nothing more than messing about with paints, pens, collage paper and much more.
My art plays a large part in helping me to relax and takes my mind off any worries or stress that I’ve got going on. I can easily find that hours have passed. In this way, it’s an important source of self-kindness and a way to keep my own mental health positive.
Creating art was something I loved as a child, but somewhere along the line I stopped doing it for a long time. It is only in the last 10 years or so that I’ve rediscovered it. During that time:
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My art coach, Jane, encouraged me to just ‘give it a go’ and built my confidence in what I was producing
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My friend, Debs, bought me a set of artists’ pencils as an unexpected gift – I love them and still use them to this day, despite some of the colours being little more than stubs now
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I’ve started giving paintings to friends and family as gifts, usually connected to a theme I know is meaningful to them
Online exhibition
The artists sending in their work for the online exhibition have been asked to write a brief explanation of the connection with kindness. They are highlighting a whole range of reasons, including:
More experienced artists who have taken time to show them new techniques that they have used for the piece they are sending in
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Friends who have supported their work and boosted their confidence as cheerleaders
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Using art as therapy for people who have suffered trauma and helping them to find a way forward in their lives
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Community art projects that bring people together to create something beautiful for their town.
Have a go yourself
We are lucky to have some great art groups and community exhibitions and events locally. If you fancy being creative – and spreading some kindness to yourself and others in the process – I’d urge you to go for it!
It doesn’t matter what your creations look like or whether anyone but you ever sees them. The process of creating is fun and you never know, it might just change your life. I’d love to hear how you get on.
Sarah Browning is a Kindness Cheerleader, Communicator and Strategist. For more inspiring stories of kindness, visit: www.timeforkindness.co.uk
