Art Therapy at Cancer Council

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Today was our first volunteer Art Therapy class for Cancer Council Queensland, at their lodges where people travel from interstate for treatment. I have a story to tell you though about the morning that I found really inspiring and drove home what we always talk about, about why it's important to just have a go, even if something looks hard.


When we started, no one had ever coloured before, and of course they felt a little nervous to have a go. I sat with one lady who was very unsure about the process. She was a bit nervous to start, and frequently mentioned through the first hour that she couldn't do it, she didn't think she was capable, and it was very very hard. We worked together and slowly on the very basics, holding it up frequently at a distance to see how the whole piece was coming together. Talking through every aspect. And slowly, she started to get it. She didn't give up even though she said she was going to (alot hehe). And at the end, you should have seen her smile. She could not believe what she had achieved, she had made an art piece and she was so proud of the finished result. Yes, it was still a beginners piece, and we acknowledged that it was her first practice. I said to her, think how proud you are now, and this is "technically" going to be your worst colouring as it's your first! From here, you will only improve and grow, but you've created art to be proud of.



I wanted to tell you this story because I  want you all to know this little lesson when things are hard :) I know colouring is harder than we think it will be we are learning new things, even if we have already been colouring for awhile. It's natural to want to give up, to feel frustrated when we aren't getting the results we expect, and to want to be perfect straight away. But it's important to just try anyway, keep trying and do not give up. Give yourself permission to be a beginner. Give yourself acceptance that no, your colouring will probably not look like mine or other people's that you see. That's not why we are in a class though. We are here to learn, to be that tiny bit better than we were yesterday. And to have that piece at the end that you can be proud of; that you can say, "I made this". 

Don't let anyone, especially yourself, stand in your way of achieving that. Be brave (yep I'm talking to you Clowdies who have been nervous to start your classes) , support yourself with kindness, and let's do this together :) Please remember, just like today with the residents at the lodge, I'm here to take you through step by step until you feel confident. Email or message me anytime - please I would love to help and am here for you.

Thank you to all of you for making this possible. Even though you might not realise it, every one of you in our classes has actually made this possible. Your belief and love of our classes has enabled me to be able to do this. Thank you so much x




*By the way - how cool are these Panorama shots? I'm not sure if I did it right but had fun hahaa!
**If you are located in Brisbane and would like more details of the classes at the lodges, please contact me any time :) 

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1 comments

  1. Hi Alyce thank you for sharing. Coloring and stamping helped me when I was going through Ovarian Cancer. Because of the chemo I had a hard time but I found coloring relaxing. Hopefully others feel the same too!

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