Kit and Clowder Online Colouring Classes: August 2017

Art Therapy at Cancer Council

art therapy 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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Overcoming Fear of Getting Started

adult coloring Monday, August 21, 2017

Do you feel nervous about starting a new project?

Do you feel worried about making a mistake, nervous to take on a challenge, or that so many people are already so far ahead of you so the journey seems overwhelming or too time consuming? I want you to know that you are not alone. This is totally normal and can be very real and crippling to making a start on your colouring journey.

It's time to take back that control just for you, to give yourself permission to learn, to make mistakes, and to just make a start on your colouring journey. One of the most liberating feelings is just to tell yourself "who cares" if you make a mistake.

Colour not to compete with others, not to be better than anyone else, not to be perfect, but to have fun and learn more on this journey just for you.

I do a lot of posts in our Facebook Group about having confidence, not being afraid of making mistakes, not comparing with others.. but today I wanted to address a very real problem that so many people have which is "fear of getting started" - you are not alone and yes, you can get past this.

If you have purchased colouring supplies, one of our online colouring classes, or even joined one of our free classes, and not yet made a start, today I want you to take a few minutes and really think about why this may be. This is such a good exercise to do for so many areas of life that we often put off because we are afraid of the answer. Things like being afraid to make a mistake, or thinking that others are way ahead of you and you will never get there, are very common and crippling thoughts to actually getting started yourself, even when we realise that everyone had to start somewhere.

Here are some real tips to help with making a start:

- Don't over research it

If you spend hours and hours looking at videos on youtube, ideas on Pinterest, watching your classes first before trying.. chances are you most likely feel overwhelmed by how much you might be "expected" to know and how far along others are. The truth is, you don't have to know anything to get started. Where you are right now is absolutely more than ok. It is no rush to learn and you will get there in your own time.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, try pinpointing a certain small task that you will start with instead of looking at the whole picture or watching a whole video - maybe it's just the skin on an image - and tell yourself this is the first step you will make. Having small, achievable goals (and maybe a little reward after each goal!) can help us to feel motivated to take on new tasks that seem daunting.

- Give yourself permission to make a big mess and plenty of mistakes
We rarely envision what it is like to actually be a beginner. The reality is, it often isn't pretty and we actually do ALL start in this same place... 50 heads of skin practice... flicks all over a page (or several dozen pages). We've all been there and it's a huge part of getting to where all of us are today.

You might be terrible in the beginning - nothing like what you see in your classes or what others are creating. But it is this journey that we remember most, that teaches us the most, and that helps us to grow into better colourists.

If you’re totally new to something, like running, chances are you’ll struggle at first. Sore knees and gasping for air within minutes. It’s okay, you don’t have to be good. You just have to be at whatever point you are. Because when you allow yourself to be at this level for awhile and you keep going, and you keep showing up, you will continue to grow. You don’t have to be great right now, you just have to show up and allow yourself to get better every single day.

- Be honest with yourself
Realise that if you are getting frustrated or feel fear creeping in, make sure you have a real conversation with yourself about why that is instead of just putting your colouring aside. It's very common for us to mask our fear by saying we don't have time, or it is too hard, when really it is our fear of making a start and trying challenges holding us back.

- Focus

If you are one that says that you are always too busy then it’s no wonder that you can’t get started.. If you have a great idea and you want to make it happen but can’t find the time to get it done, then you need to focus. There are a fixed amount of hours in a day, but you are the one that has control of what you can and cannot do with those hours. Think about where you are spending them - do you spend more than 15 minutes a week on Facebook/instagram/pinterest? This could be your learning time!

Try a schedule and put an alarm on your phone - this helps to make us accountable for our time instead of making excuses. It doesn't have to be for long either... 15 minutes in a week or fortnight to get started is not a lot of time, and even the most time poor people have 15 minutes if this is something you really want to learn. If you feel yourself putting up the excuse, go back to the previous step, be honest with yourself, and make a plan :)

Remember, our fears are our greatest indicators of what we need to do most. Fear is just a signal suggesting what to do next. You can never truly make fear go away. It’s always lurking. But you can embrace fear, and continue on regardless. Please remember that help is *always* available if you are nervous to get started - please reach out any time via private message or email alyce@kitandclowder.com and we can make a plan together :) Let's get you started and feeling proud of your own colouring journey.

On a parting note... I was cleaning out my computer and found this gem that I saved back in 2014 (author now unknown), when I was starting on my colouring journey and needed a bit of reassurance aswell. I hope you find it helpful enough to save like I did. *A little tip - print this out and pop it in a place where you experience feelings of not being good enough. It can help to be a reminder that you are.

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Tips for Dealing with Feeling Overwhelmed

Monday, August 07, 2017

I get messages a lot about people wanting to learn colouring, or who join a free class or a paid class, but then get too nervous and overwhelmed to start. I know most of you do jump in and I'm seeing some stunning work from those of you that do, but I wanted to do a little post today for those of you who might be feeling a bit out of your comfort zone, maybe even collecting classes, or too nervous to sign up in the first place <3

Did you know it is possible to think so much about a problem or task that you can lose the ability to act? It's important to be aware of when we should stop collecting information and start doing. If you recognise that this has held you back, here are some strategies to help you overcome feeling overwhelmed, and to start overcoming them to explore your creative side and to start learning.

1 - Break down tasks

This isn't just for colouring and can be applied to everything. When you are wanting to do a class, or do a colouring piece, or even clean the house, try not to look at it as one big task. Instead, break everything down into easy to manage segments. On an image or class, you might break it down into the sections of the image you are colouring and tackle each one only at a time. Eg. the skin, or the hair.

2 - Notice when you might be procrastinating

It is so easy to get all ready and think we are good to go, and then we'll just check facebook or pinterest or our emails.. and then it's 2 hours later and we've done nothing productive. We've all been there :) Use a timer and set aside just 15 minutes for your task, and then give yourself a 15 minute break, and repeat. Your break might be a treat of a cuppa and a browse online. This is a great way to get things done while still allowing some free time so you can both rest *and* be productive during your time off.

3 - Change how you speak to yourself

If you are telling yourself it is going to be hard or you "should" or "have to" do your class or make a card, then you are already setting yourself up to feel overwhelmed before you have begun. If you keep telling yourself "I should practice" or "I should try harder" then it can make you feel like you've failed before you've started. Try telling yourself that you "get to" or "Want to" do some colouring or learn something new today.

4 - Give up perfection

One of the strongest links to procrastination is perfection. Most people stall when they are worried they won't do a good job, or they have had a go once, found they didn't do a great job, and then they have stopped trying since. This is truly the only way you will ever fail at learning something new, and I know you don't want to be a failure so don't give yourself permission to quit if it's not perfect <3 Mistakes are one of the best ways to learn and figure out what we need to tweak to keep growing, so try not to ever be afraid of making these. The more chances you take (and mistakes you make), the more you will succeed.Step back, take the emotion out of how you speak to yourself, and instead of saying "there are a lot of mistakes" or "I did a bad job of the hair" or "I need to practice hair more", appreciate both the good things and think about what you might do differently next time to achieve a different result.

5 - Stop comparing with others

We all have different amounts of practice, different lives, different backgrounds, and different responsibilities. It's important to make sure you don't compare with what someone else is achieving when you don't know their background - they may have had 3 years more practice than you even though you are both in the same class now. Or maybe it feels overwhelming to know they have put in 3 years practice to get to where they are. Remember that it is never a race to learn anything new... and that we need to remember that we are doing this for ourselves and first and foremost for fun - the journey, not the destination, is the best part.

6 - Reward Yourself

When you have completed your 15 minutes of colouring, or you have finished a class, give yourself a little reward to use as a motivator to keep going. It might be something as simple as a cuppa or some browsing time, but the pat on the back to acknowledge your hard work will help you to feel that sense of accomplishment that you deserve.
________

You have to fall in love with the practice not the outcome. With the present not the future. Remember that at the end of the day, a class is designed to teach you new skills. It takes time, practice, and dedication to learn, with or without a class, and you most probably won't be perfect right away, but no matter how long you have been colouring you can do this and you are never alone. Jump in, make those mistakes, and start your learning journey. If you ever want to chat about feeling overwhelmed or nervous, even if you haven't joined one of our classes before, I am always available to help before, during, and even after <3 You can contact me here.

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