Did you know that butterflies drink crocodiles' tears? 🐊

I'll admit I've been slightly obsessed by this marvel of Nature, aka "Lachryphagy" since I heard about it a year ago.

It's a form of symbiotic relationship between two pairs of species, including turtles and other insects too!

I couldn't help but overlay the human experience onto this phenomenon and use it as a proxy for supportive relationships.

It seemed fitting to paint a tiger version of it this week, with Mental Health Awareness Week around the corner on 13th May - a subject that is close to my heart.

Indeed, one of the catalysts of me creating Art After Dark, was my own struggle with burnout during the pandemic.

Most of us are aware that it's better to proactively manage our mental health, but knowing it and putting it into practice are two different things.

One of my favourite sayings is, "Knowing the problem isn't enough to solve it."

Building my art practice, sharing and talking about my art with others helped me find my way through the darkness and into the light... Art After Dark.💫

So this week, I'm going to share how talking coupled with engaging with the arts works so effectively in supporting our wellbeing.

Benefits of Creating & Talking;

I think of the arts as my co-pilot in our Art After Dark sessions because they help in the following ways;

- People feel more comfortable - Hearing music, seeing colourful art materials and an expanse of crisp, fresh paper upon which to create is an incredibly heady and inviting mix! Even the most resistant of folks can't help but get ease themselves into a more relaxed and open state of mind.

- Communication of subjects that are hard to talk about - We can waste so much time avoiding talking about tricky subjects and painful feelings or thoughts. Art-making helps us to, sometimes literally, draw out what's on our mind.

- Look at a problem or situation in a new way - Seeing something come to life on the page can stop the swirling in our heads, allow us to take a step back and observe the problem from a different angle and discuss it with others. This can lead to a deeper and shared understanding.

Once you've upgraded to having richer conversations involving even the most basic forms of doodling and drawing, there's no going back!

Ideas for Action 👉

So how might you incorporate art-making in the workplace?

- Team Playlist - This was one of the most effective things that I used to do with my team. Each week, someone picked a track to kick-off our team meeting to express how they felt things were going that week. I remember once, someone chose "Livin' on a Prayer" by Jon Bon Jovi which made us all laugh (a good stress-reliever in itself)! We then played the song to get our spirits up before setting about discussing how true this sentiment was for the team and then tackled what we needed to do to get back on track.

- Host an Mini Exhibition - Why not pick a date each year where you encourage your team to bring in their paintings, sketches or mini sculptures and hold a mini exhibition in your office. This will help people get to know their colleagues in new and different ways and if you could even choose some of them to display more permanently which people find highly inclusive and motivating.

- Creative Lunch Hours - Run simple sessions where people can get creative in pairs and experience the positive benefits of making something with their hands. This will help people to de-stress, get out of their heads and help them open up to each other when they share their artwork.

And remember, we run a variety of Wellbeing Programmes and events to support employee health and wellbeing. 🎨

This Week's Painting🖼️

This week I painted "Tiger Tears" to express how even the most powerful beast can be supported and calmed by interacting with the gentlest creatures.