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Creative Wellbeing Supporting Mental Health through Creativity

@creative.wellbeing_

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Helping families and children use creativity to regulate emotions, boost dopamine, and reconnect with wellbeing.

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As an artist and someone who loves creating, it’s so easy to get caught up in the obsession with the end result and trying to perfect it. You forget that the magic happens inbetween- when you’re actually in that creative flow.
I wanted to keep painting and perfecting, but my oldest son grabbed the painting and said, yep it’s finished- and that was that. It’s perfect the way it is, I just needed another perspective.

Watch this space, next will be the big grand family portrait 🥲 lol

#art #motherhood #boymum #portrait by @creative.wellbeing_

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5 months ago

Give yourself the grace to allow yourself to be free and create wildly from your heart ❤️ the outcome is not the artwork, it’s how the creativity elevates your energy. by @creative.wellbeing_

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9 months ago

Focus – Drawing strengthens attention span and trains the brain to stay with one task, supporting executive function and school readiness.

Emotion – Art gives children a safe, non-verbal way to process big feelings, helping regulate the nervous system and build emotional literacy.

Imagination – Painting activates the default mode network, supporting creativity, problem-solving, and flexible thinking.

Confidence – Creating something from nothing builds self-trust, resilience, and a sense of “I can,” especially when there’s no right or wrong outcome.

Connection – Shared art experiences strengthen attachment, social bonding, and communication between children and caregivers or peers. by @creative.wellbeing_

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9 months ago

Screens flood the brain with fast dopamine — then leave kids crashing.
Nature and art release dopamine slowly, alongside calm chemicals that regulate the nervous system.
One overstimulates.
The other integrates.
#creativity #creativewellbeing #mentalhealth taken in Gold Coast, Queensland by @creative.wellbeing_

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9 months ago

When children are given space to create without correction, comparison, or outcome pressure,
their nervous system learns something powerful:
I am safe to try.
Through free, open-ended creativity, children practice:
• adapting when things change
• staying with discomfort instead of avoiding it
• problem-solving in the moment
• trusting their own decisions

This is why creative spaces matter.
Not to produce perfect artwork —
but to raise children who feel capable, resilient, and confident in who they are.
Sometimes the strongest lessons
aren’t explained.
They’re experienced. 🎨🌿 by @creative.wellbeing_

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9 months ago

I didn’t realise how often my need to tidy was interrupting my children’s moments of flow.
I wasn’t trying to control them —
I was trying to manage my own discomfort with mess.
What I’ve learned is this:
when children are deeply engaged, creating, exploring, releasing…
constant correction pulls them out of their bodies and back into ours.
Messy play isn’t careless.
It’s regulation.
It’s integration.
It’s joy in the present moment.
Letting go of control was something I had to practice too.
And when I did, I watched my kids settle, focus, and enjoy themselves more fully — without interruption.
Sometimes the most supportive thing we can do
is step back
and let the moment unfold.
🤍

#mumlife #art #kidsart #creativewellbeing by @creative.wellbeing_

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9 months ago

Did you know children who create freely often develop stronger emotional resilience over time?
When children are given space to create without correction, comparison, or outcome-pressure, something important happens.
They learn to experiment.
They learn to adapt.
They learn that mistakes are part of the process — not something to fear.
Free creation supports:
• problem-solving
• emotional flexibility
• confidence in decision-making
• persistence when things don’t go to plan
Each time a child chooses a colour, changes direction, or starts again, their brain is practising resilience in real time.
This is why creative spaces matter — not to produce perfect artwork, but to build children who feel capable, adaptable, and safe to try.
Sometimes the strongest lessons
aren’t taught —
they’re created and experienced 🎨🌿 by @creative.wellbeing_

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9 months ago

Did you know art gives children a way to process emotions before they have words for them?
Young children experience emotions first in the body, not in language.
The parts of the brain responsible for words and logic develop much later than the parts that sense, feel, and react.
Art meets children exactly where they are.
When a child draws, paints, builds, or creates:
The sensory systems are activated (touch, movement, sight)
The brain shifts out of survival mode and into a regulated, learning-ready state
Repetitive movements (drawing lines, brushing paint, moulding clay) send calming signals to the nervous system
The body releases tension safely, without needing explanation
This is why children often calm down while creating — not after being told to calm down.
Art also gives emotions a container.
Big feelings can be placed onto paper, into colour, into shape — which reduces overwhelm and helps the brain organise the experience.
Before children can say “I feel frustrated” or “I’m overwhelmed,”
they can show it through colour, pressure, movement, and choice.
And once the body feels safe,
words and understanding naturally follow.
Sometimes the earliest form of emotional literacy
is a crayon, a paintbrush, or a handful of clay 🎨🌿 by @creative.wellbeing_

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9 months ago

Did you know creating art releases dopamine —
the same “feel good” chemical linked to motivation, focus, and reward 🧠✨
This is why children light up when they create.

Dopamine supports:
• motivation
• learning
• confidence
• emotional regulation

When we make art, the brain doesn’t ask “Is this good enough?”
It simply responds with “This feels safe. This feels rewarding.”

Sometimes the most powerful learning
looks like play 🎨🌿 by @creative.wellbeing_

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9 months ago

🌲🩷✨✨✨ This week we had the pleasure of hosting our beautiful village of mummas and bubbas from the mums cub! We had a creative Christmas play date filled with fun, arts and crafts, and time outside in nature.

In this day and age, being part of an active and social community truly feels like the best thing for mental health.

I just love setting up the play areas with my boy for when our guests arrive. For me, getting lost in the process of hosting a creative event means enjoying the planning and doing just as much as the end result.
My oldest was my little helper, arranging the sensory boards and setting up all the chairs. 🥹 (so proud)

Our little ones had the funnest time catching up and getting lost in creative play—and it’s just as important for us mums to connect, laugh, and refill our cups too. You can really feel the buzz after a day like that. ❤️🌲✨

#motherhood #parenting #creativeplay #christmasfun #christmaskids #consciousparenting #intentionalmotherhood #mumlifeaustralia #playbasedlearning #sensoryplayideas #homebusiness #familybusiness #mentalhealthmatters #communityconnection #mumsandbubs #festiveseason #goldcoastmums #creativewellbeing #playdatefun #creativewellbeing by @creative.wellbeing_

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a year ago

When we create art with nature — using leaves, stones, flowers and sticks ect — something powerful happens in the brain. The gentle textures and presence calm our emotional system and activate the parts of the brain linked to empathy, connection, and peace.
Every flower placed or rock arranged becomes a little moment of presence — a reminder that creativity and wellbeing are deeply intertwined with the natural world.
Easy Peasy activities to do with your little ones: 🌿 Create a mandala from leaves or flowers 🌿 Make a piece of “land art” on a sensory board or tub  🌿 Sketch leaves and make nature stamps

#creativewellbeing #arttherapy #natureart #mindfulart #neuroscienceofart #mentalhealthawareness #artforhealing #creativityandcalm #mindfulmoments #healingthroughart #creativewellness #holisticmentalhealth #emotionalwellbeing #naturetherapy #creativeliving #artasmedicine by @creative.wellbeing_

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a year ago

If I ever feel stuck in a rut, repeating negative thought cycles or feel my energy burning out I usually take a step back to analyse my emotions and overall behaviour and focus on creating the mental shift within me, and that’s usually ends up in channeling my creative side.
Now being full time mum of two young boys, creativity looks different to when I had time to paint and create on a canvas.
Now creativity looks like random ADHD bursts- things that I do for myself that I know will raise my vibrations up.
1. Dance it out. Putting music on in the home and letting your walls down and pumping out a dance when no one is looking isn’t stupid- it’s you expressing yourself creatively through movement and fun. That’s what human is being about. FEEL the difference before and after you have a dance for your soul.
2. Get stuck into cooking or baking something that you and your loved ones will enjoy. Getting lost in the process of cooking and really enjoying the process will literally make the food taste better. One of my friends always says that their secret ingredient is love. Doing things with love like cooking is also channeling your creative side.
3. Get lost in a creative project. This one is so broad but it’s amazing the mental shift that can happen when you allow yourself the ability to channel your energy into something creative. This could be as simple as taking photos, writing journals/mantras and affirmations, painting and drawing, making a manifestation/ mood board, making graphic designs on canva… the list could go on and on.
When I catch myself in a mental low, recognise it, and then take the focus to shift my attention onto something that will bring my energy up- that’s true power.

#creativity #mentalhealth #creativewellbeing #wellbeing #creative #arttherapy #art #selfcare #selflove #honest #reflection #realtalk by @creative.wellbeing_

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a year ago