Researchers at the Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK have found that taking part in a community arts program can help people with mental health and anxiety issues feel better and more confident. This is something that local artist and art teacher Natalie Lynch, already knew.
Last year Natalie, after a near thirty year career as a visual arts schoolteacher, set up Studio Yellow to bring the benefits of art therapy to locals in Wynnum. As much as anything, spending time on a creative pursuit like drawing or painting allows you to take a break from the three modern obsessions – email, mobile phones and social media – and the research shows that art therapy works!
Natalie has a very personal connection with the impact of working too hard and not taking time out to involve yourself in creative activities. In 2009 she lost her husband of almost 23 years – he had always loved art but never got around to creating any art himself, and missed out on the relaxation and the joy that it brings.
She runs two programs – ‘Art Mentoring’ for adults and ‘Pineapple Pops’ for children, both designed to help people of all abilities.
“Complete beginners and those with more experience are learning new ways to use a wide variety of art materials, as well as ways to live a more fulfilling and creative life.” says Natalie. “Using art as therapy is a relative new concept in Australia, but Studio Yellow aims to make it more mainstream, so that if you have a problem to solve or some thoughts that need expressing, you’ll have the confidence to grab your art gear and let it all out in a creative way.”
Studio Yellow also offers how to draw classes and Saturday art workshops for budding artists who want to learn more about one specific art media.
If you’d like to enrol (yourself or someone else!) in Natalie’s term three courses or workshops, call her on 0404 390443 or email Studio Yellow on hello@studioyellow.com.au. Or check the website studioyellow.com.au.
Studio Yellow was part of the Wynnum Business Startup Program
