Unexpected Connections

art + mental health

Let’s talk about the importance of art and nature for mental health. I've got three wildly different projects to share with you about my own experiences mixing a mindful approach to creativity, and how it can work across lots of different kinds of art.

PS: this is my 100th post!

Project #1: Blackout Poetry Swap

So, here's something cool I got involved with recently – a blackout poetry swap organized by Monique Mulligan and Kathryn Vercillo on Substack.

If you're not familiar with Kathryn Vercillo, she's a fantastic writer who digs deep into how art and mental health connect.

She doesn't just look at art as therapy (though that's part of it); she also explores how our mental health affects what we create, how we create it, and even the mediums we choose. Seriously interesting.

When Community Comes Together Creatively: Substack Global Blackout Poetry Exchange Collection

"What in the name of the holy child of Prague is blackout poetry?" Let me break it down for you:

• You rip out a page from a book or magazine (gasp!) because you're on a treasure hunt for hidden poems.

• You scan the page for words that speak to you, then use a marker to black out everything else. What's left is your poem, emerging from the darkness like a secret message from Persephone in the underworld but like, in a good way. Cool, right?

• It's a meditative practice, scanning the page looking for other messages it might hold. It definitely slows you down.

Participating in this swap reminded me how powerful it can be to approach art not as a product, but as a process – a way to engage with our thoughts and emotions in a tangible, visual way.

Blackout poetry from my swap partners, @hiragi and @createmefree

Project #2: Dos-à-Dos Art Journal in Hand-Dyed, Slow-Stitched Fabric

Dos-à-Dos binding results in two books that share a back cover, so you can flip it over and have a whole new book in your hands. I love this binding method. What makes this art journal extra special for me is its "clothing" – a lovingly hand-dyed, slow-stitched fabric cover.

I made this book specifically for a class called Imagined Landscapes, taught by the mixed media artist Alyssa Griese. Honestly, she’s kind of an idol to me.

I used natural dyes, which meant spending time foraging and experimenting – a great excuse to connect with nature. I also meandered around with stitch work, taking my sweet time while my mind unspooled.

The slow, intentional process of dyeing and stitching gave me plenty of time to reflect and decompress. The tactile experience of working with fabric and paper, the focus required for the binding process, and the anticipation of filling its pages – it all adds up to a potent form of art therapy.

Project #3: Macro Photography ‘Snorkeling’ with a Smartphone

For my third project, I've been dipping my toes into the world of macro photography. I started with flowers because, well, they tend to stay put. Honestly I could spend my whole life taking photographs of flowers, macro or not. There's something magical about zooming in on a petal and snorkeling over a landscape of textures and colors you never imagined were there.

So now I've upped the ante and set my sights on a more challenging subject: bees.

Now, I want to add that I’m doing this solely with my phone, and don’t have any special macro lenses (yet. not sure if I even need them?).

look at the bee’s little feet!

Photographing bees at all is hard. Photographing them in super closeup is harder! They just don’t stop moving around. At least flowers don’t move around. So most of my photos aren’t the quality I want but you get the picture (haha see what I did there).

Macro photography really forces me to pause and really observe. I start noticing details I've walked past a thousand times before. It shifts your focus (literally) from your problems to the beauty that exists on a tiny scale all around us.

Thanks for being here

See you next week! I always love to hear from you in a comment, with a ❤️, or even a restack to Substack Notes. 🐝