By Theresa Hopwood
I am always keen to discover constructive ways to use the crafting techniques I have learnt over the years, so was really pleased to be invited along to a Creative Journaling Workshop. The workshop is one of many courses held at Elements of Avebury, a beautiful shop located right in the centre of the village set amongst ancient stones. The shop sells beautiful locally sourced gifts, and interesting products from further afield such as exquisite dresses made from recycled saris, and bags made in Africa from recycled water bottles.
In line with the ethos of the shop and Donna and Rae who run it, the workshops embrace the spirit of Avebury with its air of mysticism, history and self discovery.
Creative Journaling, I soon discovered, was as much about self discovery as it was about crafting. Bea Menier, who runs the course, has extensive experience, including as an artist and a life coach, and uses this experience to make the workshops full of practical and theoretical exercises to help the participants discover what they want out of journaling and how best to achieve it. We learnt about the colour spectrum and how colours can affect mood, decision making and even health. There were plenty of materials at hand for us to experiment with colour, words, and calligraphy to help us express our thoughts and experiences in a way that could be used in a daily journal. In addition to recording the events, feelings and emotions of daily life, Bea explained how journals could help with specific projects, life decisions, such as a new career path, or as a healing device.
Practical exercises, such as creating collaborative art works, soon broke down any barriers between the seven of us on the course, all from very different backgrounds, and lead to a fair amount of laughter and sharing of experiences and emotions.
We were all advised to take a packed lunch and when we had a break for lunch I took the opportunity to go and sit in the middle of the Avebury stone circle and have a picnic, enjoying the incomparable scenery on a beautiful summer day. Having been told about it by fellow course member, I also discovered the Wishing Trees, something I had not seen before. These are three trees with a spectacular above ground root system where people share their wishes and dreams. It seemed very appropriate in light of the course, and ensured I returned to our beautiful studio above the shop in the right frame of mind to absorb more of Bea’s wisdom!
By the end of the day I felt relaxed and energised, and looking forward to starting my own journal. It was a rare opportunity for me to spend time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Avebury, and the beautiful environment of Elements, certainly evokes a feeling of calmness and peace, a welcome break for a busy brain!
Other courses run at Elements of Avebury include jewellery making, art on slate, and children’s workshops, I would certainly like to go back and do another workshop in this beautiful setting.
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