hn research: create space

A Series of

Activities

a Sta

rt in M

anchester / University of Salford Partnership

CREATE SPACE FOR YOUR CREATIVE SPACE MAKE YOUR SELF SPACE CREATE YOUR OWN SPACE

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A Series of

Activities

IndexAcknowledgements

Introduction Why have we created this booklet?

Activities

SoundMap Notice new aspects of your surroundings! A listening activity that gets you in touch with the world around you in a different way.

Creative recycling My life in a day: creative ways to explore what to do with all that rubbish we accumulate and dispose of in an average day. Also, explore the links to see other ideas for recycling.

Costume drama Do you have a ‘wild side’? A fun activity to try with other people, which allows you to explore the hidden you.

Doodling exercise Relax into this simple doodling activity that leads to a finished picture.

10 minute walk Get out and about and see your environment in a new way - involves simple photography using mobile phone, or any camera.

Can you bottle happiness? Scientific studies show that positive thinking really does make a difference - test the theory by trying this simple activities.

Food for thought An activity about food, health and your life - involves simple photography using mobile phone, or any camera. Also, explore the links to find out more about food, mood and well-being.

Back to nature Environmental art: spend time out of doors in natural surroundings, and make a simple artwork - no drawing required. Also, explore the links to view work by artists who use natural materials in their work.

Complete the drawing Intriguing activity to get your imagination going - complete these drawings in any way you want!

Creative writing Connect with your powers of observation - use words to explore the small moments in life.

Supa-stimulating brain games Light physical exercises that also challenge the mind - can you master the sequences of movement? Even more fun with other people and set to music. Also, explore the links to find out more about how exercise can boost our mental health and thinking skills.

The Origami Oracle This playful exercise gives you the perfect excuse to get in touch with family and friends to enjoy a few light-hearted activities.


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Juliette Angus

Duncan Ashcroft

Jude Atkin

Suzanne Batty

Catherine

T. Cole

Rachel Cooke

C.B.

Robin Colville

Pat Culbert

Jill Cunningham

Angela Foley

Tamzin Forster

Cathy Fortune

Irene Clare Garner

Marilyn Hashim

Stephen Holden

Lucilla Jones

A.D. Mottershead

Lawrie Perrins

Benjamin Ramsey

Trevor Ramsey

Paul Rippon

Glyn Thomason

Annie Tortora-Cailey

Trish

Wendy Teall

Steve Waterworth

Hat illustrations by

T. Cole

Thanks also to everyone else who helped produce this booklet.

Acknowledgements

Start Manchester would like to thank the University of Salford for supporting this booklet.

The following people made this booklet possible:


Oprah Winfrey declared, in a recent interview for O Magazine:

“If you want your life to be more rewarding, you have to change the way you think….Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance”, and in fact recent scientific studies indicate that the Queen of the Talk Shows is spot on in her advice. Making the effort to build enriching moments and reflective pauses into a busy life is now recognised to bring major health benefits.

The more we learn about good health, the more we understand that healthcare is about prevention as much as cure. That’s the case as much for our mental wellbeing as for our physical wellbeing, although the two are inextricably entwined.

We are all vulnerable to emotional and mental distress. At least 1 in 4 of us will experience such distress in our lives, and most of us know friends or family members who have gone through a period of mental ill health. That’s why it make sense to do all we can to protect our health.

Prevention has increasingly been the focus of research into mental health. Studies show that a balanced diet, regular exercise, a positive outlook, a supportive friendship circle, and a rewarding outlet for our skills and imagination are vital for our mental wellbeing.

Giving time and attention to our natural creativity and need for self-expression, too, has been a recent research topic. Creative activity relaxes us - studies show that the creative process can slow the heartbeat, and even reduce blood pressure. More than this, creativity challenges us to learn new things, builds our confidence and self-esteem, and provides exercise for the body and the mind.

Create Space - the Healthy Head Kit

a series of mind-boosting creative activities

Why ‘Create Space’?

The title refers to making space in your life for a bit of creative activity, both for your own enjoyment and relaxation, and to give you ‘quality-time’ with others.

Creative activity can be many things: visual arts such as painting or photography, music, dance or creative writing. You might choose cookery, gardening or interior design as outlets for your creativity, or perhaps reading and discussing books is your passion. You can be creative either by being a ‘maker’ or by being part of the ‘audience’, whether you’re an expert or a beginner. You don’t need to have any special skills, just a willingness to have a go!

Who has created this booklet?

Start Manchester, an award-winning centre for art and mental health, has created this book of ideas, all of which have been tried and tested by us. To find out more about Start Manchester’s work go to www.startmc.org.uk.

Start is part of Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, and uses art to help people recover and protect good mental health.


In fact all these preventative approaches have this in common - they work on our physical and mental wellbeing simultaneously: because they bring enjoyment and achievement, refocus our minds, slow our pace, engross us in positive action rather than the everyday worries of life, get us out of doors and connect us with others, they also improve our immune system and make us more resilient to stress and illness.

You’ve probably heard or read about some of these studies. Perhaps you’re interested, but wondered how you might find the time to apply such good advice to your life. Perhaps you aren’t too sure and are still waiting to be convinced.

Either way, this booklet’s for you. It’s a practical guide to fitting a whole range of health-boosting activities into your daily life. As physical and mental health are intricately linked, you’ll find the booklet contains a mixture of creative games, movement, creative art, meditative and positive thinking activities, ideas to help you reconnect with nature, and strategies to give a lift to your social life. Try them alone, with friends or family. They’re bite-sized activities - you don’t need to change your life to do them, but doing them might change your life for you.

Where are the Create Space exercises from?

We have compiled the Create Space book from a range of starting points. Some activities are our own invention, some have been adapted from other sources including nature walk ideas, movement and physical health workshops, Waldorf teaching techniques and arts resources.

Myths about Mental Health

Anyone can become ill, and many of us will, at some time or other. Some illnesses are more serious than others, but in most cases people recover fully. Most of us know these things, so why do we continue to hear myths about mental health ?

MYTH Mental health problems happen to ‘other people’

TRUTH At least one in four of us will experience mental health difficulties at some time in our lives

MYTH You’ll never fully recover from mental illness

TRUTH Most people with mental ill health recover completely, and many never experience a recurrence of their illness

MYTH You’ve either got it or you’ve not – there’s nothing you can do to look after your good mental health

TRUTH Just like your physical health, there’s a lot you can do to make sure you stay well, or speed up your recovery if you do get ill.

This booklet is full of ideas for creative activities that may improve and protect your good mental health.


SoundMapOur daily lives are so full of noise and distraction we can find it hard to concentrate, or to simply enjoy the world around us.

Too often the outside world is drowned out by the chatter inside our heads.

Still your mind and change your focus - this listening exercise asks you to absorb and record the richness & detail of the sounds around you.

By being attentive to one stimulus - your sense of hearing - for at least 5 minutes, you are building your concentration. Added to this, by visualising the sounds as a map, you are making connections between the auditory and visual centres of your brain. This may not only stimulate new ideas and associations for you, but also engages your thoughts fully so that your inner ‘chatter’ is stilled.

The exercise:

You can try the exercise anywhere - outside, on a street, in a park or garden, in your home, at work.

Take a minimum of 5 minutes for this exercise.

Stand and listen to all the sounds around you. Get a sense of where they are in relation to you.

To make your map:

Mark yourself in the centre of the page.

On your paper, plot (draw) the sounds around you by using words, drawings, or symbols to represent what you can hear. Try to place the sounds on your map in relationship to yourself - a sound to your right will be drawn or described to the right of you on the map, and so on.

For ideas, look at the examples.

example 2

example 1

example 3

You will need:

Pencil and paper and a book or sheet of card to lean on.


Creative recycling - my life in a day

The things we use on an ordinary day create a snapshot of who we are.

The things we throw away tell another part of that story.

Make a picture diary of one day by keeping a small section of every piece of rubbish you throw into the bin, or the whole item if you prefer (except food scraps - they don’t keep too well!). Think about receipts, bus tickets, food wrappers, medicine packaging, junk mail, scratch cards, plastic bags, and anything else that figures in your day. Collage the scraps onto a piece of paper or card.

Tips

Glue guns and foam sticky pad fixers are excellent for this exercise, especially if wanting to include 3D items. You can get them in supermarkets and stationers.

What does your collage tell you about your ‘Life in a day’? What do you think about the amount of rubbish we all throw away every day? Do you want to make some changes to your lifestyle? Would you like to recycle some of your rubbish, creatively or otherwise? Look at the links below to find out more...

You will need:

Paper or card as a backing for your collage

Strong glue, sticky foam pads or a glue gun

Creative recycling

www.arthunt.co.uk/creative recycling.htm

www.mookychick.co.uk/diy_ethic/plastic_bag_rug.php

http://familycrafts.about.com/b/a/018288.htm

Other recycling information: www.recycle-more.co.uk/ or call 08450 682 572


Costume drama

Think about interesting ways to compose your pictures in order to help create a dramatic and dynamic shot

Wanna be a Rock Star? - Invent a new persona

for yourself!Give yourself a different name and an alternative

life story!

To create this side-lit effect, place a table lamp on the left-hand

side of your subject

In everyday life we often have to be responsible and serious. Drama and role play games give us a chance to let those other more adventurous sides of ourselves come to the fore. Liberating, exhilarating and comic, this exercise is designed to let you and your friends or family explore your wilder or mysterious sides. All you need are a few props, some household lights, and a bit of imagination.

Equipment Checklist

A group of friends

A camera

Table lamp

Candles

Wine (optional!)

Make Up

Hats

Scarves

Wigs

False Moustaches

Sweets with coloured cellophane wrappers

You can produce a variety of dramatic effects using one table light at different angles. Try placing the light above your subject’s head, angled down; or at 45 degrees; or light from below to give a sinister look. You can create some funky lighting by holding coloured cellophane sweet wrappers over the lens of your camera.


examples

Doodling exercise

Doodling is an outlet for the frustrated artist in all of us. As children we express ourselves through drawing without inhibition, but as adults we develop an ‘inner censor’ that prevents us from simply enjoying mark-making.

But have you noticed how often you catch yourself doodling, when on the phone or in a meeting, and how relaxing it is? When we are mildly absorbed in any moderate thinking activity, and we have a pen in hand, the ‘inner censor’ may be switched off and this allows us to enjoy expressive drawing once more.

Doodling also keeps us productively busy when we are bored, inactive or unoccupied – evolution has hard-wired us to be busy with our hands, so that’s what we do.

Try this structured doodling exercise, and if you enjoy it, you might try finding your own pictures to doodle on.

You will need:

Pen, pencil or biro

Fill in the drawing by choosing patterns and textures from the examples above, or make up your own.


10 minute walk

How often do you pass this spot? Is this a journey you make every day? Do you see anything you’ve never noticed before?

“Anything can be art, anything can be

beautiful”

“This reminds me of childhood - carving names into trees”

“It’s easy to become desensitized and lose the curiousity you had as a child”

“It’s the details of your life that make it what it is”

“Some things stand out more than others as you’re passing by”

“Looking at something from a different angle can alter the meaning of your life”

How often do you walk somewhere, busy thinking, talking or texting and not really noticing your surroundings... This exercise will help you to see your environment in a different way. You’ll need a camera, or a mobile phone that takes photos. Take a ten minute walk, stopping every minute to take a picture of whatever you see when you look around.


Can you bottle happiness ? *

Scientific studies show that happier people are healthier, harder-working, caring, and more successful in their work and social lives. Positive emotions make people think faster and more creatively. But the same studies show that negative thoughts are deeply ingrained in the human psyche, and so we may have to make a conscious effort to change our thought habits for the better.

This exercise retrains us to focus on the positive aspects of our day rather than the negative.

Each day for a month, take a square of paper and write a short message to yourself describing something or someone that lifted your spirits that day. Fold up the message and place in the container. From time to time, if you need to, you can dip into the messages to help you counteract negative moods. At the end of the month read all the messages, looking out for any ‘themes’ running through your ‘happiness triggers’, so you can arrange to have more of those triggers in your life.

Did the exercise help you shift your focus from negative to positive ?

* happiness means different things to different people - it may be something that lifted your sprits, a fleeting moment of joy or contentment, having a laugh with your friends, feeling valued, something that has gone well - in fact anything that works for you.

Tips and ideas

You can have your own private jar or bottle so that you can write down absolutely anything you like. Or if you prefer, you can share the exercise with others you live with, creating a ‘house-happiness-bottle’.

Try having a few pieces of paper with you at all times so you can jot positive thoughts down as they occur to you.

You can also use a notebook to do this exercise - it works just as well.

The Joy Diet: 10 Steps to a Happier Life by Martha Beck

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton

Authentic Happiness by Seligman, M.E.P. - www.authentichappiness.org

Happiness: Lessons from a New Science by Richard Layard

www.coachingtowardhappiness.com

You will need:

A jar, bottle or similar - something you can get your hand in easily.

At least 30 smallish squares of paper to write messages on.


Food for thought

Some useful websites:www.eatwell.gov.uk

www.5aday.nhs.uk

www.mentalhealth.org/feedingminds (click on the Nutrition Table to find out which foods help you manage your mental health)

16th August 2006

07.00 Glass of orange

08.50 Grapes (x3)

09.05 Coffee

10.25 Coffee, and a jam tart

11.37 Banana

11.43 Coffee

12.30 Coffee

12.55 Broccoli & baked beans

13.30 Tea

15.50 Coffee, cookies (x2)

18.30 Pasta, roasted veg and tomato sauce Glass of water Coffee

21.30 Chocolate Bar

EAT 22 - by Ellie HarrisonEllie is a Nottingham-based artist, who recorded everything she ate for one year.See: www.ellieharrison.com/eat22.html

You are what you eat, or so they say... Did you know that a diet lacking in fruits, vegetables and essential (polyunsaturated) fats such as Omega 3 can actually contribute to depression, panic, anxiety and other mental health difficulties? Or that not drinking enough water impairs your concentration? The brain and body needs a whole range of vitamins and nutrients to work well and stay healthy.

Do you get “five a day” ?

Try photographing everything you eat and drink during one day - you may be surprised. Look back at your photographs in a month’s time and see if your diet has changed at all.


Food for thought -2

Is your food body-friendly?

Be honest - what is your diet really like ? Are you eating well, or fueling up on junk food? Use the chart below to record what you eat, and how wholesome you think it is on our ‘body-friendly’ scale.


Back to nature - environmental art

‘Nature heals’ is a well-known phrase, and many of us identify with this sentiment in its widest sense, feeling that we’d like more contact with the natural world. Being outside is healthy for our mind and body. Sunlight improves our mood, and boosts our Vitamin D levels, whilst being surrounded by nature can relax and refocus us in a positive way, helping us get our lives in better perspective.

Yet these days we spend so much time indoors, disconnected from nature, that we can lose touch with all it can offer.

This exercise encourages us to get outdoors, whether into the countryside, a park or garden, and observe the natural world - its seasonal colours, its many textures, shapes and forms. It also shows you how to get creative with natural resources, making impermanent works of environmental art.

Making fleeting, impermanent ‘creations’ can be liberating, as we can’t become too precious over what we make. We enjoy the moment of creating, and then move on!

What to do:

Cut matching windows in your cardboard squares.

Tape together at one side to create a hinge.

Go for a walk, gathering fallen leaves, twigs, petals, grasses etc into your bag (don’t pick flowers etc unless they are yours!).

When you have a good selection, sit down and create a collage:

Lay items in the frame, and when you have a composition you like, close the frame and hold the collage up to admire.

These are impermanent creations, but of course you could snap a photo before dismantling and trying more collages.

You will need:

Two pieces of light card, 10-15 cm square

Scissors, or a craft knife and cutting surface

Sticky tape

A plastic or paper bag

A camera or mobile phone that takes photos (optional)

Environmental art:

Andy Goldsworthy: www.sculpture.org.uk/

John Dahlsen: www.johndahlsen.com/

www.greenmuseum.org/

Parks and gardens to visit:

www.manchester.gov.uk/leisure/parks/

www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/parks/

www.getoutguide.co.uk/outdoors/parks.htm


Complete the drawingExercising your mind is like exercising your body. Drawing exercises visual, spatial, and hand/eye coordination parts of the brain, amongst others. Making links between different parts of your brain also develops neural connections, and this is thought to stimulate creative ideas association and better ability to think around and solve problems.

You will need:

Pen, pencil or biro example

Use your skills of observation and imagination to complete these figures, as true to life or as fantastically as you like!

have a go at completing these figures


Creative writing

...or what about this one?

here’s an example

Exploring the small moments in daily life

Finding ways to better explore and appreciate even the smallest experiences in daily life can help to build a greater connection with our surroundings. Using words creatively to record what we feel or notice can help improve our powers of observation, self-expression and ability to connect thoughts laterally in our minds. This is excellent exercise for the brain, and a good outlet for our more creative ideas.

You will need:

A piece of fruit or salad vegetable - something you like

Paper and pencil to write down your thoughts

Choose a piece of fruit or a salad vegetable. Look at it closely, handle it, smell it.

With closed eyes, bite into the fruit/vegetable - feel the texture and the first taste sensation as it hits your taste buds. Eat the whole fruit/

vegetable slowly, experiencing its texture, taste and aroma.

A bowl of strawberries

lovely, no calories in them

A bite – oh no, too tart

Where’s the sweetness?

They need a bit of sugar

That’s okay, not much sugar, not many calories

Mmm – another bite – oh no, a bit boring without cream

Just a bit of cream, a small dollop

That’s alright, not too many calories surely

Mmm, lovely

But…I never seem to lose any weight

Even though I only eat fruit

Now jot down words and associations that

occur to you, and weave them into a

poem - no need to rhyme.

A Strawberry delights me with its ruby red sheen

its bonnet of green with flying ribbons

its plump form and speckled seeds

but the sweetness of its perfume

and luscious juicy taste

are what lingers......to recall the summer’s long,

dreaming days,

childhood teas and

champagne strawberry romances


Supa-stimulating brain games

Easy - starter game to warm your brain and body up

This game works with a basic count of 8, using steps just as in ordinary walking steps. You’ll step both forward and backwards during the game.

1st 8 counts walk forward 8 steps

2nd 8 countswalk forward 7 steps and back 1 step

3rd 8 countswalk forward 6 steps and back 2 steps

4th 8 countswalk forward 5 steps and back 3 steps




8th 8 countswalk forward 1 step and back 7 steps

Repeat 3 times or more, trying a little faster each time

It’s official - physical exercise is good for our brains! It boosts the brain’s efficiency by increasing blood and oxygen flow, and this sharpens thinking and concentration, and improves memory.

Exercise also makes us more cheerful, by stimulating the release of endorphins, the powerful, pain-relieving, mood-elevating chemicals in the brain.

Physical exercises that challenge the mind, such as those using complex, changing movement sequences, can offer additional benefits to memory and concentration. This is because they are believed to increase brain efficiency by strengthening neural connections and even creating new ones.

Try these quick, brain-boosting games. They can be done on your own but could be even more fun with friends or family. They are suitable for all ages, and can be adapted for people with limited mobility by using head, shoulder or arm movements instead of steps and jumps.

Try them to music too!


Supa-stimulating brain games 2

1st 4 counts –

1 = left foot stamp

2 = right foot stamp

3 = left foot stamp

4 = jump and clap

3rd 4 counts –

1 = left foot stamp

2 = jump and clap


4 = left foot stamp

2nd 4 counts –


2 = left foot stamp

3 = jump and clap


4th 4 counts –

1 = jump and clap


3 = left foot stamp


Try 3 times or more, a little faster each time.

Tip : Setting this to different pieces of music, some fast, some slow, makes this game more varied

Moderate challenge – now you’re warmed up, have a go at the next game

This game uses stamps, and jumps with both feet off the ground, if you can. Combine the jumps with a clap of your hands for maximum energising effect!

This game works with a basic count of 4.


Supa-stimulating brain games 3

Phew!

Challenging – now you’re cooking, have a go at the next game. This game works with a basic count of 4.

Practise the steps in column 1 a few times, before adding the arm movements in column 2.

1st 4 counts –

1 = with right foot, step to right2 = tap left foot up to right, weight still

on right foot3 = with left foot, step to left4 = bring right foot together with left,

weight on both feet

3rd 4 counts –

1 = with right foot, step forward2 = tap left foot up to right, weight still

on right foot3 = with left foot, step backward4 = bring right foot together with left,

weight on both feet

2nd 4 counts –

1 = with left foot, step to left2 = tap right foot up to left, weight still

on left foot3 = with right foot, step to right4 = bring left foot together with right,

weight on both feet

4th 4 counts –

1 = with left foot, step backward2 = tap right foot up to left, weight still

on left foot3 = with right foot, step forward4 = bring left foot together with right,

weight on both feet

1st 4 counts –

1 = extend left arm out to your side2 = bring left hand in to touch the top

of your head3 = extend left arm out to your side

again4 = bring left arm down to side of body

3rd 4 counts –

1 = extend left arm in front of you2 = bring left hand in to touch your

nose3 = extend left arm in front of you

again4 = bring left arm down to side of body

2nd 4 counts –

1 = extend right arm out to your side2 = bring right hand in to touch the top

of your head3 = extend right arm out to your side

again4 = bring right arm down to side of body

4th 4 counts –

1 = extend right arm in front of you2 = bring right hand in to touch your

nose3 = extend right arm in front of you

again4 = bring right arm down to side of body


The Origami Oracle

picture 1

picture 2

picture 3 picture 4

When Jean-Paul Sarte wrote “hell is other people”, it looks like he was wrong.

Rather than money, it’s our friendship circles and social contacts that make us happy, according to new ‘happiness studies’.

With the pace and pressure of our busy schedules, it’s all too easy to lose touch with our social life. This playful exercise gives you the perfect excuse to get in touch with family and friends to enjoy a few light-hearted activities.

1 Apply colours of your choice if you wish.

2 Cut out the Origami Oracle

3 Turn paper over to back and fold each corner in towards you (picture 1)

4 Turn paper back over and fold each corner towards you (picture 2)

5 Turn paper back over and place thumbs and index finger into each of the flaps (picture 3).

6 You will find that by moving the index fingers of each hand, as a pair, and the thumbs of each hand, as a pair, away from each other, forwards/ backwards and side to side, you can open and close the Origami Oracle (picture 4)

You will need:

Coloured pencils if you want to colour in the Origami Oracle (use our template by cutting it out, or trace or photocopy if you don’t want to cut the page)

Instructions

Now you are ready to try the Origami Oracle out.

Pick a word and spell it out - open / close the Origami Oracle once for each letter of the word. As you spell the word, opening and closing the Origami Oracle, you will reveal the numbers inside the Origami Oracle.

Pick a number and count it out, opening and closing the Origami Oracle as before

Pick a number and open the flap to show the friendship activity the Origami Oracle suggests for you.

Get going on the activity - enjoy!


The Origami Oracle - template

Trace or photocopy the template

Tip: Try making up your own words and activites to write on the Origami Oracle. Make sure that the 4 words on the front (corners) contain both odd numbers of letters (e.g. breathe) and even numbers of letters (e.g. wish) or you will always finish your ‘Pick a Word and Spell it Out’ part of the game on the same numbers

hn research: create space

Documents

creative space

self space

space oprah winfrey

creative recycling

simple doodling activity

creative writing

simple photography

creative ways