A Slow Dose of Creative First Aid

An introduction to the joys of creative journaling and its impact on the habit of play, meditation, release and delight.

Join creative first aid pioneers MakeShift, along with artist Mel Young for a morning of slow, mindful craft as a form of self care.

Starting with an invitation for curiosity, join Mel as she leads an immersive process of mindless and mindful mark-making, journalling and mapping. We will undertake a range of exercises together exploring meditative mark making, playful and observational drawing as well as collaging exercises that can become part of daily creativity and self-care.

*Materials provided 

ABOUT MEL YOUNG

Melinda Young's studio-based craft & research practice spans jewellery, textiles, installation and interactive public art projects. She has exhibited extensively in Australia and internationally, participating in over 250 group and solo exhibitions since 1997 including recent solo exhibitions in Bangkok and Sydney. Her work is held in public collections in Australia and overseas and included in numerous publications. In 2020 she received an APA Scholarship to undertake a PhD in the School Of Geography & Sustainable Communities at the University of Wollongong.

Melinda has been teaching for over 20 years in community and tertiary education including Enmore Design Centre (TAFE NSW), Sydney College of the Arts. Since 2015 she has worked with the Indigenous Jewellery Project, running workshops in communities and at Aboriginal Art Centres including Buku Larrnggay Mulka (NT), Ernabella (APY Lands) and Gab Titui Cultural Centre (Thursday Island). Melinda also regularly teaches workshops for arts organisations, galleries, community groups and Makeshift, a non-profit NDIS provider whose focus is on creativity for mental wellbeing. 

Melinda has taught at UNSW Art & Design sessionally since 2002 and as an Associate Lecturer since 2017. She is a regular artist educator working with MakeShift on creative practice as a tool for wellbeing and social connection.