Build a self-portrait from leaves, bark, stones and seed pods — then let it go.

Leaves, bark, stones, seed pods, feathers, sand.

You create a self from natural materials — not a likeness, but a portrait made of what you are drawn to pick up. There is something about working with materials you did not buy and cannot control that loosens the grip of making it right. A curled leaf becomes a shoulder. A stone becomes the weight you have been carrying.

The work is temporary, and that is part of it. You photograph what you make, and then let it return to where it came from.

This is the fourth in-person gathering of Return to Self, Term 4 of The Atlas Creative Circle.

What the morning looks like

· Arriving, settling, and a short sensory grounding practice

· Gathering and choosing your materials

· Creating a self from what you have gathered

· Photographing it, and noticing what you made

· A reflective close

What to know: materials are provided, and you are warmly invited to bring something natural that matters to you. Bring your phone or a camera if you would like to keep an image of your work. Tea and a warm welcome included.

The Atlas is a creative circle for those who carry more than words can hold. In most approaches art is a tool inside a talking frame — in the Atlas, the creative process itself is the therapy. No art experience is needed, and sharing is always your choice. All you need is to arrive.

Facilitated by Valerie Ogorodnyk, certified art therapy facilitator and founder of Active Kreative. One of five in-person gatherings in Term 4: Return to Self, running from 10 October to 5 December 2026.

Contact the host of Nature Conversation — Nature Art Therapy Workshop in Cheltenham

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