Visible Self, Hidden Self — Clay Art Therapy Workshop in Cheltenham

Shape one clay figure with two faces: the one you show, and the one you keep.

There is the face we show the world, and the face we keep for ourselves. Most of us move between them so often we stop noticing.

In this session we give both of them form. Working with clay, you shape a single figure with two faces — the façade and the face within — and let your hands say what is hard to put into sentences. Clay is forgiving and direct. It holds pressure, and it remembers touch.

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

What the morning looks like

· Arriving, settling, and a short grounding practice

· Working with clay to shape one figure with two faces

· Time to notice what each face is carrying

· Reflection, and one small thing to take into your week

What to know: all materials are provided. Clay is messy — wear something you do not mind marking, and bring a small box or bag if you would like to carry your figure home. 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.