Boosting mental health skill building
A Rain Lover’s Question Some people see a rainy swamp and think gloom. I see music, movement, and the quiet pleasure of a gray day. That may be because of my rainy-day collage, I have recently discovered a word for people like me: pluviophile, a lover of rain. Are you one, too? Behind the Studio: …
Continue reading “Swamp Song Serenade: A Rainy-Day Collage for Pluviophiles”
Looking for practical social emotional learning resources that help students feel seen, valued, and connected? This 3-resource SEL bundle is designed to make student community building simple, meaningful, and engaging for teachers, counselors, group leaders, and support staff. Why Student Belonging Matters Students are more ready to learn when they feel safe, included, and connected …
An art coach I follow suggested artists introduce their audience to their studio pets. Immediately, I thought, I can’t do that. I don’t have a pet. But then, I realized I do have a studio pet. In fact, I have many. They just aren’t real. They’re inanimate. Most of my studio pets either hang from …
No More Feeling Awkward When Someone You Care About Is Hurting We Want to Help, but We Do Not Always Know How Someone you know is experiencing a difficult time. It may be the death of a loved one, chronic body aches, recovery from a medical procedure, a cancer diagnosis, the loss of a job, …
Creative Beginnings Ever since my mom set me at the table with a paint-by-water coloring book, I have been making art. My mother, an oil painter, filled my childhood with creative experiences, from making food for my dolls out of homemade salt dough to painting those tiny loaves of bread and plates of pies with …
Continue reading “How My Creative Experiences Led Me to Collage”
When Fear Gets Big When fear gets big, it can make small moments feel impossible. A first swim lesson, a new school, a doctor’s visit, a night in a separate bedroom, or even an everyday change can suddenly feel too big to face. That is exactly why I created the Fight BIG Fears™ Bundle: to …
Continue reading “A Fun Way for Kids and Adults to Face Fears”
Help for Parents Finally, help for parents of anxious kids! The “Fight BIG Fears” picture book and plush Bundle is now available. Parents of anxious kids, this is for you. Step away from your frustrations and, with your child, enter the world of Phoebe and her phearnik!® Both of you will not only be charmed …
A Tool for Overthinking, Avoidance, and the Freeze Response Fear doesn’t disappear when we grow up. It just becomes more socially acceptable to hide. Instead of saying “I’m scared,” adults say: But underneath those phrases is often the same nervous system response children experience — activation, overwhelm, and sometimes a freeze response. You’re Not Alone …
Continue reading “How to Manage Fear as an Adult: A Simple 5-Step Tool”
Entering a New Phase of phearnik!® If you’ve been following along on this journey, you know that phearnik!®, a mental health plush, hasn’t just appeared overnight. This little Courage Buddy™ has grown through intentional, thoughtful phases — each one stretching me as a creator and as a business owner. In my earlier post about theCourage …
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Building Mental Health Through Perseverance While reading Real Artists Don’t Starve, by Jeff Goins, I saw a connection between the work of artists and the work of building mental health through perseverance. Says Goins, He’s speaking to artists. Moreover, he could just as easily be speaking to anyone learning how to manage fear, regulate emotions, …
Continue reading “Failure Is Practice: What Artists Understand About Mental Health”
