Craft Month 2023 and Art for Anxiety Relief

Craft month has taken place every March since 1994 and was made to celebrate creativity and encourage trying new artistic pursuits.  At Anxiety UK, we understand how powerful creativity can be to helping reduce feelings of anxiety and stress, many of our staff members and volunteers utilise hobbies such as drawing, photography, and creative writing as an emotional outlet and source of calm.

In 2021, we launched our first Art for Anxiety Relief (AfAR) service a six-week course facilitated by artists. Each course focuses on the benefits of art in the management of anxiety.  Since starting these courses, we have expanded the offer to include a variety of approaches including illustration, mandala, crochet, contemporary, and woodwork.

We are also currently working with Birmingham University to conduct research into how creativity may be helpful for those  who participate in our AfAR courses.  In 2022, 73 people signed up to attend our courses and of those who completed the data survey we found that 86% of attendees saw an improvement in their mental wellbeing, we believe this is a significant number and shows how the power of art can really help with wellbeing.

We also spoke to Leigh, our facilitator for the crochet AfAR course, who explained why creativity is important to her and how she approaches the course: “The AfAR programme is a brilliant way of harnessing the benefits of social prescribing and self-management in a creative way. The crochet course that I deliver gives participants the chance to have some creative fun with a new hobby – whilst also providing tools for anxiety relief. Aside from releasing happy hormones, crochet allows me the chance to relax, distract myself from stresses and worries, create something from nothing and feel inspired. The creativity and potential in a ball of yarn is exciting!”

Previous attendees have also shared their thoughts on how they found the course, the group dynamic, and how it has helped them with their anxiety:

Eleanor – “The Art for Anxiety classes have been great. I’ve learned new creative techniques and met some really inspiring people. I’d really recommend giving them a go.”

Jo – “Wow. The Art for Anxiety course was absolutely brilliant. I am not artistic in any way so I was a bit apprehensive before the course. I need not have worried at all. It was so interesting.”

Ellie – “Learning new art skills and they were all explained so clearly! I also loved getting to know the other members on the call each week. It was also the first time I had been to an anxiety meeting so chatting to others about how I was feeling was really useful.”

Our next course is running on the 9th April at 11am you can enrol here www.anxietyuk.org.uk/products/uncategorized/art-for-anxiety-relief-afar-group/.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].