Please can you tell us a little bit about you and your brand?

Art of Rest my two big life passions: art and yoga.

When you are rested properly then creativity naturally arises. Yet, many of us exist in a state of stress due to the societal belief that we must be productive each moment of the day.

For many decades I have been creatively stifled by memories of art university feedback, and my own inner critic. After becoming a yoga teacher, specifically for restful styles such as restorative and yin yoga, I realised that I could combine a meditative flow state with art practices. When you are fully focused on the marks you are making then you are clearing your mind of the inner radio that, for most of us, is never switched off. These practises led me back to creating art again, but for the purpose of joy, not approval. It has transformed my well-being in the last few years. I now make time each day to simply connect with myself through the process of drawing or painting. What I make isn’t important, it is reminding myself that I can play with art materials simply to feel quiet in the mind and at ease in the body.

Please can you tell us about your inspiration for your business?

I previously was a secondary school art teacher and so sharing the love of creative processes is a real joy for me. I want to connect with people in the community to provide calm spaces for play. Why should it only be children who get to experiment with fun arty processes?! My workshops aim to provide a safe space for non-arty and arty people to connect to their inner child and through different techniques find their own form of visual meditation.

What is the ethos behind your brand?

The Art of Rest is a business that aims to share the importance of regulating our nervous system through gentle yoga and meditative art processes.

What is the most enjoyable thing about your business?

When students say ‘ahh, that was just what I needed, thank you’

Whether that is after a restorative yoga class and they experience temporary relief from hectic lifestyles, or after a Mindful Art Journaling workshop where they remember the joy of creating without being worried if they are good enough.

I believe that we are all good enough already, we are all creative, it’s just that the voices of people in our lives during formative years become our inner critic and we label ourselves as not creative. Being ‘good’ at drawing is not necessary for enjoying art making.

What are your top tips for anyone wanting to start their own creative business?

Hahahahahaha. Skip this question please ;)

How do you get yourself out of any creative slumps?

I am a bit of a magpie with art techniques and I seem to rotate through different techniques to match my mood. So, if I’m feeling erratic, I might do some really active scribbling with pencils so I can get the immediate feedback from pressing pencil to paper. Or if I’m feeling like I need to regulate and slow down I might do some colour swatching with watercolour paints.

Non-arty slump defeaters are: taking a walk, having a nap, or even better doing some yin yoga followed by a gorgeous 20 minute restorative yoga pose (and then a nap).

Basically, give yourself permission to be in a slump. The more we resist these times, the longer they persist due to feelings of pressure or guilt or frustration.

The slumps are a necessary part of the creative process. Your subconscious is always working in the background, trust that you will find your way back.

What songs feature most on your playlist for when you are working?

I used to be a lot more exciting with music, but nowadays I need music without lyrics and nothing too jarring. I tend to put on instrumental focus music playlists.

Having lived in America for a decade I am quite partial to Bob Harris’ Country Music show on BBC sounds.

What do you like doing in your downtime away from your business?

I enjoy walking my dog on the village green, playing tennis – badly, and making silly drawings with my son and husband.

What is next for your business?

I am excited that Art of Rest will be hosting more workshops at Happydashery this year, each with a seasonal theme and different techniques. I hope to teach more yoga and lead some retreat days combining art and yoga with good people and yummy food.

I will also be releasing a collection of abstract landscape paintings later this year, so make sure to follow my Instagram to see sneak peeks of those!