Clients at Launchpad 135, our work and life skills centre, are getting their creative juices flowing thanks to pebble painting sessions run by volunteer, and former client, Dean.
He started attending the art group at Launchpad 135 with tutor Phil, built up his confidence and then independently joined a local rock painting group he found on Facebook called Reading Kindness Rocks.
Meeting once a week, Dean really started enjoying the concept of pebble or rock painting and began to realise how therapeutic and expressive it was.
Noticing his enthusiasm, Sharon, Life Skills and Volunteer Projects Manager at Launchpad 135, asked if Dean would like to lead his own pebble painting session with clients.
Despite feeling a bit nervous at first, Dean agreed and ran his first session in September 2022 and the group has grown in numbers.
He said: “It’s nice to see the group being creative and tying the pebble painting session in with the regular art group sessions.”
There are many therapeutic benefits of pebble painting and when people engage in activities like this that require focus in a gentle, mindful way, they can benefit on both psychological and physical levels.
When people take part in in pebble painting, or other aspects of arts and crafts, their mind becomes relaxed, and it can be an emotional release for people struggling with stress.
Improving imagination and talking about your painting is an important role in the brain’s development, and Launchpad 135 clients taking part have said they find it ‘relaxing’ ‘fun’ and enjoyed being able to ‘let loose’ rather than follow a set plan or theme as they can do their own designs.
Sharon also highlighted the community aspect of the pebble painting. “Staff members and visitors have had the opportunity to take some of the painted pebbles away with them. Some of the pebbles are designed as reminders to be kind to yourself and others.”