“Isha – your Experimental Drawing Course has been for me totally inspirational!  Thank you so much for your guidance and support over the past eight weeks – it has been an amazing journey with some very special people.  I found each session to be challenging, extremely thought provoking and rewarding. The variety of interesting topics always created anticipation as to how the blank page could be transformed into a ‘work of art’!”

I found our art therapy session to be really interesting. Initially, I expected to be drawing or painting, but I was pleasantly surprised to be trying something new. I found that the video-based creative works we did were a useful way of expressing oneself in a free, unhindered way. By making a short sequence of moving images, or movie clips, I experimented with simple ideas. Alisha suggested that we look for ways of expressing ‘what we would like’, and I found myself venturing out into the nature strip to document moments where I interacted with nature through touch. They were wordless experiments that allowed me to simply express myself physically through an action, and with the real world. 

I found watching my sequence of clips amongst the other participants pieces enlightening, as it showed the differences in what I had chosen to express. Without realising it, I had been very specific in what I had made. The feedback that I got was very insightful as was the exercise Alisha had us perform afterwards, involving answering questions about our experience and what we had learnt. I learnt that I desired to slow down, and that I longed for contact with nature and the simple things. Thank you very much for such a great experience Alisha!!

I really enjoyed using the paired photo exercise to explore pictorial themes and found that I was drawn outside into the garden and began to explore and intuit the pictures I wanted to take, at the same time working in pairs with another person gave my ideas something to bounce off – like a conversation through pictures.  It was interesting during the process to become aware of the differing approaches and style each person took to the task and I reflected that my own way of participating in the photo exercise could be mirrored in the way I also approached other projects and tasks in my life. I found that the final presentation of each group was quiet moving and hearing the others reflection on my own efforts was at once an internal and external experience. Thank you Alisha for your wonderful leadership.

I enjoyed the activities and how they were framed, the balance between direction, expression and exploration. I felt that it was a safe environment in order to connect with my self and to share with others.  I found it really beneficial.