ARUWrittle | Samantha Humphreys

April 15, 2025

Creating Mindfulness in Nature: A Reflective Outing

This weekend, I was working alongside fellow creatives in leading some community workshops in a non residential retreat. Titled, Creative Calm, these were held on the beautiful campus at ARU Writtle. I designed short tasks using drawing, painting, and writing. These short tasks embrace the idea that mindfulness can be achieved by focusing only on the moment.

Engaging with nature is known to improve life balance. It keeps us mentally fit and promotes a positive sense of wellbeing. Walking in green spaces, forests, woods, and fields makes us feel wholesome. More importantly, it allows us to reset our busy minds when partaking at either end of the day. Being creative also holds these powers. It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced and confident artist. You can also enjoy these benefits, even if you consider your skills to lie elsewhere. The secret to unlocking the powers is understanding that we, as humans, are part of nature. We are not a separate entity. Nature is made up of living, moving, ageing and ever-changing matter. We are just that.

Last week was filled with sad news of the passing of friends and family of friends. I chose a corner of the memorial garden on campus to create a watercolour painting. I’m unsure if that is the name of the garden. It has become a place where tributes are left in memory of those that have passed in recent years. It is also a retreat for peaceful sitting. As I studied the leaves, flowers and man made structures; I reflected, just sat and thought. I layered my painting with the subtle changes in green tone. My aim was to give it the depth and richness I wanted to achieve. I pondered (now there’s a word I don’t use often enough) on how and when we turn to nature. We use plant materials to celebrate life, whether that life is in the current, recently or long since passed. Flowers are given, wreaths or bouquets are laid or trees are planted in memorial. We become connected to nature by these acts of tenderness throughout our lives; we become memories planted firmly in those places of solace when we have moved on. This little corner of the campus is truly a wonderful place for addressing life balance and mental reset. Capturing the current through text and poetry can develop or strengthen mindful practice. It lets us close all the open tabs and hit the power down button for a short while.

My outcome from this session? Life really is too short, do what feels right and change direction if necessary. Cliched I know, but there are many paths to explore.

August 5, 2024

Summer Holidays

The summer holidays have always been a time for me to get the house straight, arrange any medical appointments that weren’t urgent in term time and plan lessons for September. For the first time in years I have total control over when I take my holidays and within reason, spend it how I like. I ‘broke up’ on Saturday afternoon after the last Art for Wellbeing session of the short course at ARU Writtle. I very much enjoyed writing and teaching this and I look forward to the next time. I also met this beautiful little snail who was just chilling on the globe thistle, as were what seems hundreds of other snails. I noticed for the first time, the different patterns on the shell.

This year I have decided I will be enjoying organising my home studio and learning (or strengthening) some practical skills. There is always a different way of applying a skill and many different ways of teaching them. I am also looking forward to my new clients who are looking for some creative life coaching, this is not new to me as I have been teaching creative wellbeing techniques for years but not as a certified life coach.

Of course it wouldn’t be summer in my little corner of the world, without someone setting fire to the field behind our road. As the houses that it backs onto have wooden fences and the fire spreads wildly and rapidly, I imagine it’s quite frightening for those households. On my morning walks there is still pungent evidence of the event and a stark reminder of the overwhelming power of nature.

July 21, 2024

The story of how I wrote a really long post and it didn’t save……

Frustratingly, I spent the best part of an hour composing a post about my Art for Wellbeing class yesterday, the plant I chose to draw and study and how it led me to make comparisons to how we develop as humans. I decided that, fate must have decided that it was too long winded and I need to get to the point a whole lot faster because life is too short for unnecessary words!

So you know when you want to ask an older child what their future intentions are, it’s a little awkward asking the patronising question ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ . What else could we say without it sounding too formal, final and, for want of a better word, ‘triggering’? But why do we put pressure on humans to ‘grow up’ anyway? The idea of growing up or being grown up has a finality about it that kind of implies that you fully understand how you should approach adulthood and done with learning because you know everything. Can you see how ridiculous that is when written down?

My chosen plant, known as a Drooping Prickly Pear, has so many visible life experiences which was how I came to follow this train of thought. It has both weathered areas, yet is still sprouting new blooms and pads. As people, we are placed under so much pressure to make decisions, as though there is no time after their years of school to decide based on their current circumstances and abilities. Also, we do not learn and grow at the same rate as our peers, or in the same areas of life. Maybe we should instead be asking children at age 14, ‘what do you want to learn next’ (notice I say learn, not achieve). Then the same question can be asked year after year until, as confident young adults they can be asking themselves. The magnificent Drooping Prickly Pear will continue to develop and grow throughout its 20 years or so of life as will its companions in the glasshouse, but they will not reach full development ever-because, there is no such thing as completely developed in living things.

That was considerably shorter and better!