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2020 has been a year we will surely not forget. There have been so many factors that have impacted our lives in ways that we could never have imagined. We recently did an interview with Alebrijie Consulting where we share our journey so far – you can have a read here, https://www.alebrijeconsulting.co.uk/post/hospitality-stories-thirsty-painter
As we wrap up the year, we wanted to share our reflections on how far our mission to support people has evolved.
It is without a doubt that the pandemic has impacted all our daily lives, particularly our physical and mental health. Some of us would have felt the impact more than others, and the support you require will differ depending on your needs and circumstances.
A study conducted by Public Health England showed, that mental health and wellbeing (including anxiety, stress and depression) are on the increase. The facts and data show the importance of self-care and taking time out for ourselves. Support services such as MIND charity, have been inundated with people reaching out for support. We are actively fundraising for MIND charity, and one of the activities we did in order to support MIND was hosting a Crafternoon session on the 5th of December.
In spite of it all, 2020 has helped us to support YOU.
We certainly have had fun hosting the events online, working through our own anxieties and practising what we preach in self-care. We started out with a mission to provide an alternative ‘after work drinks’, a way to improve your wellbeing and have a work-life balance. The pandemic changed our direction of travel. Looking back over the last few months our key objective was finding ways to support people throughout the pandemic and encouraging self-care.
Wrapping up the year, supporting people through this period has been an amazing journey. Hearing laughter as we go through step by step instructions - painting the elephant at our African sunset events gets chuckles; people commenting that they just needed this timeout after a stressful day at work; watching people gleam with pride as they produce their amazing artwork; the shocked expression from participants when we say the sessions have finished and they cry for more; seeing families have an evening together around the table, painting each other’s canvas.
As we wrap up this year we will be back with more exciting online paint events and fingers crossed we will be able to do face to face sessions soon!
We just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported us and we’ll see you on January 26th for our next online event, or for our first 2021 online event.
Whilst we are away, please do visit the Every Mind Matters
website for more resource and support on mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic.