Background

The Art Journal Project is a key aspect of OutPost Arts’ community-based work – creating opportunities for participants to connect with their ‘creative selves,’ enhancing wellbeing via creative expression, mindful practise, positive distraction, and the development of self-management tools. 

Art Journaling is a creative well-being tool, where we put our internal selves onto the page, allowing for honesty and freedom to explore emotions. The art journal is a safe space for self-care, discovery, and self-development. It allows us to have a visual conversation with ourselves, distracting us from negative thoughts and feelings – offering an accessible and portable platform for us to escape, reflect, take stock and re-calibrate.  

In order to reach key groups of participants, OutPost Arts developed Art Journal Project with partners D&G Carers Centre, CAHMS, D&G College, Langholm Academy, and community arts organisation For Enjoyment CIC – developing new formal ‘creative prescribing’ processes to increase community-based access to creative opportunities to enhance wellbeing and promote positive mental and physical health. 

Recruited via self and partner referral, in 2023, 15 young people and 30 adults from across D&G received a curated ‘starter box’ of art materials. Over sixteen weeks, these participants worked with a range of associate artists and makers via in-person and remote workshops and attended creative research trips to Glasgow & Kirkcudbright – exploring a wide range of artistic themes, practises and processes including printmaking, clay, animation, painting, drawing, mark-making, colour theory and natural pigment sourcing/creation.  

A person-centered counsellor works with the project’s delivery team, ensuring that participants and staff are professionally safeguarded and supported. Peer Mentors (2020 pilot project graduates)  

Art Journal Project programme is delivered from early Spring – late Summer each year and connects to a subsequent Graduate Programme which runs through Autumn & Winter. 

Remote Zoom Sessions

The 16 week Art Journal Project programme is divided into two parts, with the first 8 weeks delivered via remote zoom workshops – allowing participants from across the region to ‘meet’ in a safe space, and take part in a variety of creative workshops, working with a range of talented, professional artists and makers.  

Using the curated box of materials as a starting point, the Adult & Youth Creative Wellbeing Leads worked with OutPost Arts’ Creative Wellbeing Director and Associate Artists to design impactful, accessible and meaningful experiences and learning opportunities – focusing on mindfulness, relaxation, manageable skills development and relationship-building. 

Participants share their personal journeys and progress and receive feedback and support from the programme’s artists and Peer Mentors via private social media platforms. 

In-person Workshops & Trips

Workshop #2 – Shambellie house

Our intrepid Art Journallers came together at the gorgeous Shambellie house for an exploration of natural art materials led by Lucy Lee & Ed Campbell from The Old Mill Palnackie – an exhibition space, bookshop and art studio situated in the beautiful port village of Palnackie, on the Solway coastline in the heart of Dumfries and Galloway. The aim of its founders, Edward and Lucy, is to create a space for enquiry into the connection between creativity, spirit and our natural environment. 

The group was immersed in the spell-binding process of ink, paint, and oil pastel-making, using stones and other natural materials from around D&G. Utilising hand-made brushes and tools, participants practised some mark-making, with some developing this into imagined landscapes and abstract images. 

Fuelled by Shambellie’s delicious home-made baking, our Adult Journallers concluded the day with an animation workshop, working in x3 groups to create short films that told the story of their Art Journal Project experiences. Despite having never tried stop motion animation before, the groups created interesting, engaging, and moving outcomes. 

Bonus workshops in partnership with the carers centre  

In partnership with D&G Carers Centre, Associate Artist Jackie Zehnder of ‘Fern Ceramics’ worked with carers during four workshops, supporting them to create their own bespoke embossed vases using plants/leaves to make impressions in clay slabs before folding around moulds. Once dried, the vases are fired and glazed. 

Jackie’s workshops offer the perfect distraction for carers who often struggle to make time for themselves and pursue creative interests.  

Hands-on slabbing techniques promote mindfulness and relaxation, with a beautiful and unique, tangible outcome. It also offers our Art Journallers an opportunity to move from the page to the 3D and scale up their creative ambitions… 

Trip #1: Glasgow

Following Part One of Art Journal project, ten adults joined project leaders to visit key sites of interest, spending the day identifying and researching creative work to inform and inspire creative practise…  

Adults first investigated the work of Scottish and international artists and designers in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery collection, arriving just in time to hear the organ recital. The visit was enhanced by two informative and inspiring guided tours from gallery volunteers, which provided important context and background to the work to allow deeper understanding. 

This was followed by a visit to The Hunterian Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery to view their ‘Reframed’ rehanging which recognises Glasgow’s links to the slave trade, and the dominance of white, western males in major art collections. 

Our intrepid Art Journallers and OPA team were energised by the visit and were excited to see how their research would inspire future work. 

Trip #2: Kirkcudbright

Our Art Journal Project groups gathered for their last creative research trip after completing Block 2 – spending a full day touring the Kirkcudbright Art & Craft Trail… 

Participants gathered at the harbour to take in the amazing landscape before heading to the historic Broughton House & Garden – home of the prolific painter E.A. Hornel (a ‘Glasgow Boy’) from 1901 until 1933 – where we received a private tour that brought the collection to life, followed by a spin around the luscious grounds. Everybody admired the creative planting – taking photographs and sketching in their journals for future inspiration. 

Following a meander around the town’s vibrant streets, bursting with studios and pop-up spaces, we were off to Kirkcudbright Galleries for another guided tour. We fawned over work by Joan Eardley and Ewan McClure and examined work from the gallery’s permanent collection. Lastly, we visited a community arts project which was raising funds for a local church and appreciated the mix of non-professional and professional artists’ work – a perfect end to a hugely creative day!