Brook Book

My 2024 project is a tribute to Kedron Brook which has been my enduring connection to nature since moving to the Grange in 1992.

BrookBook will be a collection of writing, nature art, sketches, photography and community collaboration.

For more than 30 years I have been wondering up and down along the banks of Kedron Brook and the surrounding suburbs.

In that time I have seen the Grange Forest Park flourish, watched in awe when the Brook flooded and felt unsettled when the waterline diminished during drought.

So many poignant memories of adventures with my daughters - picnics, exploring the forest and waterways, catching gudgeons, and spying on nature.

Hours and hours of walking alone and with friends as a young uncertain woman wrestling with the societal expectations of the roles of mother and wife to now as a more confident older woman.

Kedron Brook has been a refuge, a teacher and a place of solace. It was a constant source of inspiration in my six years of attending the Brisbane Institute of Art . This inspiration led to the ideation of Mindsettle which was launched when I turned 50.

2024 may be the last year that I live in close proximity to the Brook so this Brook Book will be a reflection on the way it has enabled my connection to creative flow, calm, and my mental and physical fitness.

You can follow this work/play in progress on Instagram @BrookB00K

Thank You,

Lisa

Hospitable

These are some of my memories and reflections on the guest experiences in Hiromi Hotel: Heartbeat at Splendour in the Grass 2022.

Connection Mindmap

Artwork: Lisa Behan

On Thursday night I enjoyed a brilliant conversation with J and G as I showed them how to fingerknit, they are both from UTS and had been working to set up the Science Forum. We talked about the promulgation of fear, neuropsychology, neuroplasticity, how to offset the negativity bias of the brain and their expert knowledge of algae. J spoke about how he had found a slower way to live when he was stuck in Portugal in the early days of the pandemic.

On Friday I had a long chat with T and R, T has just graduated with honours and was excited to be taking up a job offer with the CSIRO. The topics we talked about roved from koala research, to other ways of living outside of societal norms, to relationships and love, and being consumed by consuming.

B and partner revisit Hiromi Hotel to continue their finger knitting. On the previous day they hid their balls of fibre deep in the installation. B spends time incorporating the leftover pieces of other people’s knitting into his then graduates to knitting a strand using 10 balls of wool. He is totally committed to making a significant contribution to the installation. After a few hours he has created a thick colourful rope that is nine metres long. He carefully considers where to install this. We talk about art and creativity, he tells me his mother is an artist who creates murals and teaches. B likes painting, he shares some images with me from his graduating project three years ago. Both paintings explore the themes of sin and evil, they provoke questions about how our society venerates and encourages some of these - especially greed, lust, gambling - distracting us away from thinking and purpose.

I observe a group of three enter Hiromi Hotel, by the time they reach me at the back they all have blissful smiles. I comment on the transformation and ask them how the space makes them feel or think, they respond with Calm, Wonderful, Amazing. I continue asking others who say that Hiromi Hotel is: a Refuge, Neurodivergently Delightful, Zen, Peaceful, Collaborative and a Safe Space. There were many conversations about judging people and its ruinous effects on psyches and relationships. I heard people reminding each other that Splendour is a judgement-free zone.

I have been absolutely thrilled to witness and encourage people to feel calm, centred, creative, self-regulated, accepted, loved and valued. It’s so evident that these spaces work and should be available. As always the challenge is how to fund them and pay the workers.

Hiromi Hotel was a spontaneous sharing of skills, knowledge, stories, humanity, joy, connection and satisfaction.

Hotel comes from the Latin Hosptium, also the base for hospitable which is be to welcoming to visitors or guests and can also mean a pleasant and favourable environment for living. At Splendour in the Grass 2022, Hiromi Hotel was both

Image: Salty Dog Media

I’m in the purple cap soaking up the joy of our guests

Mental Health Week 2021

One of the ways I help my mind settle is to walk in nature and to share videos of this experience. Last week I started a five week artist residency that affords time and space to explore new digitally accessible work as a powerful catalyst for people to slow down, feel centred and invoke a deep sense of release.

Hand Bent Banana Arts and Health Centre is a new arts hub in Tallebudgera Valley providing an artistic way of looking at the world, through connection with the natural environment. It is a unique place-based Centre in the Hinterland region of the Gold Coast and fills a gap to learn about the diverse landscape and geology, connections to the land and our disappearing agricultural heritage.

Mindsettle is partnering with Hand Bent Banana to bring the benefits of nature, usually found outside, to people whose ability to access nature is limited. We have the opportunity to help negate the disengagement people have been experiencing as a result of the pandemic measures and to help quell the growing sense of isolation in our community.

It was invigorating to explore the different terrains of Talweg, the attached video gives you a sense of my first day traversing the property. The discovery walk stimulated ideas I can play with over the coming weeks in collaboration with my fellow artists and with Karleen Gwinner the founder of Hand Bent Banana Arts and Health Centre. But for now I hope you enjoy the sights and sound of Talweg and that they help your mind settle.

Gathering

In between lockdowns in July, ten acolytes gathered for ten days of movement and learning.

Ten Women gathered together to unravel the teachings of Yin Yoga. Hosted by SoHo Yoga and facilitated by Lee-Anne Heron and Nic Matthews. It was a suburban retreat, away from our usual routines and responsibilities, a respite from the constant noise of the pandemic. A time to focus solely on our bodies and minds, a chance to discover the construction of fascia.

Each day we practiced Yin, gained knowledge, shared information, listened to each others stories without judgement, bonding through movement. Reading The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal explains why we were able to feel so connected in such a short period of time,

“It’s not the idea of being connected, it is a physical sensation of connection… synchronised movement works to create the sensation of group unity. As you move, your brain receives feedback from your muscles, joints, and inner ear about what your body is doing. Simultaneously, you see others performing the same movements. When these inputs arrive at once, your brain merges them into one unified perception. The movements you see in others become linked to the movements you feel, and your brain interprets the other bodies as an extension of your own. The more fully the brain integrates these perceptual streams, the more connected you feel to those you are moving with”.

Even though some came to class with migraines and significant worries we were quietly elated that we could assemble together to hold space for each other, a safe place to re-gather both physical and inner strength. A collective joy was felt:

“The feeling of boundaries dissolving is one of the most powerful aspects of collective joy.” Kelly McGonigal

Spending time practising Yin with this receptive community of women supports my values of cultivating calm, creating connections and as Helen commented learning how “to sit with discomfort”. We talked about women’s circles and the longing we had felt when reading Anita Diamant’s book, The Red Tent to have our own red tent to retreat to for restoration and the solace of women’s company.

“In the red tent, the truth is known. In the red tent, where days pass like a gentle stream, as the gift of Innana courses through us, cleansing the body of last month’s death, preparing the body to receive the new month’s life, women give thanks — for repose and restoration, for the knowledge that life comes from between our legs, and that life costs blood.” Anita Diamant, The Red Tent

I’m dreaming up wellbeing ideas for when we can freely gather together again. If you’re interested please email me using the button below so I can let you know my plans.

Retreat

To withdraw to a quiet or secluded place is a regular necessity for my peace of mind. It could be early mornings watching the sunrise from my meditation nest on the verandah or rapt in a book in bed. Earlier this year it was at the Bethel Retreat on Kirra Beach. They “specialise in Healing Life’s Hurts, a residential, week long experience which encourages our guests to journey into healing the effects of much of life’s hurts.”

The Bethel Retreat gave me useful tools to process my emotions in a healthy way. It was a relief to realise how many past hurts I had suppressed. Most of my hurts were a mixture of sadness and anger that have been pushed down or swallowed. The other focus of the retreat is to encourage you to live from your heart, rather than be lead by your head. The head is the voice that speaks to you critically whereas the heart voice is filled with love and compassion. This habit I have been cultivating through meditation, mindfulness and loving awareness practices for many years. I don’t speak to myself harshly, but I have been struggling with letting go of expectations, especially those of my nuclear family. I expect them to appreciate my efforts and show their gratitude with loving gestures. At the retreat we learned the practice of writing dialogue to the love within ourselves to let go of expectations. In this way, over time, I can simply count on myself to give all the love and affirmation I need. In this way I can tap into my inner wisdom.

Each day we started and finished with meditation, we were encouraged to be silent - no music, no books, no screen-time, no distractions from the work of healing. I loved the silence, it was so liberating to not have to speak to anyone or share my story or listen to other guest’s stories. We were scheduled a 40 minute session with a companion who listens or bears witness to the release of our hurts, our emotions, our discoveries about learned behaviours, coping mechanisms and limiting beliefs. The companion is someone who has done the retreat and can listen with an open heart, whilst gently guiding and encouraging your to focus on the processes being shared.

Each morning we were led through the focus of the day which involved writing tasks, so that you practice making this process a habit. The silence helps you listen to your heart so you can know how to proceed and what to write. The hope is that your inquiry will lead you to choose to live with LOVE rather than fear. As you do the writing you feel all kinds of emotions release (cue box of tissues), so it’s powerful to notice that as you read out what you have written even stronger feelings can arise. My companion explained that this is because speaking out loud validates our feelings, we feel heard. Then we can lovingly let those strong emotions go. We can tend to ourselves with loving kindness. If you struggle with this imagine that it is a dear friend or family member coming to you with these woes then use the way you would speak to them as a guide for speaking to yourself.

My companion skillfully used imagery when my emotions, especially fear, tried to silence me. Fear manifests in my throat so I literally cannot speak, but she showed me how to tap into my heart energy or LOVE to find the courage to speak. It’s amazing, astonishing and wonderful to have these processes to use. One of my favourite pieces of new information from the retreat is that EMOTION is energy in motion and I can choose the direction and processing of this energy - that’s empowering!

Kirra Beach is an ideal setting as I could walk off my excess emotional energy, easily finding a patch of beach for myself. The Bethel Retreat was restful, releasing and practical - I have continued to use the tools I learnt and (mostly) feel a quiet sense of satisfaction with my lot.

The Joy of Artful Engagement

On Saturday afternoon at Side Gallery, Donna McDonald and I held the inaugural Artful Engagement Workshop. We were testing the waters to see if there is an appetite for engaging in art for individual wellbeing.

Our intention was to share some artful practices to help stay grounded, centred, calm & healthy. Our first group of participants were warm and supportive.

“Loved the opportunity to take time for myself, learn new skills that I will use and be in the company of fabulous people. Very gentle intro to art, loved the take home aspects.” Louise

“Donna & Lisa are gift givers and take you to a creative and enriching space. Very interesting process and I made some art!” Johanna

“Great Workshop! Perfect way to start the wind down of 2020… Reflective, at the same time learning some new concepts linking to language. Loved learning ‘mark making’ concepts - many thanks.” Matt

It was easy to work alongside Donna as we both have a focus on nurturing our individual and collective wellbeing, collaborating to create supportive art activities, that are rooted in neuroscience, to navigate our personal stories.

If you are interested in attending a future workshop, please let us know.

Alterations

On Saturday I had the great pleasure of attending the opening of the Alterations exhibition hosted by Art form the Margins (AFTM). Alterations was curated by Donna McDonald who is a disability arts researcher and writer. The contributing artists are blind or partially sighted from Brisbane and regional Queensland.

I complimented James Norquay on his beautiful landscape photography shot around the Sunshine Coast. In his bio he thoughtfully explains how he knows when to take the shot, “I am called to take photographs through a spirit that guides me. I sense this spirit by a shift in light and colour around me, or sounds harmonising in a moment, or the way the wind brushes against my skin. In these moments, I feel an electric joy bubble in my body and I know - ‘This is the moment to take a photograph!’”. The works on display are a testament to James’ connection to nature.

The Guide Dogs Queensland Art Group had six artists exhibiting their clay work. Chatting with Jenny Woolsey she mentioned that the faces she sculpts from clay have no eyes, yet when I look at her work the faces seem complete. Clay work is new to Jenny, “Throught this medium, I have found a way of expressing my feelings about issues that effect my life. This passion has also been a means of relaxation and mindfulness.”

During the official opening Donna McDonald was presented with two Aspire Awards. Their website explains the awards this way: “The awards celebrate all people who identify with a disability in any chosen field of work, volunteering, sport, hobby, advocacy, health, law, arts, writing, they celebrate opportunity, dreams, achievements of an inclusive society.” In Donna’s acceptance speech she said she was grateful to be born at a time when she could take advantage of the hard won rights by disability activists and for the immense privilege of continuing education. In thinking about her aspirations, Donna eloquently summarised that she “just wanted to be useful”. The presentation of the Aspire Awards recognise her usefulness, as does the regard of the exhibiting artists and the AFTM board members.

Besides the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful show, consider this statement from the exhibition catalogue: “These artists not only challenge us with new ways of making, viewing and interpreting art, but they also alter our understanding of the world around us.”

Alterations is open until 27 November 2020 at AFTM Gallery & Studios, 136 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley.

4 reasons I make art

I rediscovered art after the birth of my third child. I was in a slump - befuddled, listless, isolated and ill. Both Mum and a therapist suggested I do a course to meet people to help with the isolation. This lead me to the Brisbane Institute of Art where I enthusiastically attended painting courses for six years. The effects have been tremendously positive for my wellbeing and I have come to realise that the process is more valuable to me that the outcome. It has become a contemplative practice as outlined in my list of four.

Experimenting - There’s a fusion of colours, styles, materials and ideas to play with, the ever-present curiosity of “What happens if …”

Problem Solving - Making art means that you risk making mistakes; some misplaced marks cannot be erased. Art making teaches you how to incorporate what seem like “mistakes” into the overall pattern of the design. It’s a great metaphor for everyday life—nothing is ever perfect, but how you adjust to mistakes is what really matters.

Flow State - Creating often leads in to a state of flow, which Csíkszentmihályi describes as “an intrinsically rewarding or optimal state that results from intense engagement with daily activities”. It’s a simple way to enjoy the creative process.

Calming - Repetitive creative work, in and of itself, can be calming and self-soothing. This is particularly true if you accept this process as one with no expected outcome other than the enjoyment of making something and staying open to whatever emerges.

If you’re also an art maker, artist or art dabbler, I’d love to hear why you make art.

Limber Limbic

Our hyper-connectivity means we now consume more negative energy in a day than previous generations did in a lifetime. This overexposure often leads those who want for nothing wanting more - a permanent state of disenchantment. Our old limbic brain, maladjusted for modern society, reads this disenchantment as threat and responds with fight or flight or for me fright mode.

It’s common and perfectly natural when caught in the grips of fear to become controlling, emotionally unavailable and irritable, and to lose patience with ourselves and others. We want to feel safe so we cling to roles with their established rules and prescriptive behaviors. Frank Ostaseski - The Five Invitations

As we have become more secular we have lost the habit of gratitude. Saying grace before a meal gave us a moment to pause and reflect on our good fortune. Research concludes that building gratitude practices into your life leads to contentment. In place of bedtime prayers we could take a few moments to think about our day and give thanks. A friend of mine uses the acronym ILG - Infinite Love and Gratitude.

May you find ILG in this new decade.