"Creativity is a ready remedy for everyone, everywhere, every day." says creative wellness pioneer Laura Jaquays. She created the positive philosophy of ART HOPE to help people recognize and practice creativity for self-expression and self-care. Explore the healing opportunities of art-making, art-taking, and art-giving in this uplifting narrative. Laura shares information about health and the expressive arts, inspiring stories, and common sense ways to start doing your creativity.The groundbreaking work begins a broader conversation about how creativity relates to our lives and interests, and our workplace, education, healthcare, and communities, corporations, and leadership, locally and globally. Creativity is an essential life skill, and it is our most renewable and valuable natural resource.Like a pebble tossed into still water, ART HOPE will inspire and move you to create wellness and be the artist-in-residence in your life.

A vibrantly illustrated exploration of the creative, inclusive, and inspiring movement happening in today’s Southern interior design The American South is a place steeped in history and tradition. We think of sweet tea, thick drawls, and even thicker summer air. It is also a place with a fraught history, complicated social norms, and dated perspectives. Yet among the makers and artists of the South, there is a powerful movement afoot. Alyssa Rosenheck shines a much-needed spotlight on a burgeoning community of people who are taking what’s beloved, inherent, and honored in the South and making it their own. The New Southern Style tours more than 30 homes and includes interviews with the designers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs who are reinventing Southern design and culture. This beautifully illustrated book is sure to inspire the home and soul.

Transform your life, process your emotions, and find joy in Sheila Darcey's Sketch by Sketch During a difficult time in her life, author Sheila Darcey found that the act of sketching and freestyle drawing—of giving a physical form to her thoughts, emotions and ideas—was an impactful way to process what she was feeling. One simple sketch became a daily practice and developed into a meditative and therapeutic tool that Sheila has taught and shared with thousands of people. Sketch by Sketch will help you create a daily sketching practice that shifts you from negative thinking and spiraling emotions into the realm of possibility. By using art to connect your left brain with your right brain, Sketch by Sketch will unlock your basic human need to create, express, and feel—regardless of whether or not you think of yourself as an artist. In Sketch by Sketch, you’ll find over 40 sketching prompts on a variety of topics from hope to stillness that will help you connect with your emotions, practice mindfulness, and negotiate change. With each drawing you'll find you are able to process your experiences in a powerful new way. Step by step, sketch by sketch, you'll find peace, creativity, and healing on the page.

Coloring books became a thing when adults discovered how relaxing and meditative they were. Jigsaw puzzles roared back into popularity as an immersive activity, not to mention a great alternative to television. How exciting is it, then, to introduce an activity that tops them both: reverse coloring, which not only confers the mindful benefits of coloring and puzzling but energizes you to feel truly creative, even when you're weary and just want to zone out. It's so simple, yet so profoundly satisfying. Each page in The Reverse Coloring Book has the colors, and you draw the lines. Created by the artist Kendra Norton, these beautiful and whimsical watercolors provide a gentle visual guide so open-ended that the possibilities are limitless. Trace the shapes, draw in figures, doodle, shade, cover an area with dots. Be realistic, with a plan, or simply let your imagination drift, as if looking a clouds in the sky. Each page is an invitation to slow down, let go, and thoughtfully (or thoughtlessly) let your pen find its way over the image. The Reverse Coloring Book includes 50 original works of art, printed on sturdy paper that's single-sided and perforated. And unlike with traditional coloring books, all you need is a pen.

“I’m just not that creative” is a common refrain in today’s society. But according to author and creative coach Jacob Nordby, nothing could be further from the truth. Every human being is creative, and having a regular creative practice is a vital key to a happy and fulfilling life. If we don't exercise our creativity regularly, our lives can feel dull, stagnant, and rote. Many people live this way and believe “this is just the way life is,” without realizing that developing a regular creative practice can be the cure to what ails them. Nordby knows this all too well. By the time he reached his midthirties, he was running a successful mortgage company and lived in a big house with fancy cars. But he felt like he was dying inside. Starting and maintaining a creative practice is what saved his life. Now, in this powerful book, he explains how he traded in his stagnant way of life for one full of meaning and purpose, and offers specific steps to help you build your own creative practice. The Creative Cure is a call for a revolution, fostering change where all change must begin: within. This internal change will allow you to express your own creative gifts, cultivate happiness, and experience the unique feeling of fulfillment that only a creative practice can offer. Packed with powerful, transformative exercises, this book is the medicine you need to find and reinvigorate your creative soul.

Over the past two decades, there has been a major increase in research into the effects of the arts on health and well-being, alongside developments in practice and policy activities in different countries across the WHO European Region and further afield. This report synthesizes the global evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being, with a specific focus on the WHO European Region. Results from over 3000 studies identified a major role for the arts in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and management and treatment of illness across the lifespan. The reviewed evidence included study designs such as uncontrolled pilot studies, case studies, small-scale cross-sectional surveys, nationally representative longitudinal cohort studies, community-wide ethnographies and randomized controlled trials from diverse disciplines. The beneficial impact of the arts could be furthered through acknowledging and acting on the growing evidence base; promoting arts engagement at the individual, local and national levels; and supporting cross-sectoral collaboration.

A MacArthur Genius Grant recipient pioneers a radical change in how we interact with older loved ones, especially those experiencing dementia, as she introduces a proven method that uses the creative arts to bring light and joy to the lives of elders. In Creative Care, Anne Basting lays the groundwork for a widespread transformation in our approach to elder care and uses compelling, touching stories to inspire and guide us all—family, friends, and health professionals—in how to connect and interact with those living with dementia. A MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Basting tells the story of how she pioneered a radical change in how we interact with our older loved ones. Now used around the world, this proven method has brought light and joy to the lives of elders—and those who care for them. Here, for the first time, everyone can learn these methods. Early in her career, Basting noticed a problem: today’s elderly—especially those experiencing dementia and Alzheimer’s— are often isolated in nursing homes or segregated in elder-care settings, making the final years of life feel lonely and devoid of meaning. To alleviate their sense of aloneness, Basting developed a radical approach that combines methods from the world of theater and improvisation with evidence-based therapies that connect people using their own creativity and imagination. Rooted in twenty-five years of research, these new techniques draw on core creative exercises—such as “Yes, and . . .” and “Beautiful Questions.” This approach fosters storytelling and active listening, allowing elders to freely share ideas and stories without worrying about getting the details “correct.” Basting’s research has shown that these practices stimulate the brain and awaken the imagination to add wonder and awe to patients’ daily lives—and provide them a means of connection, both with the world and with those caring for them. Creative Care promises to bring light and hope to a community that needs it most.