I found this mantra once online and I liked it straight away – can’t take credit for the words but I agreed whole heartedly the sentiment it communicated. ‘Healing is an art. It takes time, it takes practice. It takes love.’ Art is a healing force, it is powerful. Art banishes fear. Art is freedom. Art says what’s in our hearts. Art can wrap itself around you and give you comfort. Art is hope. Art is courage. All the things that are helping me heal connects me to the creative arts. With writing, drawing, painting and photography allows me to create things from my feelings, emotions, memories and love to help keep the spirit of Jacob alive in the world. He was here, he should be remembered and celebrated. I love it when you talk about him, sharing new stories I’ve never heard before is magic to my ears as we won’t get anymore and these snippets makes the heart sing.

Music and songs are art forms as well and I’m drawn to their powerful healing capabilities too. Sometimes you just need to hear that particular song that opens the floodgates of tears. Other times you might be able to smile and sing along with the lyrics or be able to move to the beat. It all depends on the mood.

Watching movies sooth the soul too. After all, the stories and musicals are all produced and bought to life by creative minds. I love watching Jacob’s youtube channels that feature all of his little movies that showcase his creative talent – cobbyfilms & JDScreens (if you’d like to have a look). I’ll leave with one of my favourite little movie of Jacob’s featuring his cousin Luke. It always leaves a smile on my face as it shows Jacob’s creative and funny side too. Please excuse the swear words in it. 

For me ‘whathealsyou’ is creativity as it helps me with the expression of feelings and emotions as a form of art, as I can’t seem to verbalise it with the spoken words in person – one to one. The words come out of my mouth all jumbled and I tend to get too excited when I talk so words come out even faster than possible to be understood. The thoughts that are in my mind as I create can roll around as slow as they want and I don’t have to think on the spot to produce words to say. I suppose you can say it’s just a different form of meditation as it takes me away from the moment and I’m immersed into a different landscape of colours, shapes, sounds and feelings. For me creative arts isn’t just a hobby it’s the new way I roll down life’s corridor of experiences, journeys and happenings.