Last autumn, The Maya Centre offered a special Arts and Crafts Workshop designed to support women’s mental health in a gentle and creative way. For ten weeks, our wonderful volunteer Marina led a relaxing and welcoming session at Islington Mind, open to women who attend our mental health drop-in service as well as women from the wider community.

Each workshop ran for one peaceful hour, from 11:30am to 12:30pm, in our bright art room filled with colourful materials. It quickly became a place where women could slow down, breathe, and express themselves through art. Many women returned every week, while new faces joined along the way. The group shared that the sessions helped them feel calmer and more connected, something especially important for those experiencing anxiety, stress, or other emotional challenges.

At The Maya Centre, we know how powerful creativity can be. Just like therapy, art helps us explore our feelings, relax our bodies, and build confidence in a gentle and supportive space. These workshops gave women a chance to play, experiment, and feel truly seen.

Here’s a look at the themes we explored each week:

• Colour & Flow – We used colour to explore our mood and intuition through playful mark‑making.
• Circles & Symbols – Women created calming patterns using repeating shapes and meaningful personal symbols.
• Natural Forms & Found Objects – We worked with textures and shapes from the natural world, discovering beauty in simple things.
• Sound & Shape – Music inspired our drawings as we turned rhythm and sound into expressive marks.
• Fragments & Layers – We built layered artworks using spontaneous, intuitive steps, celebrating every stage of the process.

The response was incredibly positive. Many women said they wished the sessions were longer and asked if Marina would be returning. Marina shared that spaces like this are so powerful for women’s mental health and confidence because “creativity lets you express without having to explain. It’s grounding, it’s regulating, and it opens things that talking alone doesn’t reach.”

We’re hopeful that, with future funding, The Maya Centre will be able to continue offering creative workshops like this – safe, supportive spaces where women can relax, reconnect, and strengthen their emotional wellbeing.

These sessions reminded us that caring for women’s mental health isn’t only about talking, sometimes it’s about colour, texture, movement, and community. And sometimes, healing begins with simply picking up a paintbrush.

If you’d like to hear about future creative wellbeing workshops and other supportive activities at The Maya Centre, we’d love to stay connected with you. Simply sign up for our newsletter to receive gentle updates.