Tullamore's NEW Art Making Mural
Self care comes in many forms. Not just in the form of lavender! Creating art, colouring, painting - they all support mental health.
Research shows that making art activates the reward center of our brains(1), lowers stress(2), increases mindfulness(3) + improves cognition/thinking (4). It even helps us imagine a more hopeful future(5).
1. The Arts in Psychotherapy journal 2. Journal of the American Art Therapy Association 3. American Psychological Association Psychological Bulletin 4. Consciousness and Cognition journal 5. Art Therapy Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.
As we learn more about neuroscience, we’re learning more + more about all the benefits of taking time to make art.
Integrating art + supporting artists has been a core value for Tullamore Lavender since the beginning. I want our business to support creativity in many different ways.
Here enters our new art making mural!
With the help of Wellington Waterloo Community Futures, County of Wellington, the Regional Tourism Organization 4 and the Province of Ontario, we installed a 4ft x 16ft collaborative art-making mural for our visitors.
The gorgeous colouring outline was designed by Brie Pointer, a Waterloo-region artist, just for the Tullamore Lavender Co. community. The art focuses on natural elements with a sprinkle of whimsy + joy. There are large + small elements to give open ended options for people to colour and participate however they like. For 1 minute or 20.
We installed Brie's custom artwork behind acrylic panels, so visitors could paint the mural again + again. In the shop we handed out paint for visitors to add their own touch to the mural. The paint is washable and environmentally friendly so once the mural is full, we wash just it off and start again!
I loved seeing the different iterations of the mural throughout our open season. Some versions were monochromatic, others bright and colourful. At times it was filled with detail and at others it was mostly scribbles from excited children.
The best part, is that the art making mural is now a forever feature of our farm. It will return season after season for people to enjoy + create.
xo, Stephanie