HOW DID ATTENTIVE ART COME ABOUT?

Having asked the question ‘What is wrong with me?’ all my life. I decided to find out for myself.

I started with a certificate in Psychology and Mental Health from Liverpool University followed by another one in Mindfulness from Monash University. I began making art again. I have always loved to paint and draw, to write and take photographs. My first exhibition after graduating with a design and business degree from Brighton University was at the old Aldwych tube station and was a great success. I continued to exhibit my work and develop my practice. Several years later though I’d had enough of the mental spirals and so began my quest. The link between art and mental health became apparent to me and I realised making art was something I had always used for my own personal therapy.

I found a course in Creative Mindfulness from the School of Modern Psychology. I trained with them for a few years in a deep dive into the creative psyche and it was utterly fascinating. I learned so much about myself as well as gaining certificates in Solution Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a qualification as a Creative Mindfulness Practitioner and a Diploma in Modern Psychology.

I qualified in December 2020. At the time I was running the creative sub section of the Psychologies Magazine Facebook Group. I was one of several ambassadors selected by the magazine to help with the group, I was also writing a blog on their platform which I later turned into a book. I put all my knowledge together with my creativity and Attentive Art was created.

But my quest wasn’t quite over.

I had learned many facts about the mind and the subconscious and had done a lot of internal searching and therapeutic work, but it still didn’t answer the question of ‘why me, why do I feel like this, why is it all so difficult?’

In 2024 I was diagnosed with ADHD and in 2026 I received a diagnosis of ASD. This was not the answer I expected but it has been an absolute revelation. The people who question the reality of AuDHD have no idea.