Mindfulness Workshop

Melissa, just want to thank you for all the podcasts and audio mindfulness practices I’ve received recently. The quality is good and I love the content, particularly the live recordings of your ambient soundscapes, walking/mindful meditation and beautiful music. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Mindful Creative Circle Groups, this has been a very uplifting experience for me! I appreciate my new tribe.

Thank you Melissa for sharing all your knowledge and wisdom in term 2, I look forward to term 3. Although I’ve only been to 4 classes so far, you have definitely helped me and I am so grateful to have met you. It’s my second day not smoking and the mindful breathing techniques are helping with the cravings!

Thank you.

I’d like to extend my heartfelt thank for you Mel, for a fantastic art course at Jannali SGSCC. My daughter loves attending and is justifiably proud of the beautiful artmaking she did.

Thanks for creating such a warm, safe space for children to be creative and enjoy themselves. I know what a commitment you have to your classes and students. Thanks for everything.

“Melissa came to our workplace and delivered a ‘Creative Self-care’ workshop with our team of Counsellors, Managers, Mediators and Admin staff. It was a wonderful reminder of the need for each of us to be taking responsibility for our own self care in our stressful, fast-paced lives. The art therapy – Zen Doodling was especially enjoyable and our team have collated our individual art works to make one large mural to be hung in our office, a creatively visual reminder of the need for self-care.”

“Melissa has facilitated a very informative and creative art workshop for our team of practitioners with the self-care as the theme. The team members have enjoyed the engaging & vibrant presentation with the electronic personal self-care action plan to follow up. We have experienced to create an individual creative doodle artwork and have been fascinated with the joint doodle artwork for the whole team joining together”

“Since joining Melissa’s Artfully Social classes I have experienced such fun and creativity achieving far more than I thought I could.  I  started out saying I can’t do this but with Mel’s enthusiasm and encouragement I have surprised myself with my efforts.  The classes are so varied and cover so many different aspects of art. All you need is the desire to have a go and Mel will make sure you end up with a masterpiece or near enough!  Love catching up with my Art friends each month and feel Melissa’s genuine warmth and enthusiasm”.

“I have been attending Live Well sessions at Orana for over a year now.  Melissa creates an amazing welcoming and inclusive session with interesting topics covering aspects we encounter throughout our lives.  At some of these meets I have cried and then I have laughed with friendly folk sharing our journey with Mel guiding us with such loving  care and generosity.”

“I was so pleased when Mel Martin asked me to write a short testimonial of her classes I attended. It has been difficult, both mentally and physically exhausting period for me having been diagnosed with Breast Cancer in August 2018 and subsequent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. I decided to enroll for Mel’s 4 week Living Mindfully Workshops in February, whilst still under radiotherapy treatment. The workshops have provided a wonderful means to help calm my mind, relax, enjoy meditation practices, connect with mindfulness and offered a wonderful creative outlet outside of home, where I found I was too preoccupied with family and home duties to fully relax. I enjoyed Mel’s classes so much that I subsequently enrolled for the half day Art Of Colourful Living workshop. Thank you Mel for bringing happiness and calm during this tough period of my life. Your workshops are unique and offer so many benefits under the one umbrella.”

“I participated in Melissa Martin’s Mindful Art classes for two terms and found the experience very valuable. Each class began with a different guided meditation, relaxation or mindful practice which helped put us in a relaxed state of being to then experiment with different art media, such as pen, paint, collage, pastels. It was a mixed age, gender class and included people with little art, nor mindfulness experience. Mel was respectful and responsive to each of us being individuals and asked what our goals were from the class and incorporated our goals into the mindful art  experiences, as well as helping and encouraging us. I personally found the course to be a highlight of my week. Mel’s class was a place outside of life’s normal stresses and habits, where  I could be helped to relax, to reflect on myself and to experiment and play with art expression and colour, which was liberating and great fun! As a person with experience of cancer, I am now a volunteer educator with Cancer Council’s “Healthy Living after Cancer ENRICH“ program which helps people with experience of cancer to live healthily. I am positive that Mel’s Mindful Art will provide people with experience of cancer with helpful, engaging, relaxing, mindful and fun experiences as well as healthy mindful practices to incorporate in life outside of class to help with living well . I highly recommend Melissa Martin and her teaching of  Mindfulness and Art.”

“Mel’s classes are so positive and inspiring. She puts a lot of effort into keeping us uplifted.  I wish her the very best in her future journeys”.

“Mel’s Artfully Social class is so unique combining a social environment as well as art tuition. As a beginner to art I have learned a lot about watercolour and acrylic techniques. There isn’t any pressure just a relaxed friendly class.”

“I have been with Live Well Orana for a few years and enjoy it a lot. We have interesting topics to talk about and a lovely group of people to be with. Artfully Social Orana is also very enjoyable. I never had any experiences of Art and I learned so much, I’m surprised at the great work I did.”

“I have been part of Live Well class for years and have found it informative, interesting and lots of Food for Thought. Melissa is an amazing person who is caring and really enjoys  sharing her knowledge with us and making a difference to our world. Her Artfully social class is very interesting and I have learnt so much about art as it  was new to me but she was very patient and gave me much encouragement.”

We feel nothing but love, support, patience, fulfilment, care and enjoyment attending Live Well, Artfully Social at Orana and The Nook Art Passage classes. Since the Sydney Covid Lockdowns,  we were delighted to be able to keep in contact by virtual support work. What’s App, Zoom, Soc Media, Mini-Podcasts, art ‘how to videos’ and Mel’s Art of Zen newsletters facilitated by Melissa. Mel is an Inspirer, an Engager, and Empowers her participants and students, including myself!  She promotes an environment where we feel we are not only able to share our contributions but also know it is actually considered and appreciated.  Thank you for being our Guide and Mentor! With Gratitude and Appreciation.

“Having been able to do various Art Classes with Melissa, has given me so much knowledge. Like, how to make the best of a few things that you have handy (especially in Lockdown) and made me want to do more.  Mel has worked with me one on one, SGSCC Jannali, Live Well Orana, Artfully Social classes at Orana and The Nook Miranda. Enjoyed all the classes and will do it again and again!!   Each class is a new topic and so different, I learn more about being creative and sharing with other deas and friendships.  It’s not only an Art Class, it’s more about knowing how to use a little talent to make you happy and content!  Each class is a day that I look forward to seeing the welcoming smile of Melissa, sharing a laugh or more with friends!  I always leave with a grateful heart, a smile on my face and a bag full of ideas… Thank you Melissa for these opportunities”.

I have been attending Artfully Social classes for the past 2 years.  Melissa has opened my eyes to a whole new world of creative pleasures.  Classes are always a lot of fun with different projects each time. We all work at our own pace with no pressure and no judgement.  Melissa is a wonderful teacher who makes everyone feel special. I have also enjoyed doing a 6 week art course at the Nook Miranda which took me further into the world of art.  I learnt many new techniques within a smaller group. Looking forward to learning more in the future.

Melissa Martin from Mel’s Art of Zen delivers excellent programs in the Holistic Therapeutic Areas. Her integration of her specialty Art Therapy and Creative Art Therapies, alongside her knowledge and practical application of Art & Spirituality place her in a niche which is progressive, relevant and of great value in today’s community & social dynamics. She is currently relevant and an asset in this field and I see her driving it towards further growth and development. I am very pleased to be a part of her Focus Study Groups as well as her Community Group initiatives. The program content is stimulating and enriching on many levels.

“Thank you for all the love, caring and kindness put into Mindful Musings and Artfully Social (virtual).  Both sites have been inspirational to me especially in these difficult times. Even though I am not in Sydney any more, you have helped me to keep in touch and I am very grateful.”

“It was a pleasure to do ‘Art Therapy’ with Melissa as a team-building activity. Melissa has an amazing energy that puts people at ease and she is extremely relational. The artwork the team did in small sections when put together was quite breathtaking.  This has been framed to hang in our office to remind us all of the importance of self-care.”