Having started way back in February, May has been the month that I have completed a 100 day challenge of making daily patterns. I set this task, taking my weekly themes from those previously provided by the wonderful creatives of UK based 'Making It In Design’ and worked using a range of approaches, continuing my sketchbook and phtotgraphy practices and working in Adobe Illustrator and Procreate. With the time pressures and all, I soon found the daily practice invigorating. Learning quite a bit about all manner of things as I went, I can now sit on this, the other side of the 100 days (at this stage, I'm still making daily patterns!) to see what such a practice produces. These 100 + patterns are nestled in the #yshstudio_yvey Instagram feed.

May has been a month of many things including being the month that my little one was taken terribly ill - back to well now thankfully - but then, we spent the second week of the month joined together in hospital, sorting complex illhealth, receiving great care from the clever staff at the Children's of Monash whom I thank so much, and daily, still.

Days after the hospital discharge I learned I was redundant, my workplace of 21+years no longer offering multidisiciplinary team care, clinical arts therapy/ psychotherapy, to people in need of palliative care at home, and their families.

So as May closes counting my blessings, I am thinking of the great fortune I have had in meeting such a large number of the most, wonderful people, feeling the sincere privilege that it has been to have been working with so many for such a time, in such uniquely tender, creative, loving/healing ways, across such a broad geography of Metro Melbourne and metro to semi-rural parts of Victoria, seeing many things in my killometers of traveling, providing arts therapy in team-care to people in need and their families, at home. Bless you all.

Across May, providing Arts Therapy Superivision continued, accompanied by lovely Arts Therapy & Psyche. learning: online from Canada, the 'Use of the Expressive Therapies Continuum in Supervision', online from NZ 'Peer Supervision' ed., online from the USA, NICAMB training working with people healing 'core beleifs of Shame'.

In the Studio drawing, photography and the oil painting has continued, bringing further progress to the collection being developed for eventual exhibition. No Archibald hang for Janae's painted portrait this year but a very special bouquet making time was spent at 'Cruden Farm' that has helped my study of complex blooms, folliage and still life.

Today's close of May brings the seasonal end of providing face painting in my beautiful country spaces - too cold to hold and work the paint out in the elements. But before it's ended I've also enjoyed days of online learning attending the 6th Annual Face Painting Summit from Europe. The long wait for warmer weather begins.

So that has been May, Mental Health Awareness Month, complete with Palliative Care week, the week my work completed, and I'm sending goodness out to all. I hope you are fairing well where you are, and we will, in conection with nature and in our kindness with one another.

Until next month, stay warm, see you in Winter.

Maybe paint, draw, laugh or make music, rest, then paint some more...

My very best to you,