Have you ever felt nervous or apathetic about an upcoming meeting with colleagues or acquaintances? I used to, often. But not anymore. That wonderful scientific discipline called neuroscience which informs us about the nervous system has its own explanation, arguing that when there’s a lack of coherence between our feelings and actions, our nervous system is on high alert, translating as a feeling of discomfort. . Crassly put when we cannot be ourselves and feel like we have to fit into certain roles, our bodies reject those encounters in which we are not relaxed because we are in a state of alertness.

Let’s think about all the encounters of the last week, whether they were personal or professional. Then think of the ones where you felt most welcomed and therefore most comfortable and able to shine. Being completely honest with yourself, were there more than five of these moments? If so, then you might not be in urgent need of joining The Healthy Art Club, but if you have trouble thinking of a time when you felt great about an encounter, I’d love to invite you to experience one of my workshops.

One of the main reasons I founded The Healthy Art Club was to be able to offer healthy encounters.What do I mean by this? Well, just as when we become unwell, it’s our body telling us that something is thrown off-balance when we’re healthy, we’re in tune and everything feels in place.This is why I like to talk about ‘healthy’ and ‘less healthy’ encounters. Healthy ones are balanced, which don’t take a lot of effort, where we give and receive in equal measure, and where everything is in place. They might sound utopian, but they exist, and they’re the basis of the methodology behind The Healthy Art Club.

Sharing with others, and experiencing an empathetic feeling of being accompanied through group dynamics and artistic processes allow us to demonstrate that we are the only ones who live, feel and think. The dynamics I offer are created from a place of respect and by listening and welcoming everything that might arise in a meeting —and returning them healed. The artistic techniques we use are always inclusive and pleasant: watercolour, pigments, clay, and geometry, while all wonderful, also provide ‘delicious excuses’ to generate welcoming encounters where we perceive ourselves and others. It’s where we end up living our human nature based on social sharing.

I’m currently reading an incredible book by someone I really admire, Rosa Montero, “El peligro de estar cuerda’. For Spanish readers, I highly recommend it. She perfectly explains why human beings need healthy encounters in it: “We love collective activities that heal, excite and complete us so much because doing things together allow us to be you and others. To be you thanks to others.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself, and I can assure you that our meetings at The Healthy Art Club are designed for togetherness. Because today more than ever, we need healthy encounters