Colouring canvases for mental health

ALTHOUGH the COVID pandemic has been devastating to many, for one Ballarat-based school counsellor, lockdown brought out her inner artist.

While on school break, completing her social worker studies and being a single mum, Holly Blackburn, found the time to kick start a creative venture.

“I haven’t done art for 14 years and in lockdown I got bored and needed a bit of a release,” she said.

“I’ve always loved art but it has always just taken me a bit to get started and get HAB ART going.

Without any expectations in mind, Blackburn put one of her canvases on Facebook marketplace for sale and was surprised by the positive response.

While she quickly received an influx of orders, she said she wasn’t interested in selling her pieces at high prices but rather wanted to continue making them for herself.

“I wanted to paint something for one of my walls and I didn’t like the first thing I did so I wondered if anyone would buy it so I could basically get back the money from the materials,” she said.

“I put it on marketplace and I had six people asking if I could do them one.”

“I just kept doing them and selling them on marketplace because I don’t have a proper website or store set up yet although that’s

something that I would like to do because I love it.”

Creating predominantly brightly coloured large canvases in a free-flowing style, Blackburn said she tries to just go with her gut instinct when creating her pieces.

“I don’t really have an idea in my head when I’m doing them and I don’t like it when people say can I do them something because it’s too much pressure,” she said.

“I think it’s abstract expressionism or flow art, it’s whatever I feel and it flows out.

“They always turn out better when I’m just doing it for myself and doing it for fun.”

Although she wouldn’t consider herself to be a traditional, fine artist, Blackburn said that doesn’t stop her from creating things that people love and that she finds joy in producing.

“I’m terrible at fine art, but I think that’s the beautiful thing about art is that could can be a fine artist or you can take a different avenue and make something that people want,” she said.

“Anyone could be creative if they have the time.”

“I don’t have that much time on my hands but it’s one of those things I don’t have to make time for, I just do it because I enjoy it.”

While she enjoys her art, Blackburn is committed to her day job, although she said it would be a dream come true to combine the two.

“When we go back to school, I’m hoping to do an art program with the kids because they have become disengaged over the COVID period,” she said.

“Incorporating art into what I already do would be ideal and this on the side is a real bonus.”

“Doing something like art therapy would be amazing and showing the kids that it’s not about being able to do anything special, it’s about being able to express yourself.”