Opportunities for creative outlets and play are essential for mental wellness in our modern world. They are also difficult to prioritize in our busy, fast paced lives. But, the times we struggle the most, are also the times that those ‘nice things’ can become non negotiable for survival.
As a solo mama, ‘nice things’ are not hugely prolific in our daily lives, nor are they easy to make time and resources for. But they are still essential for our mental wellbeing and that of our tamariki and whanau. Getting frustrated with the lack of solutions we could find, Kelsey and I decided to take the leap to try and create some. For ourselves, our tamariki and for others.
In May, we launched Social Nexus, a community hub project focused on creativity, healing, empowerment and community for wahine and whanau based in Kaipatiki (Parakai). We have a range of projects and opportunities which we continue to develop, including Rodney Rocks, a rock hunting community art project based at Kaipatiki Reserve, Tired Mama Retreats and our Create and Connect events which we run monthly.
Our Create and Connect events are an opportunity to come together and share time and space collectively. We have a creative pursuit at the centre of our time together and surround that with discussions and sharing around a particular topic.
Our events for the rest of the year are fully booked, upcoming in January we have a whanau Create and Connect event for all ages based around mythical creatures and creations. We have fairy doors and houses, dragon hatcheries and the ingredients to dream up something entirely novel. Our whanau events are for all ages.
In February, our adults focus Create and Connect event is Artful Affirmations. Using watercolors, stencils and other art resources to create artistic posters, we will add affirmational reminders to help keep your pou/inner still as we launch back into another school year for 2025.
More details can be found on our Facebook page or website, socialnexus.nz
