Book Holiday is a 15-day e-course which allows you to immerse yourself in the joy of books, arts and crafts, with a view to improving mental health and wellbeing.

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It will help you to calm your mind, lower your anxiety and make space for your own needs.

 

I had a very difficult upbringing and endured multiple traumas. Over the years, I have engaged with many different therapies in an effort to improve my mental health. When I came up with the idea for Book Holiday, I was super-stressed, and a friend told me to just take a week off and do nothing but read books. 

 

I loved that idea of taking a vacation from life – and from my own head, really – and so Book Holiday was born. 

 

As an award-winning paper artist, author, and book sculptor, I wanted to expand the course beyond merely encouraging you to read and give you the opportunity to use books as springboards for craft, illustration and word-play as a form of creative care.

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I've taught book sculpture at both New York's Center for Book Arts and Morgan Conservatory, been honoured with an American Illustration Award, shortlisted in the World Illustration Awards twice and have two illustrated books out worldwide - Papercut This Book, and First Art Kit.

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By immersing myself in books, arts and crafts, I found a way to calm my mind, lower anxiety and make space for my own needs. During this course, I will teach you how to do the same, and:

 

*Give yourself permission to indulge in creativity

*Build and use your own Creative Care Plan 

*Experience a sense of mastery from your achievements

*Reach an absorbing ‘flow state’, where you don’t notice time passing

*Learn to incorporate Book Holiday skills into your daily life

*Build a creative toolkit to allow you to de-stress anywhere, any time, when you finish the course. 

*Learn and improve your book-arts skills

*Find encouragement and support from @thebookholiday community on Instagram

 

Book Holiday is, of course, laid out like a book. Each chapter contains an introduction, then a craft or a prompt for you to make or do something without direction.

 

Throughout Book Holiday, there are also book-related articles, reading lists, advice and tips from experts, spoken-word, dressing-up… and even food and drink!

 

Book Holiday, like the best kind of vacation, allows you to unwind and de-stress, but also to try something new, inspire, delight and make you smile. 

 

There’s no pressure on this Book Holiday – just do everything in your own time at a pace that’s pleasurable for you, whether it’s the absorption of all day, every day, or once a week. You choose: it’s your holiday.

 

Some of Book Holiday is portable, so you have a de-stress kit to hand whether you’re riding on public transport, sitting at work, or stuck at home. 

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Wherever you are, I want you to take a break for creative care and visit new places in you mind that will soothe your soul.

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Book Holiday © Boo Paterson

Art Nurse is a registered Trademark

Photo by Laurence Winram