Creativity
Creative activities have been proven to boost your mental health and wellbeing.
By exploring the arts, whether that be taking part in, watching or experiencing, you can become more aware of your own feelings, learn from others and make positive changes in your life.
Organisations and projects
The Brock is a social enterprise that provides therapeutic garden, woodwork and craft activities, leisure activities and day trips for people with chronic mental health conditions, and broadens their links to their local communities.
Firefly offers theatre skills, film and drama activity for children and young people aged 5 to 25 years across West Lothian.
Generation Arts aims to improve the lives of people aged 50 years old and over through creative activity.
Get2Gether provides social opportunities for people with disabilities living in the Lothians. Its newsletter has fun activities you can do at home and its social events include music, dancing and craft sessions.
Howden Park is a venure for arts performances, music, theatre, comedy, dance, exhibitions, classes and food.
The Uphall and Broxburn Heritage Trail is an outdoor exhibition showing a series of artwork inspired by the history of the two towns.
Trash Panda provides audio hire and live event production as a way to help to improve mental health in our community.
Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival is one of Scotland’s most diverse cultural events, aiming to support the arts and challenge preconceived ideas about mental health.
If you are looking for support that involves creative activities, please go to our service directory and find what services and project are available to you.
Public art map
There is over 100 pieces of public art around West Lothian. See which one is closest to you using the map below:
Ideas and resources
Creative activities can include:
- drawing
- painting
- taking photographs
- listening to music
- playing an instrument
- writing stories or poetry
- dancing
- singing
- crafting
We have found some great resources for you to learn more about the benefits of creative activities as well as some ideas on how to get started:
NHS Lothian’s Art Therapies’ online arts resources for self-care
Art in Healthcare’s online resource of techniques and inspiration to get creative
83 Benefits of Journaling for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress from Positive Psychology
Room for Art’s ‘Positive Places’ online exhibition
Art and mental health research from the Mental Health Foundation
6 mindful crafts to help you switch off by Kathryn Wheeler at Happiful
Arts and Creative therapies factsheet from Mind
Five great mental health benefits of art from Art from the streets
Share your creativity with us!
Let us know what creative projects you’re doing and what resources have inspired you. Please send them to us at
julie.huggan@health-in-mind.org.uk or share them on Twitter #Westspace.
Our Westspace volunteer keeps well by painting at home and with her art group. Check out her beautiful watercolour painting.