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ArtPlay Creative

Art Psychotherapy & Creative Wellbeing Services

ArtPlay Creative

Art Psychotherapy & Creative Wellbeing Services

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artplaycreativeuk

✨ Nickie Johnson
🎨 Qualified Art Psychotherapist
🧩 HCPC Registered
🌈 Full BAAT Member
🌼 Enhanced DBS

Valentine’s Day can be a beautiful spotlight… but

Valentine’s Day can be a beautiful spotlight… but it doesn’t only shine on romantic love. It glows just as brightly on the quiet, everyday ways we care for ourselves and each other. ❤️

Today is a gentle invitation to soften toward your own heart. To speak to yourself with kindness. To rest if you’re tired. To create space for the parts of you that are still healing, still hoping, still learning how to be held.

And from that place… love ripples outward.

In the check-in text you send.
In the patience you offer.
In the listening that says “you matter.”

Self-love isn’t separate from loving others. It’s the well we draw from. When we tend to it, there’s more warmth to give… and more capacity to receive it too.

So whether today feels full, tender, joyful, or complicated… may you hold yourself with care.

You are worthy of the love you so freely give away. 💌

#SelfLove #SelfCompassion #ValentinesDay #EmotionalWellbeing #MentalHealthMatters LoveAndCare TherapeuticSupport HealingJourney BeKindToYourself Connection ArtTherapy CreativeHealing artplaycreativeuk

I couldn’t resist this trend… 🤣🎨✨ Floating betwee

I couldn’t resist this trend… 🤣🎨✨

Floating between feelings, colour, courage, and cups of tea… this little caricature captures the heart of what being an Art Psychotherapist feels like to me. Not fixing. Not steering. Just gently travelling alongside… with creativity as the vehicle.

In the therapy space, art becomes a language when words feel tangled, shy, or simply not enough. A scribble can hold anger. A wash of colour can carry grief. A tiny clay figure can speak volumes about strength.

Sometimes the work feels grounded and quiet.
Sometimes it feels like riding a giant paintbrush through a rainbow storm of human experience. Both are true.

And always… it’s a privilege to witness what unfolds when people are given space to explore, express, and be seen.

🖼️ Image description:
A whimsical caricature illustration of me as an art psychotherapist, flying through the clouds on a giant paintbrush, holding an oversized pencil. Surrounding me are colourful art materials, glowing lightbulbs, hearts, and a cosy therapy room floating on a cloud, symbolising creativity, emotional exploration, and the nurturing therapy space.

#arttherapy #artpsychotherapy #creativehealing #therapythroughart #personcentred mentalhealthsupport creativeexpression playandprocess healingthroughcreativity artplaycreativeuk

Some spirals lift us. Some spirals pull us under.

🌙️✨ “As the night gets dark, let your worries fade

Yay for Art 💖🎨🌈 Life may bring the serious stuff,

Sometimes the most healing thing we can do is let

✨ Happy New Year ✨ As we step into a new year, it

✨ Happy New Year ✨

As we step into a new year, it can bring hope, curiosity… and sometimes a bit of heaviness too.

If you’re finding yourself needing a fresh start, some space to breathe, or a different way of making sense of things, art therapy might be a helpful place to begin.

You don’t need to be “good at art”.
You don’t need the right words.
Just a willingness to show up and be met with care, creativity and compassion.

If this new year feels like a moment for support, reflection, or gentle change, you’re not alone 💛

If you’d like to know more about art therapy or explore whether it might be right for you, you’re very welcome to get in touch via email:
📧 info@artplaycreative.co.uk

#arttherapy #newyearnewbeginnings #creativehealing #mentalhealthsupport #personcentredtherapy #artplaycreativeuk

Wishing you a very gentle Christmas 💚 A time for

Wishing you a very gentle Christmas 💚

A time for rest, warmth, creativity, and being just as you are.

Thank you for being part of the ArtPlay Creative space this year - for your courage, your curiosity, and the moments of connection along the way. I hope the festive period brings softness, small joys, and time to breathe.

With warmth,
Nickie ✨

#MerryChristmas #ArtPlayCreative #ArtTherapy #GentleMoments #FestivePause #CreativeWellbeing #RestAndReflect #artplaycreativeuk

✨ Out of Office ✨ I’m taking a little festive pau

✨ Out of Office ✨

I’m taking a little festive pause to rest, reflect, and gently refill my creative cup 🫖💫

This time of year can be full of magic and mixed feelings, so I’m practising what I so often invite others to do: slowing down, softening, and making space for what’s needed.

Thank you to everyone I’ve worked alongside this year, clients, colleagues, and creatives - it’s been a privilege to witness so much courage, curiosity, and growth 🌱

Wishing you a gentle festive period, however you choose (or need) to spend it 💛

See you soon!

Nickie 💖 x

🎄🎨✨

#artplaycreativeuk
#arttherapy
#arttherapist
#creativehealing
#therapeuticart
selfcareseason
festivepause
gentlewinter
restandrecharge
creativepractice
holdingspace
mentalhealthsupport
slowdown
winterwellbeing

✨ A cosy Sunday afternoon well spent ✨ After an i

✨ A cosy Sunday afternoon well spent ✨

After an inspiring visit to The Art of the Brick exhibition yesterday, I couldn’t resist a little LEGO playtime of my own today. 🧱📸

There’s something so soothing about slowing down, clicking pieces together, and seeing something take shape — a gentle reminder that creativity can be both restful and playful. 🌈☕️💫

#SundayVibes #LEGOPlay #CreativeRest #PlayfulMind #artplaycreativeuk #lego #artofthebrick #build #create #art #arttherapist #mindfulartmaking #imagination #legobuild

Feeling inspired at The Art of The Brick Exhibit i

Feeling inspired at The Art of The Brick Exhibit in Leeds this weekend! Incredible sculptures created by artist @nathansawaya from purely LEGO bricks. Such a simple medium, but the possibilities are infinite 🧱💜

#artplaycreativeuk #nathansawaya #theartofthebrick #lego #build #create #legobrick #feelinginspired #play

🎃🧡 Happy Halloween from ArtPlay Creative! 👻🎨 Wish

🎃🧡 Happy Halloween from ArtPlay Creative! 👻🎨

Wishing you a day full of spooky giggles, glittery ghosts, and paint-splattered pumpkins! Whether you’re crafting, doodling, or just munching on too many sweets, may your creativity bubble and brew all day long. 🪄🍬

Stay playful, stay imaginative, and maybe make some boo-tiful art while you’re at it! ✨🕷️

#artplaycreativeuk #halloweenart #creativeplay #arttherapy #spookyseason #halloween #october #trickortreat

💚 World Mental Health Day 2025 💚 When the world f

💚 World Mental Health Day 2025 💚

When the world feels unsteady, creativity can help us find our footing again.

A gentle brushstroke, a line on a page, the swirl of colour meeting paper - small gestures that remind us we’re still here, still feeling, still human.

This year’s theme reminds us how vital it is that everyone has access to care and support, especially in moments of crisis or change. But care also begins in the quiet spaces - a kind word, a moment of play, the courage to reach out, or simply allowing ourselves to rest.

Art can hold those moments - offering comfort, connection, and a sense of belonging when words fall short.

Be gentle with yourself today. Creativity, compassion, and care all count. 🎨💫

#WorldMentalHealthDay #WMHD2025 #CreativeWellbeing #ArtTherapy #MentalHealthAwareness #artplaycreativeuk

Finished, and she has a friend… 🌸🧡🖤💜 #artplaycrea

Finished, and she has a friend… 🌸🧡🖤💜

#artplaycreativeuk #art #artwork #sketchbook #doodle #painting #face #paint #process #mindfulart

Just playing with colour and seeing what comes out

Just playing with colour and seeing what comes out… I’m not quite sure who she is yet, or what she might represent, but I’m enjoying the process of letting her unfold. A little work in progress and a reminder to myself that art doesn’t always need answers straight away 🌿🎨✨

#workinprogress #artprocess #watercolorart #creativejourney #intuitiveart #artplay #makersgonnamake #creativityunfolding #artplaycreativeuk #art #arttherapy #face #woman #redhead #create #mindfulart #reflection

✨Reconnecting with creativity!✨ Lately I’ve been

✨Reconnecting with creativity!✨

Lately I’ve been reminding myself of the importance of making time for my own creative practice. As an art psychotherapist, I often encourage others to explore, play, and reconnect with the joy of making - and it feels grounding to practise what I preach.

This piece was created with alcohol inks, a medium I’ve always loved for its fluidity, unpredictability, and the way it invites you to let go of control. Returning to it feels like coming back to an old friend 💫 A reminder that creativity isn’t just something I hold space for in others, but something I also need to nurture within myself. 🌿🎨
Final image at the end… ⭐️

#artplaycreativeuk #artmaking
#creativepractice #arttherapist #alcoholinkart #playandcreativity #artastherapy #reconnecting

✨ Work in progress ✨ Today I’ve been exploring re

✨ Work in progress ✨

Today I’ve been exploring reflective art making inspired by neurographic art. This process is all about slowing down, following the flow of lines, and noticing what emerges along the way. I love how the unexpected shapes and colours create space for reflection and self-discovery.

Sometimes the journey of the pen across the page feels a bit like untangling thoughts or emotions — messy, organic, and beautifully imperfect. 💭🖊️🎨

Do you ever find yourself zoning out into doodles that become something more?

#ArtTherapy #ReflectiveArt #NeurographicArt #ArtMaking #CreativeJourney #ArtForWellbeing #artplaycreativeuk

🎨 Spaces now available for 1:1 Art Therapy! 🌟 Som

🎨 Spaces now available for 1:1 Art Therapy! 🌟

Some of my wonderful clients have recently completed their therapy journeys, which means I now have openings to welcome new people into my practice.

Whether you’re looking for a safe space to explore feelings, process challenges, or reconnect with your creativity, art therapy can help. You don’t need to be “good at art” — it’s all about self-expression and what the process brings, not the finished piece.

📍 In-person sessions in my warm and welcoming Art Therapy room in Doncaster
💻 Online sessions via Zoom, MS Teams, or Google Meet – perfect if you can’t travel or prefer to be in your own space

I’m a fully qualified, insured, HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist, a full member of the British Association of Art Therapists, and hold an Enhanced DBS check.

💌 Get in touch today — message me, call 07835 260386, or email info@artplaycreative.co.uk to book your Free Creative Discovery Session (a gentle first step where we can meet, chat, and see if art therapy feels right for you).

I look forward to hearing from you!

Please share 💜

#artplaycreativeuk #ArtTherapy #DoncasterTherapist #OnlineTherapy #CreativeHealing #MentalHealthSupport #ArtForWellbeing #TherapyWithArt

🎨🐾 Making art, side by side… 💙 With their emotiona

🎨🐾 Making art, side by side… 💙
With their emotional support kitty snoozing close by, today’s session became a soft space for colour, expression, and connection.

There’s something special about the quiet presence of an animal during creative work - it calms the nervous system, softens the edges, and makes room for feelings that are hard to put into words.

We didn’t need to speak much. The paint said enough.
✨💛

Artwork shared is my own work created alongside my client 💖

#artplaycreativeuk #ArtTherapy #TherapyCat #EmotionalSupportAnimal #CreativeHealing #ArtForMentalHealth #NeurodivergentAffirming #SafeSpaces #ArtInProcess #TherapyWithCompassion #ArtPlayCreative

🌟✨ “Today you are YOU, that is truer than true… Th

🌟✨ “Today you are YOU, that is truer than true…
There is no one alive who is Youer than YOU.” ✨🌟
— Dr. Seuss

There’s something magical about embracing your uniqueness and creative expression is one of the most powerful ways to do it. 🎨💫

Through colour, shape, sound or scribble, we can show up as our truest selves. No rules. Just YOU. 🌞🌈

Let your light shine in all its creative, colourful glory 💛💖

#artplaycreativeuk
#ArtTherapy #DrSeussQuote #YouerThanYou #CreativeExpression #PersonCentredTherapy #BeYourself #CreativeHealing #MentalWellness #TherapyThroughArt #ArtPlayCreative #SelfAcceptance #Inspiration

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