Flow and Freedom - Mindful Art - Online Courses - Adult Learning

Discover the joy of creating without pressure, judgment, or the need to be “good at art.” Flow & Freedom: Mindful Art is a course designed to help you slow down, reconnect with yourself, and experience the therapeutic benefits of mindful creativity.

Through a combination of guided mindfulness practices, creative exercises, and intuitive painting activities, you will learn how to use art as a tool for self-expression, relaxation, and personal reflection. The focus is on the process rather than the final outcome, allowing you to explore colours, shapes, textures, and emotions with curiosity and freedom.

No previous art experience is required. Whether you are looking to reduce stress, nurture your creativity, or simply carve out time for yourself, this course offers a supportive and inspiring space to cultivate presence, confidence, and creative flow.

Through a series of enjoyable projects, demonstrations, and guided exercises, you will be introduced to the fundamentals sketching and painting while developing the confidence to express yourself artistically.

Throughout the course, you will learn:

• Simple mindfulness techniques to calm the mind and enhance focus

• How to approach art with curiosity rather than perfectionism

• Creative exercises that encourage self-expression and emotional awareness

• The use of colour, mark-making, and intuitive painting as mindful practices

• Ways to develop a sustainable creative and self-care routine

• How to access a state of flow and creative freedom in everyday life

What you need to bring to the course:

Sketching paper pad, graphite pencils, water based paints (watercolour OR acrylic) and, paint brushes, white acrylic gesso

Funding and Fees

If you receive certain benefits, you may be able to take the course for free.
If money is stopping you from enrolling, please visit our funding page to see what help is available.

Living in England

To book and join one of our courses, you must live in England permanently and either:

• Live inside the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) area (Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire)

or

• Live outside the devolved areas listed below

You cannot enrol if you live in these devolved areas:

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)

• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

• North East Combined Authority

• South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

• Tees Valley Combined Authority

• West Midlands Combined Authority

• West of England Combined Authority

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Hull and East Yorkshire

• Greater Lincolnshire

• Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority

• Cornwall Council

• Lancashire Combined County Authority

• Buckinghamshire Council

Residency Requirements (Additional Information)

If you live in the UK on a visa, we’ll need evidence of your visa to confirm funding. You can upload this when applying, and you’ll need to complete a short questionnaire.

Some exceptions include:

• Your visa must last until after your course ends.

• Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for at least 6 months while their claim is being processed.

• You are supported by your local authority under Section 23C or 23CA of the Children Act 1989, or under the Care Act 2014.

Anyone who does not meet the funding criteria would need to pay full course fees.