My Doodle Place offers free “Peace in the Midst of Covid-19”, “Fire Break” creativity courses
Research is showing the benefits creativity can have for people in many ways and creativity in any form can be calming and helpful for us in mind, body, spirit, says Lin, creator of My Doodle Place – an online resource she created to help others with two, self-paced, family-friendly courses that deal with finding peace during difficult times.
One of the free courses, “Peace in the Midst of Covid-19” was designed to help families and individuals dealing with loneliness, anxiety, and fear of the unknown related to the ongoing pandemic and public health crisis; while the other free course, “Fire Break” is intended to help people process their fears and anxieties over the upcoming wildfire season in a healthy way, “which will hopefully then ease them, instead of keeping them bottled up and unexpressed or expressed in unhealthy ways,” the My Doodle Place creator explains.
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Lin, a California resident – where wildfires over the last few years have ravaged the landscape and terrified residents left fleeing for their lives as flames destroyed their communities – went on to say, “Living here where wildfires are a huge concern and the past year+ with the effects of covid-19 on all of us, I wanted to create something to help support people in mind, body, spirit, in the privacy of their own homes, that is family-friendly, and self-paced.”
“Using the Cosmic Smash Book process, My Doodle Place provides a creative, easy to use and enjoyable tool to explore what peace is and how we can experience it in the midst of all the changes COVID-19 brought to life as we know it,” Lin, who describes herself as a creativity enthusiast who wants to share the benefits that creativity can have for us “mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually”, explained; saying that the same method is used in the free “Fire Break” course.
“The Cosmic Smash Book method, developed by, Catt Geller, is an adaptable, flexible, unique, thoughtful, enjoyable way of art journaling for mental and emotional processing of things within our hearts and minds,” Lin said of the free courses.
In her free video series, Lin takes the time to walk her viewers, step-by-step, through the creative process, while teaching participants how to find peace through art. “This will hopefully then ease their anxieties, instead of keeping them bottled up and unexpressed, or expressed in unhealthy ways,” says Lin.
“Just by doing this method, I also think we can process things physically and spiritually, as well as things past, present, and future.”
“This creativity method is a gentle, deep, thorough, non-threatening way to express and process thoughts, feelings, questions, emotions, hopes, dreams, etc. within the full gamut of human experience,” Lin continued; adding, “The possibilities are limitless because creativity is limitless.”
“The value of this unique creativity method is immeasurable in the impact it can have, as well as it being useful as a lifelong tool,” she explained. “Incorporating the five senses, movement, breathing, deep listening and more while using lines, shapes, colors, mark making, collage, writing, paint, oil pastels, colored pencils, crayons, pens, markers, etc. you can discover what your heart has to say and create your own Heart Art in a Cosmic Smash Book.”
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“So, with no financial risk, people can try for themselves a shortened and still impactful version of the Cosmic Smash Book experience and see how creativity might be beneficial to them and the children in their lives,” the My Doodle Place creator continued; adding, “If people have only 5 minutes a day to check out my courses, small increments of creativity time are also beneficial to us.”
“Taking care of ourselves in times of stress is especially important and creativity is one way, an enjoyable way for all ages, to do that,” Lin stressed; adding, “The ongoing stress of covid-19 and with another wildfire season soon upon us I do think my courses are a valuable and beneficial way for individuals and families to express and take care of themselves.”
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Retreat, Workshop and Class space is limited. For more information, visit mydoodleplace.com.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.