“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” — Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness The light patterns in this picture captured my eye as I was walking. On my daily walks, when I see with my visual eye, I am present. Across the spectrum of mental health symptoms… Continue reading Therapeutic Creativity for Presence and Flow
Recovery Blog
Therapeutic Creativity for Relaxation
In order to create, we draw from our inner well. This inner well, an artistic reservoir, is ideally like a well-stocked fish pond… If we don’t give some attention to upkeep, our well is apt to become depleted, stagnant, or blocked…As artists, we must learn to be self-nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously… Continue reading Therapeutic Creativity for Relaxation
Therapeutic Creativity for Connection and Communication
Government House, Victoria BC Creativity for Connection “We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.” - William James I love how photographs capture connection. During this walk with my dad, we experienced the joy of watching this buck nibble on some leaves. The photographs I take on… Continue reading Therapeutic Creativity for Connection and Communication
Therapeutic Creativity for Sustenance: Joy, Meaning, and Purpose
"Next month brings the blue moonAnd a meaningful message:There is a lot to protect herethe wild feminine, the fertile creativityand these full moons of ritualgreat magnetic forces of change"~From The First Poem I Wrote, Published in We'Moon, Meegan Simpson-Cooke Parksville 2026 Creativity can bring joy, meaning and purpose to our lives. Having something that sustains… Continue reading Therapeutic Creativity for Sustenance: Joy, Meaning, and Purpose
Video Blog: Therapeutic Creativity for Feelings
Photo by Mitch on Unsplash Throughout our day, as we are responding to what we are experiencing in our lives, emotions surface. Many adults have learned to suppress feelings in order to function socially or to navigate the realities of adult life. Many of us were taught that certain emotions are not okay. Often, we… Continue reading Video Blog: Therapeutic Creativity for Feelings
Video Blog: How Perfectionism and Self-Compassion Co-Exist
"Orca Oracle" Therapeutic Art by Meegan Simpson-Cooke It feels right that before making more videos about creativity and mental health recovery to approach what is often an elephant in the room when we talk about creativity: perfectionism. Many people believe that they are not creative or that their creativity is not good enough. Similarly, people… Continue reading Video Blog: How Perfectionism and Self-Compassion Co-Exist
Video Blog: An Introduction to the Art of Mental Health
I thought I'd change things up and make some videos for my blog. I was feeling a bit restless in my blog writing process as I have been blogging regularly since the fall of 2024. I want the blog to feel like it evolves and grows and so making videos is one way to do… Continue reading Video Blog: An Introduction to the Art of Mental Health
Health Anxiety: Facing Fears with Intention
Screenshot of My List Reminder Before my Health Procedure If I were to name my top five fears in life, health anxiety would be one of them. It's not simply because I have general anxiety that I have fear around my health or that I feel sensitive to intrusive medical procedures. What I've been through… Continue reading Health Anxiety: Facing Fears with Intention
A Mini Break This Week
Photo from Government House, Victoria, BC The day after tomorrow I have a medical procedure. I was going to write a post on health issues and mental health for this week but I realized what I most needed was to focus on rest and preparing for the procedure. I am posting this a day earlier… Continue reading A Mini Break This Week
Mental Health in the Garden: A Photographic Journey of My Work Week
“My garden is my favorite teacher.” – Betsy Garmon This is the second year that I have spent working for my aunt's gardening business, Inspired Market Gardens. She sells flowers, vegetable and herb plants as well as fresh cut flowers. I water, fertalize, transplant and help customers. This year I reflected on what this work… Continue reading Mental Health in the Garden: A Photographic Journey of My Work Week