Laughing Geese

30/07/2026

There was a time, particularly in the early years of arts in health and social care, when I often heard comments like these:

"There's no point in asking him. He definitely won't join in."

"She doesn't like mess. Don't ask her to do any art."

"No... he's never been interested before. Leave him be."

These comments weren't usually unkind. They came from relatives and staff who genuinely cared and wanted to protect the person from embarrassment, disappointment or distress. Their views were shaped by what they had experienced before.

This is something creative health practitioners may still encounter today.

Sometimes the work is questioned before it has even begun. That can feel disheartening. Yet it helps to remember that resistance is often a form of caring, and is not ‘against’ you.

Rather than trying to persuade, begin by creating safety. Take a slow breath and ground yourself. Acknowledge the person's concerns.

Build rapport before expecting participation. I've seen artists invite staff or family members to help lay out the materials, browse through images, or simply chat about colours. No pressure. No expectation to "do art."

As trust grows, curiosity grows too. People gain a glimpse of possibility. Sometimes it happens in that first session. Sometimes it’s two or three sessions in. A hand reaches towards a paintbrush. Someone comes over and picks up a puppet. There’s a first mark on the page. The lady who doesn’t like mess is doing decoupage. A smile appears.

And the conversation shifts from "There's no point..." to..."Well... we could just try and see."

Tiny steps with trust and confidence in the process.

29/07/2026

Have you ever been to Wit’s End and wished you could get ‘home’?

Not the wonderful Wit’s End Café in Whitby, but the Wit’s End written about in the 14th Century by William Langland. The Wit’s End that is so perplexing, so beyond our knowledge, that not even astronomers - (who look outside the world) -know what to do.

There are some experiences (relationships, illness, overwork) that can feel so disconcerting, they are hard to articulate … and that’s where a creative - and surprisingly fun- approach comes in.

“A map suggests where to look: discover this, reexamine that, put one thing in relation to another, orient yourself, begin here.” – Miles Harvey, The Island Of Lost Maps
Sometimes we need to make our own marks on the page, express the landscape of our hearts and display the terrain of our lived experiences.

I developed the Carer’s Map in the 1990’s and have adapted and used it with hundreds of people in different groups ever since. No artistic experience is required to participate online.

Whether you care for someone or are interested in personal growth, I would love to welcome you to join me on a creative exploration over four sessions on Tuesday evenings starting August 4th at 7pm.

The four sessions follow a journey from wherever you are now through what people sometimes describe as 'bumpy' landscapes to the meaning of home.
To book your place, follow the link.

https://karrie-marshall.mykajabi.com/finding-your-way-a-creative-journey-for-family-carers

28/07/2026

Part of my work is to gently acknowledge the reality of working in highly pressured care systems. This is based on staff feedback, current research, and lived experience across health and social care sectors.

I’m interested in how we restore a sense of possibility and stability even in the midst of working within impossible systems – not to put up with them – but to remain steady enough to think, speak, and act clearly in response.

I meet many people who have a clear passion for supporting others – but not if that means becoming unwell and exhausted themselves.
This is an important shift from a well established culture that promoted ‘coping at any cost’.

Have you noticed a shift in how far you are willing to stretch?

Or do you regularly feel under pressure to go the extra mile ?

New recommendations for staff support are still finding their way into practice.
The recognition of staff as human beings is here. The vision for staff having opportunities to thrive is here. Intentions for staff well-being are in the staff standards.

Do you have a sense of this in your own workplace yet?

27/07/2026

A creative team ran open workshops in various community settings. They did not always know who would walk through the doors, or what kind of support people might need.

The majority of the work was positively experienced, even though many people arrived in anxious states. Strong connections were made through a variety of creative encounters and shared arts projects.

Occasionally, one or two people came because they were experiencing life challenges. They needed somewhere to express a very real sense of injustice. Their behaviour or attitudes could be distressing.

Although the team were excellent at nurturing creative connections, there was an understandable anxiety at the beginning of the community sessions. There were protocols and safety measures in place, including the use of codes if help was needed. But the staff needed something to ease these initial anxieties.

The first foundation of The Four Five Formula® is all about being centred and feeling safe. Mindful breath work can play a huge role in this. There are many micro-resets that can be used to calm the nervous system, and this is vital for clarity of thinking and for personal safety.

The team took a few minutes to practice being centred before opening the doors. It was a gamechanger. The staff felt calmer, steadier and more ready for whoever arrived. That self-check-in and adjustment to feel safe was an energy booster too.

I saw how it changed the environment. Participants walked into a calming, safe space. People just popping in for a quick chat remarked on how peaceful and relaxing the workshops felt. People behaved differently – less guarded, more comfortable – and gradually more confident enough to suggest ideas or offer support.

We cannot underestimate how much people need to feel a sense of safety and reassurance in the world in order to grow - and how powerful the effect is when a team of people consciously create that state within themselves first.

CENTRED-SAFETY - one of the four foundations in The Four-Five-Formula®
Back next Monday for more.

24/07/2026

- reflection

What might you allow yourself to change your mind about?

My first thought was that maybe I need to revise my decision to run five different weekly storylines across different platforms for different groups of people.
'Thank goodness' said the writer in me. 'How will I ever complete books if I'm so busy creating online content?'

Many of us will have experienced enough clarity to know when to change our minds about a career, relationship, where we live, or the purchase of something we could not really afford.

But there are many decisions we make that hang around in the land of uncertainty – niggling away in the background. The social media decision was like that.

So - there was some relief in knowing that I could change my mind.

And within that relief came enough grace to feel self-compassion rather than self-criticism for jumping into my brave growth (which is the theme of the Inspire Your Life Authentically programme this month).

But here’s the thing I’ve been noticing for years –
within self-compassion is a portal to possibility.

Possibility opens things up -
so now I WANT to continue running the different stories for different groups across different social media platforms! I want to see what works – and it’s all related to my books anyway.
So that's settled then - at least for now. 🌟

What decision might you allow yourself to reconsider this weekend?

22/07/2026

WednesdayWisdom - FamilyCarers

You hear it all the time –

‘you must look after yourself’ …
‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’ …
‘your selfcare matters’ –

Those well intentioned and vital views can become a background hum. People describe the exhaustion they feel when caring for a family member.

“How does anyone get time to care for themselves?” they ask. “Half or me is trying to deal with my husband’s despair. The other half is trying to keep everything going when it’s all falling apart.”

That’s a lot of responsibility.
Caring for a family member is often uninvited, unplanned for, and not always wanted. It can take a lot of lonely days and sleepless nights to find a way through.

Caring for your own needs is often last on the list of considerations.

It’s important to know that you are doing your best – and your best changes depending on how well you feel each day. Self-care can begin with that.

These weekly sessions share real carers’ experiences and notes from an online programme: ‘Finding Your Way: A Creative Journey For Family Carers’

More information can be found below.
Meanwhile, back here next Wednesday 11am Facebook
and 7pm Bluesky



://www.karriemarshall.com/finding-your-way-a-creative-journey-for-family-carers
begins August 4th 2026 x four sessions

20/07/2026

"I use it in my leadership role"
"I use it when stepping into a client's space."
"I use it in my relationships"

These are some of the ways people have told me they use The Four Five Formula® - a way of being for sustainable care that underpins all our work.

Will be sharing something about what this is and examples of how this works and even transforms experiences on Mondays at 8am.



Karrie Marshall

09/07/2026

Compassion For Staff Working In Pressured Systems (a part of my staff support work)

I have tracked shifts in staff support since the 1990’s. It is good to see we are now in a time of transition
There is growing re-recognition of the value of staff who thrive best in supportive environments –
This matters because staff are human.
It turn the support influences the wellbeing of all who access health and social care services.

The Staff Standards are part of that growing recognition.

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08/07/2026

❤️ I love time travelling!
We all do it!
We travel at approximately 1 second per second - except when we’re flying or travelling to space (then we’re slightly slower in time – unless you’re a GPS satellite).
We experience a form of time travel when crossing physical space, seeing photographs, touching objects or having conversations that activate emotional memory.
Time travel often features in dementia care. It is important to figure 'when a person is' to help understand the context of communication (because it all makes sense in context).
However, the concept of time travel and emotional memory is also relevant to ALL of us.
🌟 The brain uses emotional memory to mentally simulate the future.
What we create in our minds really matters for what we experience in our lives.
✍️ Join me in ‘Finding Our Way: A Creative Journey For Family Carers’ starting August 4th.
https://www.karriemarshall.com/finding-your-way-a-creative-journey-for-family-carers