Visualisation is a common practice among successful people. Brain scans show that the mind can’t tell what is real and what isn’t. Scans on Olympic athletes showed the parts of their brains that were active when physically practising a routine, were the same when they mentally went through it.

So if your subconscious can’t tell the difference between what is real and what isn’t, why aren’t we all living our dreams?

Because you don’t know how to feed your subconscious the thoughts that will take you there, partly because you don’t know what it will feel like to visit that country or have that career or live in that mansion or whatever your dream might be. We know how it feels in our current reality, we  know how it felt in our past, so we keep thinking thoughts from our past and present and creating the same situations we are used to.

As an abstract artist, I have often painted in times of stress, when things don’t seem to be working out for me, as the act of painting makes me feel better as it has a beneficial effect on my nervous system and my mood, it allows me to focus on the things I want to achieve, or for something to play out in a way that is different to the current reality I am experiencing. I didn’t realise it at the time but I was literally painting what I wanted on to the canvas, and by imagining it had already happened, things somehow unfolded in a way that worked out better than I first imagined.

In this workshop you will paint an abstract canvas to bring your desires into reality.

In your own time, using your choice of colours, creativity, music and your five senses, make your own artwork by painting the feelings of already having the thing that you want.

By visualising it in this way and creating a beautiful representation of it on canvas, you are more likely to bring it into your reality - especially when you hang your lovely self painted artwork in your home and look at it every day. It will remind you that what you want is on its way to you.

The ‘thing’ that you want could be a feeling, a state of mind, a relationship or an improvement in an existing one. It might be travel, a financial goal or an improvement to your living situation or location. It could be wardrobe related, car related or just a good night’s sleep.

I must add that this workshop is designed to be fun. The ideas behind it have worked for me and for others but I am not able to guarantee your results. I will say that your chances of creating the thing you desire will be greater if you take this workshop than if you don’t.

What will I need?

To enjoy this workshop you ideally need:

An art canvas. Paints, preferably acrylic. Brushes - five if you don’t want to use water or wash between colours. PVA glue and glue brush. Sequins or glitter. An open mind. Enthusiasm. A dream of a beautiful future. An apron is a good idea, as is a paper tablecloth.

To enjoy this workshop, you actually need:

Paper or something to paint on - can be a piece of wood, a cardboard box or newspaper. Five different colours of something, can be pastels, poster paint or marker pens. Fingers, five of them - who needs brushes anyway? Any form of adhesive. Sparkles are optional, but borrowing from your children is fine as long as they don’t mind.