Maria Chueca, Psychology student and Wellbeing Ambassador, shares her experience of running Student Support's Art for Wellbeing course – and why you don’t need to be ‘arty’ to show up.
University life is a lot. Between lectures, deadlines, and trying to figure out where you even belong, it’s easy to feel like you’re running on empty. As a Wellbeing Ambassador, I help run Art for Wellbeing – a six-week creative journaling course on Wednesday afternoons – and watching students come through the door each week, I see just how much a space like this is needed.
Art for Wellbeing is facilitated by Bath-based art therapist Samantha Hickman. Over six weeks, you build your own creative wellbeing journal using a different technique each session – collage, painting, lino printing, scribble drawings, blackout poetry, and more. Sam creates a space that genuinely feels warm and low-pressure. There’s tea, there are biscuits, and no one is judging anyone’s scribbles.
Each week has a loose theme that gently nudges you to reflect, but there’s no pressure to share anything you don’t want to.
One week, we chose an inspirational quote and worked it into our art however we liked. I picked “Do what they think you can’t do”. Another week, we tried blackout poetry. Sam brought in a selection of poems, and we each chose one to make our own, blacking out the words that didn’t speak to us and leaving the ones that did. What’s left is something personal that feels entirely yours.
Art has a quiet way of doing what nothing else quite can. When you’re focused on filling in a leaf or layering a collage, your brain gets a break from the loop of deadlines and self-doubt. You’re present in a way that’s hard to manufacture.
But beyond the art itself, what makes these sessions special is the community that builds around the table. People may arrive a little nervous, but leave having made friends, feeling more confident, and smiling. Over six weeks, something shifts and you start to feel less alone, more capable, more yourself. One student, Stella, captured it in a poem she wrote at the end of the course:
Art for Wellbeing by Stella Deugo
At the University of Bath I joined a Wednesday art class,
I went to meet new people, hoping nerves would pass.
We worked with stamps and collages laid out on the table,
With tea and biscuits shared quietly simple and stable.
A calm midweek space to unwind, talk, and learn new art,
Trying real techniques while keeping things light art heart.
So, you may be wondering, who is this class for? It is for everyone. Art for Wellbeing is designed for students who are curious about using creativity to support their wellbeing – whether you are navigating social anxiety, finding it hard to connect at university, or simply want somewhere welcoming to decompress mid-week. You don’t need experience. You don’t need talent. You just need to show up.
Art for Wellbeing is one of many 6 week wellbeing groups that Student Support runs each semester. Take a look at what else they offer through Social prescribing at Bath and follow Student Support on instagram @bathstusupport. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to Hannah Moore via groupsforwellbeing@bath.ac.uk.
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