Burberry Inspire Wellbeing Resource

Close your eyes and visualise a warm beach and a cool drink. Imagine the sounds of the lapping waves, the soft sand under your feet, and the warm breeze on your face. Take some big deep breaths and imagine you’re there.

TIP: Play a piece of music in the background that reminds you of the beach.

AMAZING IF… Get moving to the music. Think about moving different body parts through the sand or sea, perhaps you roll through the sand, or jump over a wave.

On a plain piece of paper, draw round your hand. In each of the fingers, write one thing that you are grateful for at the moment.

TIP: These don’t have to be big things, just little things that have a positive effect. Like getting outside for fresh air, or a message from a friend.

AMAZING IF… You could decorate the hand with drawings as well. Use whatever materials you have access to, and make it bold and colourful!

Slow down and look at an image of an artwork for at least 2 minutes without distraction. Allow yourself time to make your own discoveries.

TIP: Let your eyes wander across every detail; colour, pattern, shape, texture, composition, light, narrative. What do you notice?

AMAZING IF… You pay attention to any feelings that come to you whilst you’re looking – frustration, impatience, curiosity, wonder, delight.

Supporting images for Slow Looking with Art can be found here. 

Draw an outline of a person, making sure there’s space to write inside and outside of the outline. Pick your favourite film character and a scene from the film that they are in. Outside of the outline, write some things that you know about them from watching this scene. Inside the outline write what you think they might be thinking or feeling in the scene.

TIP: Watch the scene a few times.

AMAZING IF… You try this again but think about yourself. What do other people know about you? Write these things outside the line. What do you think about yourself – you could include likes/ dislikes, opinions, motivations, secrets or dreams? Put these inside the line.

Play a trailer from a film that you’ve never seen on your device so you can hear the sound but not see the image, you can just turn away from the screen. Listen to 1 minute without doing anything, then listen again and write down 6 adjectives to describe how it makes you feel. Notice if these change throughout the soundtrack and think about why this might be.

TIP: Give yourself time to switch off everything around you and really listen to every little sound in the film. Listen a few times if you like.

AMAZING IF… You draw what you can see in your mind or even write the first paragraph of the story that could be being told.

Get your device and go outside. Take 3 photos of your surroundings. Try and focus on how you feel and see if you can take shots that reflect these feelings, these might include happy, bored, calm or stressed or maybe something else entirely.

TIP: Try looking at things from a different perspective, raise your camera up high or down low or even try taking a picture looking through another object. Think about how colour, texture and lighting can convey a mood.

AMAZING IF… You can take a little piece of video to go with one or all of your still photos and share this with someone at home.

Take notice of your breathing. Tune into your inhale breath coming in through your nose, and your exhale breath going out through your mouth. Place a drawing tool in the middle of your paper. Start drawing a spiral that grows out as you inhale and comes back in as you exhale.

TIP: With each breath your spiral doesn’t need to come back to
the same point along your spiral.

AMAZING IF… You repeat this for 10 breaths, seeing your spiral
grow over time.

Actors get nervous before they go onstage, so sometimes they practise mindful breathing to help them stay calm. Breathe naturally for a few rounds. Rest your hands on your stomach. Can you feel your stomach expand when you breathe in, and move inwards when you exhale? Now change to breathing in through your nose for 5 seconds, and holding your breath for 5 seconds. Then breathe out for 5 seconds through your nose, and hold your breath for 5 seconds. Repeat.

TIP: Visualise drawing a square in your mind, each count of 5 being one of the sides to help keep you focused.

AMAZING IF… You can close your eyes whilst doing it, and repeat for 5 rounds.

Stretch! Get yourself into a space and do some simple stretches. Breathe in to reach a little further in that stretch, breathe out to relax into the stretch. Try to hold each stretch for 30–60 seconds.

TIP: Think of stretches that you have learnt in PE lessons. Focus on your breathing, breathe in for 4 slow counts, hold your breath for 7 slow counts, breathe out for 8 slow counts.

AMAZING IF… You tried to do some yoga such as a sun salutation.

Choose a piece of music you like to listen to. Draw the sounds you hear onto your paper; straight fast lines, swirly slow lines, squiggles, dots … whatever the music inspires you to do!

TIP: Let the music take you on a journey across the paper . Don’t worry about what it looks like, simply enjoy the moment.

AMAZING IF… You try drawing to a different genre of music. Do
you notice any difference in your mark making?

Get creative! Find a picture that inspires you. Look at the shapes in the picture. How does the picture make you feel? Create some movement based on those shapes & feelings. Try to create your own dance.

TIP: Think of different ways to move, such as jumping, travelling, turning, balancing.

AMAZING IF… You share your dance with someone else, try teaching it to them!

Think of a place near you, that you think is in need of a makeover. It could be your local park, school library, your favourite café…or somewhere else entirely. If you could design that space to make it better, what would it look like? What colours would you use? What would you have in there? Draw a large rectangle on a piece of paper. This is the set design for your space. Draw items, or cut and stick things inside the lines to make it look like your new and improved design.

TIP: Be as creative as you can! This doesn’t have to be a realistic design, so really go for it.

AMAZING IF… You could go outside, and gather some natural objects (such as feathers or leaves) and incorporate these.