"I first encountered Beth's right-mind classes at the Hugh Lane Gallery.

Beth's classes have been eye and mind-opening, soothing, perception-sharpening and uplifting! Lots of adjectives there, because they really describe my experience of opening up my mind to drawing thanks to Beth."

– Elif Dibek, IT

Gallery Tour Facilitation Testimonial:

"The next morning we walked down to the National Gallery and met our guide, Beth O’Hallorn, for our tour. I don’t know what to say about Beth except she was absolutely a terrific professional and a wonderful person to be around.  Her knowledge was second to none of the other art historians that we have had over the 20 years we have been going to Europe.  Plus, she was extremely prepared to present each painting in it’s context and relationship to other works of like genre. Her description of the Arrest of Christ by Caravaggio was perhaps the most insightful discussion I have ever experience concerning my favorite painter.   I could have talked with her for hours!  She even gave us a tip on a small Italian restaurant for lunch that turned out to be very special.  We give her the highest rating we can and would encourage you to hook your other clients up with her whenever they are in Dublin." – David, Texas

​These Drawing a Breath with Beth drawing/mindfulness sessions offer a place to take a break from our speedy work lives and let the dust settle.

The quietening process of meditation and drawing can benefit our sense of well-being in countless ways, including – our focus, a decrease to our stress levels, our harmonious interactions with others, awareness of our surroundings, our creative thinking and problem solving abilities.

Being in the right brain zone is exactly where our ‘Aha!’ moments of inspiration spring from.

Client Spotlight: Facebook

Facebook employees participated in a variety of exercises with Beth including: 
  • Upside-down drawings
  • Seeing the space around an object as a solid (negative space drawings)
  • New perspectives (window drawings)
  • Blind drawings (an object is placed inside a paper bag and the participant must draw without peeking – a perception booster)
  • Texture exercises
  • Large-scale abstractions using chalk tied to bamboo sticks

The primary goal for the sessions was to release from desk duties, buzzing phones, and office chatter. Each activity was quiet and slow, offering a break and a spark of energy to the Facebook employees that participated. 

One participant did a ‘new perspectives’ drawing on a piece of cling film stuck to a window, while soft music played in the background. Afterwards she said, ‘That was like a massage for my brain.'

​Another participant said that after each session she felt a 'runner's high.'

Ready to schedule a session?

Inspiration for the series

​Jill Bolte Taylor, neuro-scientist and stroke survivor says,

“Based upon my experience with losing my left mind, I whole-heartedly believe that the feeling of deep inner peace is located in our right brain. To the right mind, no time exists other than the present moment, and each moment is vibrant with sensation.”

Jill’s stroke jolted her into a vastly new way of seeing her world – through her right brain.
​Luckily, we know there are much gentler ways to access her insights.

We all need a moment of quiet from time to time.

The eight session course will begin with an introductory chat on quietening the mind
​in the face of a newly technology-filled life.​

We will cover the basics such as…

The left and right hemispheres of our brain process information in different ways. While we all have a natural tendency towards one way of thinking, the two sides of our brain work together in our everyday lives. The right side of the brain focuses on the visual, and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture then the details.
​The focus of the left brain is verbal, processing information in an analytical and sequential way, looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole.

Right brain vs left brain function/strengths

Left brain functions include logic, analysis, sequencing, linear thought, mathematics, language, facts, verbal communication, computation.
​
​Right brain functions include creativity, imagination, holistic thinking, intuition, the arts, rhythm, feelings, visualisations.

"Beth is one of the best tutors I’ve had the pleasure of working with. She has the ability to recognize each artist’s individual talents and supports and guides their learning accordingly. I really look forward to doing more courses with Beth in the future."

- Leon McAleenan, artist and educator

How opening the right brain (and mindfulness) can aid both a sense of well-being and work performance:

​Enhances ability to focus on the whole vs compartmentalising
​Increases attention span
Reduces stress, has been cited as enhancing emotional well-being
​Right brain shifts perspective from linear thinking to intuitive
Can aid in problem-solving, creativity stimulation, ‘thinking outside the box’
Enhances ability to stay in the present moment
Research on physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness meditation
In a study of health insurance statistics, meditators had more than 50% fewer doctor visits than did non-meditators
Brain scans of meditators show increased thickness in regions of the cortex associated with higher functions like memory and decision making.

​Drawing a Breath applies all of the above in a series of sessions which use tried and tested unconventional drawing techniques with simple, short meditations to bring about a two-fold powerful sense of relaxation and creativity – an unbeatable combination in both the workplace and life!

Book Beth today!