Wellbeing Through Art

Wellbeing Through Art is a creative wellbeing programme that combines life coaching with artistic expression. Using the Wheel of Life, participants reflect on key life areas through hands-on, empowering activities that support healing, balance, and self-discovery.

Project Overview

Wellbeing Through Art is one of Ubuntu Pledge’s most celebrated and impactful programmes to date an eight-week creative journey designed to support holistic wellbeing through artistic expression and structured life reflection. Delivered weekly over two-hour sessions, the programme brought together 12 participants and combined practical life management coaching with playful, hands-on creative activities.

At the heart of the programme was the Wheel of Life, a visual tool used to assess and reflect on key areas such as health, relationships, work, personal growth, and finance. Participants used this tool as a foundation to explore balance, set intentions, and creatively express their insights.

In an increasingly fast-paced and overwhelming world, many people struggle to manage the competing demands of daily life. Wellbeing Through Art was developed to offer a space to pause, play, reflect, and reconnect blending guided self-discovery with art as a form of healing and empowerment.

What we did

Ubuntu Pledge designed and facilitated an interactive and therapeutic group programme, using creativity as a bridge between life reflection and wellbeing.

Each session followed a three-part structure:

  1. Life Management Theme
  2. Each week focused on a different area of the Wheel of Life (e.g., personal growth, relationships, health, finance), encouraging participants to reflect on their current balance and set intentions.
  3. Artistic InspirationWe introduced a renowned artist or creative figure whose life or work reflected the week’s theme. For example:
    • Leonardo da Vinci inspired a session on mastery and personal growth
    • Frida Kahlo for emotional expression and resilience
    • Henri Matisse for simplicity, joy, and colour
  4. Creative PracticeParticipants engaged in guided art activities including:
    • Pencil sketching
    • Abstract painting
    • Colouring their personal Wheel of Life
    • Expressive art based on lessons learned from that session’s life theme
    • Sessions encouraged playfulness and self-expression, helping participants process insights through a hands-on, non-judgmental approach.

Throughout the course, participants shared their reflections, learned from each other, and created deeply personal works of art that captured their evolving journey of self-discovery and balance.

Impact

7 participants completed the full eight-week journey
✅ Participants reported improved self-awareness, emotional wellbeing, and stress reduction
✅ The programme successfully combined coaching and creativity, offering both practical tools and emotional release
✅ Participants left with a personalised Wheel of Life they could continue using after the course
✅ Created a safe, fun, and healing group environment, strengthening community connection
✅ Received highly positive feedback and requests to run the programme again 
Due to the success and impact of Wellbeing Through Art, Ubuntu Pledge has received requests to repeat and expand the programme in other local settings. Plans are underway to adapt the model for different audiences, including young people, parents, and those managing mental health challenges.