My Self Care Journey

16/11/2025

Good Grief Project
- Explore your grief through creativity

Following from last year, I am honoured to lead the series of workshops again for the research project - Good Grief. The first workshop in the second phase was held yesterday at Storyteller's House in Oulart, Wexford.

Somehow, I grow to believe in the divine timing of all things happen in my life. I arrived back home on Friday night from Japan, following my father's death few days ago to lead this workshop.

Creating with nature has taught me to accept what it is and work from there. It feels different from 'giving up'. It is more like accepting that I am being a part of nature's orders - from big to small ones. I ride those waves as best as I can to stay afloat.

Beside, a broken mirror can still reflect all the beautiful things in the world. I hope that my broken heart would still be able to reflect strength, hope, life force and human dignity in participants.

It is a worthwhile exploration because many grief-stricken people seem to question their capacity to support others while they grieve. Do we need to be 100% to be able to do that? Or can we be with you when we are less than 100% and still be a nourishment to others?
Being able to support others is a blessing.

I am grateful to all the participants who joined me yesterday despite the tricky road conditions after the storm. I look forward to our onward journey in this project.

13/11/2025

Last few spaces left for this special series of workshop.

Final few spaces left!

Funded by Wexford County Council through the Creative Ireland Programme, the Good Grief project promotes a healthy exploration of grief, and provides participants with new skills for coping and wellbeing as their journeys through grief continue. Land artist Mayumi Nakabayashi will lead some workshops for the Good Greif project at the Storyteller’s House in Oulart, Wexford on the 15th , 18th , 21st and 22nd November. Free but booking essential. Please email elizabeth.howard@wexfordcoco.ie for more information.

CreativeIrl Healthy Wexford Wexford Library Wexford Mental Health Association Mayumi Nakabayashi

24/10/2025

Enchanted Ecology -
Redmond Park Land Art Making Event

Tomorrow from 11:00-13:00
At Redmond Park, Spawell Road, Wexford

Join me at the last event for this 8 months long project.
And the weather is looking great! ☀️
Free of charge. All welcome.

CreativeIrl
Wexford County Council
County Wexford Arts Office

19/10/2025

Today's Nature Art
Spiraea Leaves

I have been impatient to work with sipraea leaves ever since I caught them changing colours beside the gate a couple of weeks ago.

Within the lifecycle of an organism, its priority oscillates between growth and letting go, aligning with the planetary cycle. A cycle within a cycle (which is within some other cycles!), consisting multiple polarities.

This afternoon, I managed to stand still and witness as they let go.

19/10/2025

Enchanted Ecology - Redmond Park Land Art Project
Private Workshop

It was a joy to create a community land art with Wexford Environmental Network yesterday!
I am grateful of some hardy members who joined me in rain at Redmond Park in Wexford town.

The theme of the artwork was to celebrate their harvest as they take care of the raised beds beside the park. Some of the produce from their space was added to the artwork.

Since the group have created another artwork with me in the spring, it was nice to reflect back our previous creative experiences, appreciate the difference in the natural materials available at the park and exchange how the previous creative experience was like for each of us. I am delighted to hear that some of us have created more land art since last spring!

I love when participants follow their inspirations and take a lead in creative process, instead of me proposing ideas that 'work'. Increasingly, more than any other skills, the discernment on how to hold a safe space has become most important for me - the space where everyone feels safe to explore their creativity, where experiments, discoveries and connections are valued more than just delivering aesthetically pleasing work. My role as a facilitator is to hear each voice, support to manifest their ideas and share things about nature that never cease to enchant me.

It has been such a rich journey.

My last public event at the park is on next Saturday 25th October, 11:00 - 13:00. Free of charge. All welcome to join me in creating land art from the park.

Enchanted Ecology - Redmond Park Land Art Project is funded by CreativeIrl County Wexford Arts Office . It is a collaboraton project between Wexford County Council The Environment Team and Wexford Municipal District.

18/10/2025

Rural Connections

Some images from this week's workshop with the Rosslare community at The Bank.

We finished making our own Sekimoriishi (関守石 - Japanease Threshold Stone) and each created a nature art, including the stone as a centre piece.

Traditionally, Sekimoriishi has been used to mark boundaries in Japanese gardens, shrines and temples. At this session, we used the stone as a symbolic object of self and created individual artworks around it, using the materials foraged from our local environment.
We were amazed how unique each work turned out to be even though the same materials were used!

We also enjoyed exploring further with our original music composed by wonderful Laura Hyland.

Gorgeous work by everyone involved!

The project is funded and supported by Wexford County Council and CreativeIrl through the Creative Ireland Programme.

County Wexford Arts Office

18/10/2025

Palestine Culture Day🕊️
Sunday 26th October (12:00 - 17:00)
Christ Church Hall, Gorey

I’m truly looking forward to celebrating the special day and creating an earth art together with everyone.

08/10/2025

Enchanted Ecology - Redmond Park Land Art Project
Private Workshop

I had a great fun creating a land art with Wexford County Council Culture Team this morning.
As I welcomed the team at the park, I felt like I am inviting them to my own home ground - as if I am introducing all the trees and little corners I have become so friendly with.

As the park has been gifting us jewel-like leaves, berries and nuts these days, the artwork became a disc of autumnal abundance!
We stopped and marvelled at each layer of it in the creative process.

I was grateful to be given a time to share a bit of my findings as the artist in residence for the park for the last eight months. There are so many faces, so many artworks and so many stories that I wanted to share today. My work is all about nature. But I cannot quite talk about it without talking about the people of the land. These trees feel even more special because there are people admiring them every day. Humans have caused so many destructions in natural world for sure, but I can't think of regeneration of the land without humans. I don't think we can just say 'the world is better place without humans.' It is not quite as black and white like that. Tiny countless balancing and rebalancing acts are happening every moment in the ecosystem throughout the history of the earth. After all, we are here. I believe we still have missions!

My heartfelt gratitude to everyone who took time to join me at the park today.

The workshop was held as a part of my project: Enchanted Ecology - Redmond Park Land Art Project, funded by CreativeIrl County Wexford Arts Office . It is a collaboration project between Wexford County Council The Environment Team and Wexford Municipal District.

07/10/2025

Join me at Redmond Park on Saturday 25th October for land art making session!

This will be my last public event for Enchanted Ecology - Redmond Park Land Art Project.
It has been a joy to create from the park. It never ceases to amaze me with its constant and abundant supply of seasonal natural materials - from berries to catkins, the place has kept inspiring me.

For one last time, I would be delighted to create with you and your friends and family.

Weather permitting, I will be making land art between 11:00 - 13:00. You will be welcomed to join me as long or as little as you like.

The park has been breathtaking in all the glory of autumnal colours these days. I look forward to meeting you then.
...................................................................
Land Art Making Session
at Redmond Park, Wexford

11:00 - 13:00 Saturday 25th October
Free of Charge....................................................................

The project is funded by CreativeIrl and delivered as a collaboration project between Wexford County Council Environment Team and Wexford Municipal District.
County Wexford Arts Office

07/10/2025

Rural Connections

Another fun morning with the community at The Bank in Rosslare yesterday.

We began creating Japanese traditional stone artwork - Sekimoriishi (関守石).
Sekimoriishi is found in Japanese gardens, shrines and temples and literally means 'threshold protecting stone'. Its role is to mark a boundary in the space.

I like the gentle presence of the art and its meaning very much - instead of having a big gate or an obstacle to separate our space, Sekimoriishi invites us to stay in the same space and trust that we will respect each other's boundary.
I feel the art gently encourages us to explore how to place ourselves in the community and helps us to connect deeper as we express our boundaries with clarity.

It was wonderful to take time to find our own stone and learn a traditional way of weaving the string around it.
We will finish creating the stones next week and start learning how to make other forms of nature art which the stones will be incorporated into.
The creative process will be a symbolic act of community building as well as learning about geometries in nature and how to create with natural materials.

Vocal explorations facilitated by wonderful Laura Hyland also happening simultaneously. We will be creating a presentation which merges two artforms at the end of our workshop time. Exciting!

The project is funded and supported by and through the Creative Ireland Programme.

05/10/2025

Today's Nature Art

In this heart lies for you
A lark born only for you
Who sings only to you
My love
My love
My love

'In This Heart' by Sinead O'Connor

Not thinking much about the geometries for this one. I just let the leaves move my fingers.

30/09/2025

Arts Ability Programme

It was my last workshop day with wonderful artists from Cumas New Ross .

Cumas Artists have been well known for their talents and accomplishments both nationally and internationally. I am one of the big fans of their artworks. So, you can imagine how excited I have been to get to share my practice with them since last year.

Throughout our time together, we’ve created with the natural materials from different parts of the county - from bright fallen leaves in New Ross to Wexford's yellow marl clay in Kilmuckridge! And we knew where we wanted to finish the series - our favourite beach, Duncannon!

My heart is full with gratitude to all the Cumas New Ross artists, the lead artist Declan Kennedy (I've learned a tremendous amount from him!), my mentor for the role Dr. Betty Martin, the facilitators of 'Like a Pro' Wheel of Consent course, County Wexford Arts Office and the lead & assistant artists from other centres for their encouragements and support.