Neuroscience & the Creative Self: A Somatic Art Experience

A Somatic Art Experience at Leighton Art Centre
May 24, 2026 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM

A DIFFERENT WAY INTO CREATIVITY, AWARENESS, AND INNER CLARITY

Description: Curious about the connection between creativity, the brain, and your inner experience? What if creativity could offer more than expression—what if it could support how you think, feel, and relate to yourself? This unique workshop brings together art-making, neuroscience, and embodied awareness in a way that is both accessible and deeply engaging. Set within the inspiring environment of the Leighton Art Centre, this session offers space to slow down, reconnect, and explore creativity as a pathway to insight and renewal.

Join us for a unique and enriching afternoon at the Leighton Art Centre, where creativity meets neuroscience, mindfulness, and embodied awareness.

Led by Charmaine Husum, RCAT, Registered Canadian Art Therapist, somatic counsellor, artist, author, and international presenter, this experiential workshop offers a fresh and engaging approach to creativity as a pathway to insight, balance, and renewal. Charmaine integrates creative process, body awareness, and neuroscience to support meaningful self-exploration, resilience, and lasting personal growth.

Drawing from contemporary neuroscience, including concepts such as neuroplasticity and brain integration, participants will be guided through a series of accessible, art-based explorations designed to support creative flow, enhance connection between intuitive and analytical thinking, and deepen one’s capacity for presence and expression.

This session also introduces principles of Somatic Art Therapy—a growing field that integrates body awareness, mindfulness, and creative practice. The focus is not on artistic skill or “therapy” in a traditional sense, but rather on cultivating awareness, accessing inner resources, and expanding your relationship to creativity in a grounded and supportive way.

Audience: Adults

Level of Experience: All levels of experience

Supplies: All materials included, bring a mat and pillow to sit or lay on.

Registration Cost: $65 + fees 

Participants will leave with:

• A deeper understanding of the connection between creativity and the brain
• Practical tools to support creative flow and reduce internal blocks
• Techniques that encourage integration between intuitive and cognitive processes
• An expanded sense of connection to self through embodied art-making
• Insights into how creative practices can support overall well-being and resilience
• Techniques that encourage presence, clarity, and self-connection.

OPEN TO EVERYONE—NO ART EXPERIENCE NEEDED

Whether you are an artist, creatively curious, or simply looking for a meaningful and enriching experience, this workshop is designed to meet you where you are. This is not about creating “perfect” art—it’s about experiencing creativity in a new and meaningful way. You’ll leave with tools you can continue using in your own life and creative practice. 

Instructor Bio: 

Charmaine Husum, RCAT, MTC, RCS, CT, DKATI, is an artist, Registered Canadian Art Therapist, somatic counsellor, kundalini yoga instructor, author, and international presenter. Through her practice, Centre of the HeArt, she integrates creative process, body awareness, and neuroscience to support meaningful self-exploration, resilience, and personal growth. Her work draws on trauma-informed, mindfulness-based, and somatic approaches, offering accessible ways for individuals to reconnect with themselves through creativity. Charmaine teaches both in-person and online, including with the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute, and is dedicated to supporting others in accessing their innate capacity for healing and transformation.

 You can access her courses at https://courses.centreoftheheart.com

 And more info on her web site at www.centreoftheheart.com