5 Questions

We ask two artists 5 Questions about their art practice.

After her successful Sound Bath with Magical Women on the 20th April, we’re very excited to introduce you to Neurodivergent artist Thou Alone (Hayley) who offers monthly Sound Baths on a Sunday. Go to her website to buy tickets in her shop.

And introducing the work of Rachel, whose stickers are selling for only £2.50 with 50% going towards the British Heart Foundation. Both artists explain why their work is so important for meeting our health, wellbeing and for survival.

Thou Alone (Hayley)

When did you decide to train in Sound healing? / What made you want to train?

I was very musical as a child but I was struggling with undiagnosed ASD and 

unfortunately the co-morbidities and lack of support got the best of me. 

It wasn’t until 2017 when I started to re-build my relationship to creating music.

I started to experiment creating ambient soundscape meditation music on GarageBand- unknowingly using Sound Healing techniques within my own creative practice. 

After some research, I realised what I was doing in my own practice was a real thing and an actual career path I could pursue.

And upon further research, I discovered that Sound Healing is an incredibly profound treatment to manage the symptoms attached with neurodiversity such as relieving anxiety, depression, improving communication skills and social interaction.

I found a course with The Academy of Sound Healing and started my formal training in 2018, receiving my Diploma in 2020. 

Can you describe your own first experience of a Sound bath? 

My first experience was truly life changing. It was very much a mystical experience that was deeply sublime - affecting me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

It is common to see vivid colours, shapes or other visuals when entering a relaxed or lucid state. This is called the Theta state which is a brainwave state between 4-8hz. 

It is also common to experience physical symptoms such as REM, or episodes of shaking or twitching (this is called a healing reaction) or a drop in temperature which I personally experienced.

It is also really common to totally fall asleep - and this is where the body is really able to restore itself. 

I felt so connected to myself and the world around me - no masking, no judgements, no performance - just the space for me to experience my truth for myself which is something I’ll never forget and consequently sparked my passion for sharing consciously applied sound. 

The experienced left me a bit spaced out yet empowered, safe, valid and with a sense of belonging I had not felt before. I wish this for everyone. 

What has the feedback been like from people who have Sound baths facilitated by you? 

I receive such wonderful feedback. Since we are all wired so differently, I love hearing and sharing our experiences as they are all so unique, personal yet universal. 
Some consistent themes I receive include feeling energised, refreshed, deeply peaceful, experiencing a sonic massage, being transported to other realms or absolutely nothing due to falling asleep - which is the biggest compliment as a Practitioner!

How many sessions do you recommend people attend, and why? 

If you are super committed to the Sound Bath practice and the journey, attending once a week can be incredibly helpful and beneficial which is what I recommend to my 1:1 clients - much like going to other treatments such as physio, acupuncture, reiki, osteopathy etc. 

At the moment, I run monthly virtual collective Sound Baths which are themed using prompts from Numerology - exploring different topics and how they apply to our lives for the month ahead.

Why are Sound baths so powerful for NDs, (especially ND artists)? 

Sound Baths are a powerful tool to recalibrate and restore our processing via our nervous system - whether that manifests itself physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. 

As our ND wiring can often feel fused or fried in attempt to keep up with societal, neurotypical expectations -  I’ve found Sound Baths to be the restorative and insightful coping tool to better strengthen and navigate the relationship to ourselves and to extend into the world around us. 

As a result, this helps us tap into our creativity, our feelings and helps us to better express ourselves.

Rachel Olin - Artist

1) Who are you as an artist and can you tell us a little bit about your art practice?

I've always found it hard to pin down exactly where I fit as an artist as I just love to create in as many ways as possible but recently I have settled into the labels of artist and maker. My practice spans from gallery installation and conceptual work to heirloom dolls and illustrations. Currently I'm focusing on my etsy shop and creating affordable art.

2) We've come across your stickers before and been blown away but this one especially talks to us, can you tell us a bit more about it?

Thank you, that means a lot to me! This sticker has multifaceted meaning. I created it knowing I wanted to create an illustration to raise awareness of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy but it can also hold meaning to all mothers. It shows a full term baby cradled within an anatomical heart as though in a womb. Since becoming a mother I've been interested in the relationship between mother and child and I read an article than really struck me, it stated that DNA from a foetus continues to reside in the mother long after delivery. Sometimes decades after pregnancy. Which means that every child we carry continues to be part of us. I thought this was beautiful, as it means that every baby, even those that never made it earth side will always be with their mothers. I wanted my illustration to communicate this in addition to raising awareness of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM).

3) Why was making this sticker so important?

This sticker illustration has a great deal of meaning to me as I am a survivor of peripartum cardiomyopathy. In addition to raising awareness of PPCM, I hope to raise money to help in research towards the understanding of the condition. PPCM is a uncommon pregnancy related heart failure affecting between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 3000 pregnancies. It is a form of dilated Cardiomyopathy that can develop from the third trimester up to 5 months post partum.

The condition causes the avoidable deaths of many women, often being missed due to symptoms being disregarded as 'normal symptoms of pregnancy'. Personally I was blue lighted to hospital 4 days post partum with crippling chest pains, trembling, an unexplained dry cough and swelling. I couldnt breathe when laying flat and would wake gasping desperately for breath. I was readmitted into hospital and had many tests and observations every 4 hours, until finally being diagnosed with PPCM.

I was lucky in that my PPCM was relatively mild and I could go home with medication, a low salt diet and a promise to avoid exerting myself. I've heard accounts from other survivors, and their families, of ICU admissions, heart transplants, cardiac arrests and deaths. All in mothers that were either still pregnant, or had newly become mothers. For me the thought of leaving my fiance and new born baby boy was devastating. It terrified me to think that I'd just given birth to a little boy who would grow up without a mother, never knowing just how much I loved him.

4) Why is it important for you to raise money for the British Heart Foundation?

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, PPCM is still fairly unknown, with some doctors never having heard of it. Research is sparse, most of which having been conducted by an amazing Cardiologist, James Fett, who has dedicated his life to studying the condition and saving mothers and their babies. He continues to support survivors via a Facebook support page despite retiring last year.

I decided to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation as they are currently conducting the first UK study into the condition and I hope to help towards this worthwhile research however I can. It is vital that we collectively learn more about the condition to ensure midwives, GP's and obstetricians are aware of the symptoms to save the lives of the mothers that develop the condition.

5) Where can people purchase this sticker?

This sticker can be purchased directly from my Facebook artist page, Instagram page or through my Etsy shop.

Facebook: Rachel Olin - Artist

Instagram: RachelOlinArtist
My full account of my experience can be read here.

Thank you to both artists for sharing their work.