Healing, colour and connection in Southbank

When we opened bookings for our first Paint & Connect Southbank workshop, I hoped local women would be interested. I did not expect the tickets to go so quickly.

The event sold out quickly, with 50 women registered and another 50 people joining the waiting list.

On Saturday, June 20, close to 40 women filled the room, some arriving with friends, many coming on their own, and all bringing their own stories, life stages and reasons for being there.

For a first pilot by a new social impact initiative, that response said something important: women are looking for spaces where they can slow down, be welcomed, create, and connect without pressure.

Paint & Connect was delivered by Healing Noor Collective at Boyd Community Hub, in partnership with Southbank3006 Inc. and supported through a City of Melbourne grant. It was designed as a gentle creative wellbeing session for women, using guided painting as a way to slow down, connect and feel part of a local community.

As women arrived, the room slowly shifted from unfamiliar to warm. There were introductions across tables, cups of tea, quiet laughter, and the small courage it takes to sit beside someone new. The workshop was facilitated by artist Belle, who guided participants through abstraction as a process of connecting with the self.

Participants began with expressive sketches before moving into a final painting. It was not about producing perfect artwork. It was about colour, feeling, reflection and allowing something internal to take shape.

As the room settled, the atmosphere changed. It became quieter, softer. People were concentrating, reflecting, and allowing their own internal worlds to appear on the page and canvas.

There was something very powerful about seeing almost 40 women sit together in that way, not rushing, not performing, not needing to explain themselves, just creating.

That is exactly what we hoped Paint & Connect would offer. Healing does not always begin in formal settings. Sometimes it begins when someone feels safe enough to sit at a table, pick up a brush, speak to another woman, and remember that they are not alone.

The feedback from participants was generous and deeply affirming. One woman wrote that she “felt safe and included” and met “some amazing ladies”. Another described it as “just as the advertising promised, a calm, creative wellbeing session”.

Others used words like “creative”, “inclusive”, “connection” and “safe”. One participant wrote, “Please continue this workshop.” Another said, “More spaces and experiences are needed like this.”

Those comments stayed with me because they confirmed that this was more than an art workshop. For many women, especially those navigating grief, hormonal changes, fertility journeys, menopause, migration, caring responsibilities, isolation or emotional exhaustion, there are few spaces where they can simply arrive as they are. Not every form of healing needs to happen in a clinical setting. Sometimes it begins in a community room, with paint on the table and another woman saying, “I understand.”

This pilot would not have been possible without the support and partnership of Southbank3006 Inc. From the beginning, David Hamilton, MaryKay Rauma and the Southbank3006 committee understood the value of creating a local, accessible and welcoming space for women. Their support helped bring the idea from concept to reality through encouragement, promotion, local connection and practical partnership. For a new social impact initiative like Healing Noor Collective, that kind of community backing is not just helpful; it is foundational.

We were also honoured to be joined by Nina Taylor MP, Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell, and David Hamilton from Southbank3006 on the day, whose presence showed strong support for local, community-led ideas.

Hearing Nina and Roshena share their personal experiences encouraged others and reinforced the value of creating safe and accessible wellbeing spaces close to where people live.

The success of this pilot is already shaping our thinking about what comes next. Participants asked for more sessions and suggested other creative forms, including poetry, storytelling and different art-based workshops. The waiting list also tells us there is real demand for ongoing opportunities.

One afternoon cannot solve everything. But it can open a door. On Saturday, that door opened through colour, conversation and care and many women walked through it together.

And that is where the next chapter begins! Feel free to reach out and join southbank3006.com •