The period.
For many women, it’s an inconvenient necessity.
Something that always seems to come around when you least expect it.
And for most, it’s only when something starts going wrong with our cycle or when we’re starting to think about conception that we start to put the menstrual cycle to the forefront of our mind...
Yet, the menstrual cycle is so much more than that.
Periods are the reason why humanity exists.
Periods are what connect us to the marrow and rawness of existence.
One of the most effective ways is menstrual painting!
Painting with my period has been one of the highest forms of self-expression and liberation from the limited beliefs and taboos I have dragged in my former years in being a woman since I began creating art with it since 2016.
This medium taught me and continues to teach me every single month so many incredible things... it teaches me the privilege that comes in honouring this time as sacred, it emphasises my innate capacity to transform my period pains into timeless feminine wisdom, cues for my holistic health and harness it as a nourishing practice of self love and self inquiry.
The exceptional quality, standards and womb based lifestyle I live today find their roots into this powerful practice.
And today I am so proud to see it flourished into a global movement of bleeders, the nonprofit organisation Menstrual Art Movement.
Painting with period has numerous benefits energetically, physically and emotionally:
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It contributes in de-stigmatizing the taboos that revolve around our periods as something dirty and not sacred
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It helps us integrate and inhabit this fundamental aspect of ourselves as women
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It creates fertile conditions to bring awareness and also deep healing if we carry unbalances regarding our periods and reproductive area
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It helps us connect deeply with our femininity and other women — as we all bleed throughout our womanhood
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It helps process our emotions and greif in a more conscious and meaningful way
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It invites more beauty and pleasure opposed to pain and frustration
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It invites us to slow down and reclaim precious space and time for ourselves
- And honestly, so much more.
In this hour workshop I’m going to share with you a bit of my journey and how I came to do this practice, a new perspective on periods, I will destigmatize period blood as something impure, and give you practical ways to begin working and creating Art with your period blood.
- Discover how your menstruation phase is the most powerful and illuminating phase of your menstrual cycle and break free from the old negative ideas that you have been told about it;
- Learn all you need to know to begin Period Painting: all the practicalities, how to collect your period, how to preserve your blood, how to get started, rituals, troubleshooting, and FAQ’s
HIGHLIGHTS & FAQ'S ON MENSTRUAL PAINTING
HOW TO CONSERVE THE BLOOD?
Once you collect your blood with a Menstrual Cup you can either paint with the blood immediately or preserve the blood in the fridge up to 7 - 10 days before the blood will start to smell funky. If you plan to conserve the blood for prolonged periods of time you can place in the freezer.
HOW TO COLLECT THE BLOOD IF I DON'T WANT TO USE A MENSTRUAL CUP?
If for whatever reason you don't enjoy using menstrual cups (even if our menstrual cups are the most ergonomic and soft in circulation), you have two options:
- Opt to use Organic Cotton Pads (they have to be organic and in cotton), and once the blood has been absorbed in the pad you can then squeeze what you've collected in a jar;
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This might be a bit more advanced... But I believe that the more you attune to your menstrual phase the more you will get this even quicker than you can imagine.
Our uterus is not releasing blood all the time, there are specific moments when the blood is flowing out from the uterus and this moment can be sensed and taken advantaged from.
You can squat over a jar and collect the blood directly from the Yoni when a release is happening.
WILL THE PAINTING STINK?
If your period carries foul odor it means there is an infection that is in need to be healed, because a healthy period does not smell at all.
Once you use blood on paper the bacteria held in the blood will dissipate immediately and it will start to dry up through oxidisation. The result is a fully smell-free work of art!
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH MENSTRUAL ART?
You can begin with Menstrual Art simply by taking a piece of paper (watercolour paper is usually the best choice), you will need a paint brush and a jar where you can preserve the blood in.
We created a the Menstrual Artist Kit and put together three of our favourite products to create a beautiful ritual experience for your Menstrual Art ritual!
Take a moment with yourself and ground in the present moment. Then focus on your womb space and connect with the energy of what desires to be released.
What are the messages that are coming from your womb? What do you feel that needs to be expressed? What was the main theme of this past month that your blood carries?
It may be a word, an image, an impulse, whatever comes up, trust in the sensations that you are feeling and begin to draw. No need to overthink it!
Even smearing the blood on paper with a finger can carry so much healing, it has to have meaning to YOU.
What I usually advise my students to try is to paint their portrait with their blood, and paint their own Yoni's, by holding a mirror in front of your Yoni and painting what you see!
