Wellbeing through clay, care and connection – an artist’s perspective

Posted: 6th January 2026

When ceramic artist and educator Helen Johannessen completed Arts for Dementia’s early-stage dementia awareness training, she was preparing to lead her first workshops with people living with early-stage dementia. With over 25 years’ experience teaching in higher education, Helen was comfortable facilitating learning, but working in this context felt different and the training played an important role in helping her feel supported and prepared.

Helen describes the training as clearly thought through and reassuring. Knowing that the approach had been carefully developed, and that she would be supported by the Arts for Dementia team, including regular check-ins with Emily and opportunities to talk things through, helped her feel confident stepping into unfamiliar territory. “It showed the support of everyone involved,” she reflects, and made it clear that she wasn’t expected to have all the answers.

Ceramics presented both opportunities and challenges. Clay is tactile, physical and absorbing, but it also requires practical decisions about scale, quantity and pace. Helen deliberately weighed out materials and limited the size of pieces, recognising that too much clay or overly ambitious outcomes could be overwhelming. Rather than restricting creativity, this helped participants focus and engage more fully with the process.

One moment in particular stayed with her. A participant who struggled to find words had made a small clay object that initially puzzled others. When he began painting it, the meaning became immediately clear — it was a biscuit. “Everything just made sense with colour,” Helen recalls. The artwork became a form of communication when speech was difficult, reinforcing her belief in clay as a powerful, non-verbal medium.

Helen also noticed how the social environment shaped the experience. Participants arrived hesitant at first, including one couple who were unsure what to expect. Over time, confidence grew. People chatted, laughed, and supported one another. One participant told Helen she felt sad when the sessions ended; another made a point of arriving early on the final day simply to say goodbye. Helen felt people “blossomed” as they became part of a regular, welcoming group.

Unexpectedly, the workshops led Helen to explore miniature forms — something she had previously associated with her own academic research. Seeing how patiently and joyfully participants worked at a small scale challenged her assumptions and sparked new curiosity. The experience has prompted her to consider further research into the cognitive and emotional benefits of working with clay.

For Helen, the workshops also offered a carefree creative space, one rooted in presence rather than outcomes. The experience has deepened her practice, sharpened her sensitivity as a facilitator, and reaffirmed her belief in creativity as a vital part of wellbeing for everyone involved.