Join us for an evening with Lisa Azarmi, the inspirational founder of the art and literature blog @ravenous_butterflies who will be talking about her remarkable life story, including readings from her beautiful new book, Calm Your Mind.
Tuesday 5th November, 6:30pm
Above the Bookshop
£8/£6 – tickets include a glass of wine or a soft drink
Books will be available at the event
Art and literature have always been integral parts of Lisa Azarmi’s life. She firmly believes that art is not just a luxury for the few but has the universal power to maintain positive mental health for all. When times have been difficult for Lisa, facing life-threatening health issues, divorce, bereavement, and much more, art and literature are what she has turned to for a sense of calm and resolve.
‘Art and books have been my refuge and healing balm in the darkest times’, writes Lisa in the introduction to Calm Your Mind. ‘Escaping for a few moments each day and immersing myself in the beauty of art has saved my life. It has given me the ability to think and see more clearly and take time to enjoy simple pleasures. We don’t have to run around at a million miles an hour; we can make defined choices to improve our lives when we are calm. The benefit to our physical health is tangible, too.’
A voracious reader who began collecting art at college and went on to study fine art at Goldsmiths, Lisa has brought together in Calm Your Mind 80 beautiful yet stirring artworks and paired them with insightful quotations from writers around the world. She has curated the book into 18 calming journeys to help you cope with different emotional situations. Feeling burnt out after a hard day at work? Struggling with sleeplessness? Unable to concentrate? There’s an inspiring solution for all these issues and much more within the pages of this beautiful book. Featuring artists and illustrators, both famous and obscure, including Augustus John, Edvard Munch, Marc Chagall, Laura Knight, Emile Claus and Nikolay Nikanorovich Dubovskoy, paired with inspiring quotations from authors such as Haruki Murakami, Rabindranath Tagore, Maya Angelou, Elizabeth von Arnim, Emily Dickinson and Henry James, Calm Your Mind offers a wonderful exploratory journey to encourage mindfulness through the transformative power of art and literature.
From the inspiring art and literature blog Ravenous Butterflies, founded by artist, poet, and journalist Lisa Azarmi in 2013, and now with a following of over 1.25 million on Facebook and Instagram, comes an exquisite new book to help ease your mind and find a sense of calm amidst the busyness and demands of life.