Some people decided to make seashells — but Katie-Jean wanted to try something different. It felt a bit weird at first. But when she removed her hand from the gel, she knew it would make the perfect cast. All she had to do now was paint it!
A Helium regular for more than two years, Katie-Jean’s hand cast is just one of a treasure trove of pieces she’s created.
“I’ve made lots of things I love with Helium,” she explains. “There is no pressure on what you have to create. It’s totally up to you.”
But the art is only part of Helium’s appeal. Born with a long-term health condition, Katie-Jean is no stranger to hospitals. She’s been in and out of them since she was six months old. In fact, it was while she was waiting for an appointment that she first discovered Helium.
“It was Ashleigh who saw I was bored out of my mind, and got me drawing!”
The timing was perfect.
Katie-Jean has always found meeting new people hard, and lockdown didn’t help. But when you’re sitting around a table with Helium, or working with other young people on a collaborative piece of art, it’s hard not to make friends.
“It’s definitely improved my people skills and helped me talk to people I wasn’t comfortable around at first,” she explains. “It made me feel included. Knowing that other people have similar health issues, and that I wasn’t alone.”
For her mum, Catriona, knowing that Helium’s workshops were designed for young people with long-term health conditions also made it easier to say goodbye at the start of each session.
“It’s great to know that even if she’s having a bad day, she’s in safe hands. That I could just explain things to the paramedics, and didn’t have to worry.”
Over time, Catriona could see her daughter’s confidence grow.
“She used to be a real follower. But it’s like Helium has given her the skill to not conform. To be herself.”
They laugh as they remember the time Katie-Jean and her friend decided to “rescue” the gloves they’d been using to handle ink. Too much glitter and some smiley faces later, and the final masterpieces are still on display at home.
It sounds simple. But it takes confidence to improvise and create, and Katie-Jean’s mum loves watching her daughter grow into herself.
She wants to build a career in healthcare — midwifery perhaps, so she can care for children and adults together. That doesn’t mean her creativity will stop. For Katie-Jean, art isn’t just about making things. Through Helium, she’s found a permanent creative outlet and a way to connect with herself as she goes from being a teenager, to a confident young adult.
