Healing through creativity

Elizabeth Joseph



Brigitte Greyling has been in touch with her creative side for as long as she can remember and says she now uses it as a form of healing through pottery.

Greyling has several qualifications as a nail technician as well as in counselling. She started with her crafts more than 20 years ago and says the passion has since not lessened or died but has grown stronger.

“Sela Therapy Centre was started two years ago and is the counselling part of the business where I do multi-level brain neuron processing therapy as cognitive behaviour therapy. I have qualified at Phillipi Trust and Perspective Training College under Dr Edgar Phillips. The MLNP therapy is a relatively young treatment but with surprising outcomes,” she says.

Bak Gat Pottery Studio established three years ago is an initiative Greyling started to help integrate art with healing by allowing her clients to get in touch with their creative sides while dealing with trauma and problems that they face on a day-to-day basis.

“This blends very well into the therapy side of my practice and we enjoy it tremendously. It creates a sense of accomplishment and self-worth with the participants and students. I absolutely love what I do,” she further mentions.

Before Covid-19 her pottery class had nine students involved, however the pandemic resulted in the cancellation of all classes temporarily.

She caters to anyone from age 12 to 90. Payments for the therapy is done on a donation basis of N$150 per two hours.

Payment for the pottery classes is N$400 per month per student and N$0.10c/gr for the end product. This includes 2 x fires: 1 at 1000 degree Celsius and 1 at 1260 degree Celsius as well as all the glazes.

“The clay we use is stoneware white clay and I have it brought to me from Cape Town via courier services. Courier cost are double the cost of the clay, which makes it awfully expensive but the joy and therapeutic treasure override the price and effort to obtain the clay.”

Greyling further says that the hardest part for her and her students is the fact that the South does not have a big enough market to support them.

She laments that the market in the South is weak and her students mostly make products specifically ordered by a client or a product which will become a gift to a friend or family member.

“We will be overjoyed if we can find a place in the city centre in Keetmanshoop where we can sell our products.”

Among other things, Greyling’s students do most of their art and paintings with oil paint, glazes, and alcohol ink. She says that this started as a personal journey for her 10 years ago and is a space where she alongside her students experiences solitude and peace.

Beauty from within

While being busy with other projects, she owns and runs a nail salon called Touch of Class and says that she enjoys making women feel special and seeing how their confidence increase after every session.

“Here we do gel and acrylic nails with different Bio Sculpture products, and the results are always stunning.” Greyling says.

Greyling is inspired by happiness, joy, personal growth, nature, the community, and the fulfilment of a dream that was created by one’s own hands. Also, the joy that the products bring as a gift.

She says in the future she’d like to continue juggling all three of her businesses.

“Sometime in the in the near future I would also like to work on an art project school for children in the South.

Our young people truly need more healthy recreational spaces. Maybe there could also be a drama training facility added, something like the Drama Club in Windhoek,” she says.

She wants to encourage artists to chase their dreams with enough passion and patience.

“You can pretty much learn to be a creative. Do not be afraid to try anything. You might just surprise yourself. Ask if you need help and gather any and all information on your subject.”