Meet Mel!

Rainbow Muse is excited to welcome another family member: Melanie Knight!

Mel is a talented and experienced Art Therapist, a kickarse mum, the founder of world-renowned creative expression events, and a lovely human to boot!

Read on to learn more about Mel's skills and her belief in the power of creativity.

At the heart of Mel's practise is the philosophy: 'Creativity is Connection'. Connection to self, connection to the world you experience and connection to others.

Known as Melbourne's cheerleader for art, creativity and positive expression, Mel has been building and facilitating community cultural events and interactions for 15 years, encouraging people to connect to their own ideas and creativity.  

Mel has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of creativity and expression and has become passionate about inspiring and nurturing an individual's ability to trust themselves and explore their own expression for positive self-regard and wellbeing.

Mel offers welcoming spaces, playful interactions and supportive, educational environments – striving to make social change through positive impacts on the individual.  

Mel wholeheartedly believes no experience is required to create or make art. In addition to her work as an Art Therapist, she leads the world's largest alternative life drawing event, Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School, which threw open the doors for people of all abilities to come and sketch. Mel extended this pathway towards creative expression with another innovative and original concept, Dead Letter Club. 

These interactions and events see Mel travel across the country, supporting organisations and communities to join together to find connection through creative collaboration.

Mel has extensive experience in art and narrative therapy, cultural development, facilitation and coaching, and grounds these inspired concepts in a personal art-making practise that includes writing, tattooing, textile and visual art.

Mel's core belief is that creativity is necessary to an individual's wellbeing, and the individual is necessary to community wellbeing. Mel believes in a trauma-informed, human-centred and recovery-orientated process ,where a person is the expert of their own lives.

If you're interested in working with Mel, you can email her at melanie@rainbowmuse.com.au

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Melanie's Bio

I believe creativity is a crucial part of wellbeing. While undertaking training in counselling, I realised I wanted to combine talk therapy with the creative experience. This led me to complete my Masters in Therapeutic Arts Practice at The MIECAT Institute, which still guides and supports my therapeutic practise today, along with my passion for encouraging awareness of self through creative exploration. Throughout the last 15 years I’ve developed spaces for thousands of people across Australia to create and express themselves. This allowed me to witness first-hand that creativity is a powerful way to discover and support wellbeing and positive self-regard, and increase people’s capacity for play and joy.

I found a special connection working as a creative mentor for children from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and as an art therapist for autistic, non-verbal and diverse ability populations. These experiences expanded my awareness of the benefits of alternatives to talk therapy. When working with neurodiverse littlies, I use my experience in DIR floortime, and Social Thinking to support my practise. I work with a recovery-orientated framework and trauma-informed lens – most recently with children whose parents are experiencing mental illness with a focus on Australian Defence Force children. I have a particular interest in life transitions and grief, knowing that grief is a valid and important part of change as we navigate our lives. I look forward to supporting your curiosity about your experiences, and working with you to support your hopes and ambitions for a positive and fulfilling life. I’m passionate about utilising both art and narrative therapy, supported by CBT, and ACT.

Mel regularly collaborates with cultural organisations, festivals, community groups, and schools delivering programs to advocate what she calls ‘creative literacy’, advocating that without creativity imagination fades, and compassion (for self and other) is impossible without imagination. Mel’s therapeutic practise has been guided and continues to be informed through her work in:

● Children and youth mental health, social skills and development at Sensational Kids

● Children and youth mental health at Australian National Veterans Art Museum

● Children’s creative mentorship at Future Foundations

● Youth Support and Programs in local government at the City of Yarra Youth Services

● Patient and family support with The Groundswell Project

● Adult’s creative facilitation with Creative Social Movements programs (including collaborations with Melbourne Writers Festival, Heidi Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Brisbane, State Library of Victoria, Wollongong Writers Festival, SA Writers)

We are so glad to have her onboard!