The 3rd chapter of the book Art & Healing by Barbara Ganim focuses on "Expressing your emotions through imagery." The  first session's directive begins:  "Think about a painful or stress producing emotion that you have experienced lately-an emotion that you would like to release..." Afterwards you are to write the word boldly in the healing arts journal, study it, and write down what it feels like to experience that feeling. 

 The feeling I chose was FRUSTRATION.

As an artist and soon to be art therapist I think I interpreted this session a little differently. Instead of focusing on the left brain analytical side I was excited by drawing the letters to express or show the feeling. Reading back I realize the goal was to compare the Language with the forthcoming Image... but oh well! I can't help it if I am already rather connected to expressing via imagery... I have spent my whole life practicing that skill. If you are not that way have no fear because Ganim has some built in some great support in this chapter for those who are not "naturally imagistic." Anyway here is a photo of my word:

Notice that I completely left out a section of the word! So interesting! As Ganim says, and many art therapists believe, you are not to be judgmental when making errors in the art therapy process and often times making what our "inner critic" would consider a mistake is a hint that we are truly connecting to our right brained creative unconscious. Soo I am going to set my judgment aside and appreciate that I was deeply in the creative moment...Although it does peak my curiosity and make me go "huh" because it took several hours for me to go back and notice the "mistake".

The  second exercise was to "express an emotion with imagery." The steps were to tape yourself reading a guided visualization aloud and then play it back...following the steps or instructions in your imagination.  (I used a voice recorder on my cell phone which is working well.) After the visualization process you draw a picture of what that emotion feels like in your body- which is what the visualization lead you to. Here is mine on FRUSTRATION:

 So the final exercise in this session was answer some self-interview questions about the image. The foci of the questions in this session seem to be on what the experience of the emotion is and the impressions of the image, as well as what change happened after creating and reviewing the image. 

 My impression of this image is that Frustration is a BIG emotion. I would have equated it at about the same level as annoyance in the past. However, I could feel the emotion when drawing it and found that it was intense! There was a feeling of being stuck (see the legs) and a STRONG desire to MOVE and change the situation causing frustration (see the energy in the chest) and to verbally shout out about the experience of being frustrated. It sounds like this could be an uncomfortable process but I am really happy with what came out of this session and I found it quite enjoyable. I finished feeling energized EVEN after dealing with a negative emotion. I have missed making art like this regularly!  I believe that now is the right time for me to be going on this journey and I feel that at this stage of my life, my education and all I am able to sit with the experience of negative emotions, experience them and let them go...rather than get stuck, like I may have in the past, or avoid them all together- another one of my favorite coping mechanisms.

So needless to say it feels like I am in fact right where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing...and How much better can it get than that, really??

I don't know. 

 I plan to repeat this particular session with other "painful or stress producing emotions" because I found it so helpful! I highly recommend it. So far TWO THUMBS UP. 

I was very impressed with the way Ganim has set up this book and given so many helpful recommendations. There are many suggestions on creating a healing environment  and from her words of encouragement in the book to set up suggestions she has developed a great healing process (yes, I can tell already). The ability to set up a healing experience is a skill that even the best art therapists work on and I am grateful for the textual example of just how well it can be done....Ok enough of a sales pitch- at least for now. More art to make!! 

 See ya, 

The Madly Creating Blogger

PS. The process for each session in the book is very similar so expect some warm-up type activity followed by a guided visualization , art making and a wrap up with self-interview questions to be standard. :)

DAY 1: Yesterday 6/21 Summer Solstice

Essentially the final product from the thesis process (besides a written thesis document of course) will be an art journal that I create by following the directives  in the book Art & Healing by Barbara Ganim.   I will be documenting the art process here on the Run Mad Blog in order to keep folks up to date and to keep myself accountable. Hopefully you will enjoy coming along on my artistic journey!

On day one I read through the first 2 chapters of Art & Healing. Chapter 2 is all about setting up your space...so I am sharing my art space all ready to go!

  Carefully chosen materials from my collection along with a few extra purchases:

Here is the recommended supply list:

My make shift studio in the corner of the living room...All set up and ready for an exciting artistic journey:

 

 The Beginnings:

  (sorry about the grainy photos, next time I will use my camera and not my phone. I thought my droid did better than that!) 

Finally I'm taking the first steps! Finishing grad school and the thesis have been long awaited pieces of my journey and I am so excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel... And you get to come along with me!!  So keep checking back for updates!!

PS. If you are curious about art journaling here are a couple of interesting links: 

Art Journaling Blog

 PsychologyToday: Art Journaling is the #4 coolest Art Therapy intervention

At some point I would LOVE to do this too!- Modified Book: The DSM

Hi all!

 I had a fabulous suggestion from a graduate school cohort who recommended I blog about the process of my thesis art project! So here we are!! I have been finishing up school and internship responsibilities and am now throwing myself fully into the thesis process! I purchased some new art supplies to bulk up my own collection and away we go!

Come back tomorrow to see the first steps!

:)

 -Running Madly to MAKE ART!

So I try not to re-post things I find online...buuuut I found this little story online and found it to be touching. Listening to a person's heart is the deepest truest element of what being therapist (and I argue human being) is... See if you agree.

Shared from Ijourney.com, Sept 21, 2009-

When I was a little bitty kiddy, about five, my Dad began a process … anytime somebody came and said something to us, my dad would say, "You remember what he said, honey girl?”  I would tell my father what the person said until I got so good at it that I could repeat verbatim even long presentations of what the person had said.

And he did this all the time.

Finally, one day there was this old gentleman, Richard Thompson. I still remember his name, he lived across the street.  And every time my Dad started to mow the lawn, there came Mr. Thompson. And so I would stand out there.

Dad says, “You might come and listen to this man, honey girl.  He’s pretty interesting.”  And so I listened to him, and then my dad would say, “What did you hear him say?” And I would tell him.

Well, eventually I was repeating all the stories he liked to share with my dad verbatim.  I knew them all by heart.

And my Dad says, “You’re getting pretty good at that.  But did you hear his heart?"  And I thought, what?  So I went around for days with my ear to people's chest trying to hear their hearts.

Finally my Dad created another learning situation for me by asking my mother to read an article from the newspaper.  He says “Well, I guess if you want to understand that article, you have to read between the lines."

I thought, "Oh, read between the lines. Hear between the words."

So the next time I listened to Mr. Thompson’s stories, I tried to listen between the words.  My Dad said, “I know you know his story, but did you hear his heart?” And I said, "Yes.  He is very lonely and comes and shares his memories with you again and again because he’s asking you to keep him company in his memories."

It just came out of me.  In other words, my heart echoed his heart.

And when you can listen at that level, then you can hear not only the people. If you really pay attention, you can hear what the Universe is saying.

--Paula Underwood, clan mother of the Turtle clan, Iroquois nation

Hi All! I have been hoping for a few artists to feature on this site & since the second most desired topic was in fact "artists & their art" here we are!! If you wish to be featured please feel free to contact me! At this time I will feature artists freely and just appreciate the content. Perhaps a little reciprocal advertising of sorts would help? Anyway, I would love to hear from you!

I decided to do the interviews in a brief 20 Questions style... I think as artists and lovers of art we can get really wrapped up in the language we use to talk about our art...we can get wordy (I am sooo guilty of this.) So I ask the artists who respond to the 20 questions to be brief. I love hearing what they have to say when that have to get down to the "bare bones" of what they do. 

Enjoy!

Brent Adrian & His Meat-

Brent is a researcher at ASU here in Arizona and a painter.  He is a the husband of a fellow art therapist friend  and I am excited and honored for him to be the second featured artist on Run Mad Blog!!

6. Least favorite medium and why?

 

9. Can art-making pay the bills?

    Lately, I've been working on paper- the texture is organic and somewhere between panel and canvas.  I've also been working with cold wax medium for the first time.  The resulting finishes are matte and almost fluffy, which is a departure from the glossy surfaces I was working with previously.  I've also been really trying to push the quality of the edges in the paintings lately.  And the brightest highlights are always a challenge as they have to be very specific in terms of their shape and color.  They end up getting repainted over and over until I get it right. 

12. What is/was your favorite piece of art you have ever created?

    I'll answer the next question along with this one.  I don't really have an all-time favorite or least favorite.  As time goes on, I like some better than others, but in general, I'm the most excited about the most recent work and tend to be less attached to older pieces. 

14. Sum up your artistic perspective or artist's statement in 10 words or less. (List form may be best...)

    These days, I paint in the evening.  This hasn't always been the case, but you have to adapt to different schedules as your life changes.

17. How do you tap into the creative flow?

Hi all-

I'm back, did you miss me?? Happy October. I am now a married lady! haha.  We went on a wonderful "Wedding Tour" where we visited several National Parks and many friends and family along the way!

Now I am getting settled back home and off to the races once again.

Keep checking back! Thanks for waiting for me while I lived life ;)

-The marrying and traveling madly blogger.

Hey All,

Just an FYI 

I was out of town for 3 weeks at a art therapy institute. Had hoped to post but was way too busy!  Now I am getting married in 3 weeks!!

Expect posts to be few and far between for now. I'll get back up and running as much as possible and hopefully back in full swing after we return from our travels near the end of September.

Thanks for understanding!, 

 The Running Madly, Studying, Wedding-ing, Honeymooning Blogger. :)

So I normally don't get into my personal life much here...that isn't really why I blog.

But I thought I would share one little "secret" of mine and my reflections on it over the past week.

I am 25 & I don't have a driver's license.

(Maybe I should have mailed this anonymously to PostSecrets or something instead! haha)

Yes, that's right... I am about to be married...about to have my Master's degree in counseling...I can do therapy with children and groups and follow brain based therapeutic models that even I can't pronounce...but yet I have not yet learned to drive. There are several reasons why...none of which really matter anymore because, frankly, I'm fed up. Sick of asking friends to cart me here or there, Really sick of having to speed shop at my favorite stores because my poor (soon to be) husband has to tag along, etc.. There will be some growing pains I'm sure- but I am already relishing my impending freedom. 

 As you know, this only proves that no matter who you are or where you come from you have your own issues. We all do...and thats okay! (Say it with me...)

So, like I said- I'm fed up....I decided to take behind the wheel training again. I am taking it through Desert Driving School (free plug!) with Scott- who is the CEO. He has been great; does a good job of putting me at ease and not making me feel like I'm special ed.  So if you are in the Phoenix area and need such services I highly recommend them. 

 Anyway, after doing some driving over the past couple weeks I'm feeling much more comfortable and could be terrorizing the road without a licensed passenger in no time. (Scott, if you are reading this-  I promise I won't actually terrorize the road, I will be very responsible and make my head checks before I change lanes and not let other jerk drivers frazzle me...haha.)

My new found realization (see below) has everything to do with the new copy of Scienftic American Mind that I just received called "Can You Be Too Perfect?" 

Perfectionists, research shows, can become easily discouraged by failing to meet impossibly high standards, making them reluctant to take on new challenges or even complete agreed-upon tasks. The insistence on dotting all the i’s can also breed inefficiency, causing delays, work overload and even poor results. Perfectionism can hurt health and re­lationships, too. It is associated with anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, writer’s block, alcoholism and depression. Such problems may be prevalent: a 2007 study that evaluated more than 1,500 college students revealed that nearly one quarter of them suffered from an unhealthy form of perfectionism."

Reluctant to take on new challenges- yup....(driving: case in point)

Difficulty completing agreed upon tasks-yup (when I can't do them "up to par" I put them off...)

Writer's block- Doh!

Here is the biggest thing I have learned from driving again...

We all make 1000's of mistakes every day.  I made so many mistakes the first day back on the road that I could have easily believed that driving was not for me, again. Problem is- I was still behind the wheel of a car...I still had the responsibility of my own life, the life of my passenger and the others around me in my hands. Those mistakes HAD (and have to) roll right off. Sure you learn and try not to do it again (I still content that a car is a rolling weapon- must use with caution!) BUT you can't let those mistakes get you down. 

There is no way to obtain Driving Perfection... I (at least in the rhelm of driving) HAVE TO convert my un-healthy self-effacing perfectionism into the healthy kind. I have no choice... I can not and will no longer restrict my opportunities to live as I want or go where I want. Hopefully I can translate this new found "Imperfection-ism" into other parts of my life- maybe I'll post more often and turn my graduate school papers in on time....maybe.    ;)

 Thanks for reading!

-The soon to be Driving Madly Blogger

Hi All! I have been hoping for a few artists to feature on this site & since the second most desired topic was in fact "artists & their art" here we are!! If you wish to be featured please feel free to contact me! At this time I will feature artists freely and just appreciate the content. Perhaps a little reciprocal advertising of sorts would help? Anyway, I would love to hear from you!

I decided to do the interviews in a brief 20 Questions style... I think as artists and lovers of art we can get really wrapped up in the language we use to talk about our art...we can get wordy (I am sooo guilty of this.) So I ask the artists who respond to the 20 questions to be brief. I love hearing what they have to say when that have to get down to the "bare bones" of what they do. 

Enjoy!

Rachel Roemer and her Ladies-

Rachel is an artist and art teacher living in Wisconsin. She is actually a very dear friend and I am excited and honored for her to be the first featured artist on Run Mad Blog!!

Artist 20 questions-

1. Why do you make art? -  in 5 words or less

It is who I am. 

2. Name an artist (living or dead) who you would like to be your mentor.

Chuck Close or Toulouse-Lautrec

3. Name an artist (living or dead) that you would like to kick in the shins...(this would generally be your least favorite artist.)

None really, all have some influence good or bad...

4. Are you comfortable with the term "artist"? why or why not?

Yes but I have a problem when asked to define what an artist is. 

5. What is your favorite medium and why?

Soft pastels, the colors blend together really nicely. I like the ability to combined clear definition with softness.(If that makes sense.)

6. Least favorite medium and why?

Oil based ink because I work really messy and it is a ginormous pain to clean up!

7. Does/Did anyone in your family make art?

Yes. My dad has an art degree, my mom pursued one for awhile and both my sisters have good artistic abilities. 

8. When did you first realize you had some sort of artistic talent?

When I was about four, I won a drawing contest or something goofy like that.

9. Can art-making pay the bills?

If you choose to work your butt off to achieve that, I do it for personal gratification but feel weird asking for money for my art.

10. Do you think making art is therapeutic?

YES A MILLION TIMES YES.

11. Tell me about your most recent work of art....

I am currently drawing larger than life size portraits with companion pieces. The companion piece is a part of the body that the featured person in the portrait chose as their favorite. I have been trying to create work that is more personal and meaningful about the females in my family. 

12. What is/was your favorite piece of art you have ever created?

Right now it is a drawing I did of the side of my sister's neck.

13. Your least favorite creation?

Probably something I did in high school that had to do with 9/11. I was trying to get a piece of artwork in an art show and I thought going with something topical and emotional would be a shoe-in.

14. Sum up your artistic perspective or artist's statement in 10 words or less. (List form may be best...)

Demonstrate the female perspective of my female relatives about themselves and their bodies.

15. Is art essential?

Absolutely. Art helps complete the human being. 

16. You are at your most creative- what time of day is it?

Morning or evening. Pretty much anytime but afternoon when I am sleepy and want an after lunch nap.

17. How do you tap into the creative flow?

I just start working, I also have to play music or movies I enjoy. The noise around me helps me get to a good place and it is easier to start creating work and get into the flow.

18. How separate are you from your art?

I am very connected to my current work, it is more personal and I am actually feeling good about what I am creating. I have very little connection to my older work especially the stuff that were pretty much just assignments I was completing.

19.  Tell me about a project you wish you could do but can't- why can't you?

There was a political piece I did in my college sculpture class where I envisioned an elaborate way to display it that would have been huge and a lot of construction that I never got around to creating.

20. You are moving to a remote island. You have several necessities for survival but you can only take 2 items with which to make art. What are these 2 items?

Paper and pencils...I do love the basics.

Well apparently besides spreading  knowledge (tainted by my personal opinion) I have other incentives to continue to blog- I am also taking care of myself, both physically and mentally! Besides being cathartic (which most writers and therapist or avid "journalers" already know) writing also provides some physiological benefits.

So, according to a recent Scientific American Article entitled "Blogging--It's good for you" ...well blogging is good for you! hah. 

 Whatever the underlying causes may be, people coping with cancer diagnoses and other serious conditions are increasingly seeking—and finding—solace in the blogosphere. “Blogging undoubtedly affords similar benefits” to expressive writing, says Morgan, who wants to incorporate writing programs into supportive care for cancer patients....

Some hospitals have started hosting patient-authored blogs on their Web sites as clinicians begin to recognize the therapeutic value. Unlike a bedside journal, blogging offers the added benefit of receptive readers in similar situations, Morgan explains: 'Individuals are connecting to one another and witnessing each other’s expressions—the basis for forming a community.' "

 

A recent article from Woman's Day online cited Blogging as the #1 way to boost your mood in minutes- 

1. Start a blog. Like journaling, it gives you an outlet for your feelings. “But it may be even better for triggering happiness because people can leave you positive comments,” says Caroline Adams Miller, coauthor of Creating Your Best Life."

So, with that being said: Start a blog!! Build a Community!  Speak up! (or at least comment on mine...I promise you'll feel better!)

Therapeutically blogging  & feeling better already! ;)

- The Run Mad Blog Lady...