Take a Hint
22 May 2012 2 Comments
in Inspiration Tags: self care
One could easily say that my life is fairly hectic. I work full time at a psychiatric hospital, I teach at a local university, I have a fledgling private practice, and I am very involved in my spiritual community. When I am not doing these things, I am working in the garden or studio, spending time with friends, and trying to relax. And in my “spare” time, I think about going back to school and writing a book. Now don’t get me wrong, I am hardly complaining. In fact, I feel pretty blessed by all of the opportunities that come my way. But let me tell you about the flip side and the perennial challenge of therapist self-care.
As I write this, I am laying on an ice pack and waiting for my chiropractic appointment. Holding onto stress has literally frozen my back into place. It’s pretty frustrating knowing that I have unwittingly done this to myself. Rather than beating myself up about it, I am going to take this as a not so subtle wake up call to do a better job of tending to myself. I am going to slow down a bit and take more time for myself. I have to heed the warning that my body is sending to me. I overdo it on a regular basis. I take great pride in “getting it all done.” But at what price? A frozen back is the price this time, I don’t want to find any other dues to pay.
I need to practice more of what I preach about self-care. I do a lot to take care of myself, but clearly I am holding the daily stressors at a far deeper level. I need to give serious thought to how best to care for myself so that I am in optimum physical, emotional and spiritual health. I owe it to my clients, my students, my co-workers, my friends and family-but most importantly, I owe it to myself.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
18 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Inspiration Tags: Mental health, Suicide
I am feeling very heavy hearted today. A young woman in my community took her own life a few days ago. While I did not know her, I know many who did and who cherished her as a talented and loving person. So many questions abound and leave the survivors wondering what more they could have done.
In my work as a therapist, I have known many people who have struggled with suicidality. The desire to end one’s own life is a nagging pain that runs terribly deep. It becomes very hard, if not impossible, to imagine a less painful future. Hopelessness becomes the new normal. A suicide attempt can come as a complete shock. Most may not have known how hard someone was struggling to hold it all together until they do something drastic.
A few years ago, a young man I knew took his own life. Our community was stunned. Sure, he had his problems, but things seemed to be improving. We can second guess ourselves all day long about clues to his intentions, but the fact is that he let absolutely no one into his inner turmoil. Survivor guilt is intense and probably never goes away.
If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, there is help. It may not feel like it right now, but there are people who love you dearly and want to help you. In the depths of despair, it is hard to imagine that things will ever get better. Lean on those around you and borrow some hope for a while if you need to. It is hard to have much perspective when you are feeling so awful, but most things if given time do have a way of working out. Reach out, you will be amazed at how many people care about you and want to help.
Here are some resources for you and your loved ones:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
http://helpguide.org/mental/suicide_prevention.htm
http://www.itgetsbetter.org/
http://www.nami.org/
Hang in there please, it gets better. Peace to you.
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Tag! I’m It!
10 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Inspiration Tags: Creative tag
- Gretchen Miller tagged me for some creative blog fun! If you want to play on your own blog, here are the rules:
- You must post the rules
- Answer 11 questions the tagger posted for you
- Create 11 questions to ask the people you tag
- Tag 11 people
- Let them know you’ve tagged them
- What is your most favorite art material or media to use in your personal art-making? It’s hard to list my most favorite material or media, I have so many! If I am in Big Art mode, I would have to say it is beeswax collage. It’s Big Art because it requires a fair amount of time and setup. For Little Art, I like to noodle around in my altered books, often sewing in them or using stamps and embossing powder.
- Favorite source for creative inspiration? I get a lot of inspiration from walking around antique stores. Seeing all the vintage stuff gives me ideas for new juxtapositions of old and new imagery.
- Any tips for making the time to focus on your creative practice? Don’t wait to have time to be creative.Incorporate it into everything you do. Practice your creativity mindfully and give yourself credit for the small creative acts you do every day. Creativity isn’t something to fit into your schedule, it is something to BE.
- What artsy project are you working on right now? I always have several altered books going. My big project now is more crafty. I was asked to finish knitting a sweater that was started by someone for her husband before she passed away. It will be a birthday gift for him from the family.
- Is there a particular art material, technique, or process you would like to learn more about or spend more time with? I would love to learn about glass blowing, metal smithing, and do some more with printmaking. I took a printmaking class last summer and really fell in love with the possibilities.
- Biggest creative challenge you’ve experienced? Making the film for 6 Degrees of Creativity! The sound wasn’t working on my computer, I wasn’t familiar with the camera, the editing software was new to me and I set up and shot the whole thing by myself. I don’t recommend any of these scenarios if you are making a film!
In the end, it all worked out, I am very happy with the finished product, and it was a very creatively satisfying experience to solve all of those problems on my own. - What does creativity mean to you? Seeing the world with fresh eyes, being open to all possibilities, a willingness to take risks, having a playful attitude, developing problem-solving skills,working hard and having fun!
- Favorite art related book you’ve read or would like to read? Frida Kahlo’s journal
- Do you prefer to create alone or with others? I find my working styles are very different depending on whether I am alone or with others. Generally when I am making art with others, I am the group leader-either as professor or therapist. That tends to limit my work because my real focus is on the group members.Otherwise, I generally work alone although it is certainly fun to have a pal to bounce ideas around with!
- What role has social media and networking played in your creative practice? I wouldn’t have this blog without it! It has enabled me to spread my thoughts, ideas and work to a larger audience. It has enriched my network of professional contacts and opened up opportunities for me.
- Finish this sentence: ”To create is to exist”. And now for my 11 questions: (I can’t make the numbering below go away
- When did you really start to embrace your creative self?
- Who encouraged you on your creative path?
- If you were going to change careers, what else would you do?
- If you had a patron for a year, what would you do with your time and money?
- What piece of art would you most want to have in your home?
- Which artist, living or dead, would you like to have dinner with?
- If you were going to host a salon and could invite anyone living or dead, who would you invite?
- What kills your creative buzz and how do you get it back?
- Describe your creative work space.
- Do you ever sell your work? Does the prospect of selling it alter it in any way?
- What percentage of the creative process is fun for you?
- Now I just have to figure out how to tag some people!
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Belief in Things Unseen
07 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in Inspiration Tags: art therapy
I just finished making a 16 foot long dragon for story time during tomorrow’s Easter services. What, pray tell, does a dragon have to do with Easter? I was wondering the same thing until it was explained to me during this morning’s rehearsal. The story is about a boy who is the only one who sees the dragon until it so large it is impossible not to see it. How all this ties into Easter is the subject for another blog, this is a Unitarian Universalist church after all.
I think it is an apt metaphor as well for the work we do as therapists. So much of our work relies on believing in the unseen and unknown. We usually don’t know where our words and actions land within our clients. We spend a lot of time time helping people unravel the mysteries of the heart and the psyche. Sometimes our clients are the only ones who see the dragons. Being the Dragon Seer can be a precarious role to play.
All of this impresses upon me the power and the awesome responsibility of the job of being in the role of therapist. I must act and speak with kindness and care. I must hold onto hope when my clients have abandoned it. I must believe in each person’s ability to change, heal and grow. Hope, kindness,healing-all of these things are unseen and immeasurable-yet I must maintain absolute faith in them.
It seems to me that anyone working as a therapist must have a bedrock belief in something so ethereal as human potential. How else do we carry on? How do we understand the nebulous nature of our work other than a belief in things unseen?
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Altered by Art: The Transformative Medium of Beeswax Collage
03 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Creation, Inspiration Tags: Beeswax, Collage
Altered by Art: The Transformative Medium of Beeswax Collage
This is the video that I made for the 6 Degrees of Creativity project. In it you will find soup to nuts instructions for doing beeswax collage. In response to a query, no, the collages will not melt unless you leave them in your car on a hot day. I hope you enjoy the video, I certainly had fun making it! And check out 6 Degrees of Creativity 2, happening now at
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Small Beauties
27 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Inspiration Tags: Little Prince
Back in September, I had a reallllly bad day. I received some upsetting news that left me very agitated. What to do? Go to bed and cry? No, I needed to do something active. The biggest task that lay before me was to plant some 50 -odd bulbs. They had to get in the ground before the first frost.
I dug holes and buried bulbs and stopped every once in a while for a crying jag. My neighbors truly must have thought I had lost my mind. One of my strongest memories of this day was my fervent hope that by the time these bulbs came up I would be in a better place emotionally. I worried that seeing the newly sprung flowers would only take me back to that sorrowful place.
The bulbs are coming up now. And here is the gift: my grief has transformed. I truly am in a different place, just as I hoped I would be all those months ago. Transported by the beauty of the hyacinths, tulips and daffodils, I am reminded that nothing ever stays the same. As the Little Prince said, “time soothes all sorrows.”
The bulbs came up.
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I am artist, hear me roar
23 Mar 2012 2 Comments
in Creation, Inspiration Tags: Art, art therapy, Creativity, Psychotherapy, Skill
What are the qualities that make one a good art therapist? Does one have to be a skilled artist to be a good art therapist? I was asked this question recently and I think it is an important one.
In previous posts I have discussed the important differences between creativity and artistic skill. I would posit that it is necessary for one to have a passion and affinity for the arts, including some intensive training in technique, in order to be an art therapist. What is required is a facility with the arts, a knowledge of art history, a thorough understanding of the creative possibilities and an ability to guide a client through the creative process. Is this you? Are you thoroughly grounded in the arts-the making of it, the history of it, the care-taking of the creative process? Imagine a music therapist who knew the words to all the songs but couldn’t play an instrument. Are they still a music therapist? Can you lead if you can’t play the tune? We have to be able to play the artistic and creative tune.
You may have already read my thoughts about being able to draw. Drawing skill alone does not equal artistry in my book. I cannot draw realistically, does this diminish my ability as an art therapist? No, of course not. Drawing realistically is a particular skill subset, my strength lies in my overall creative sensibility. And so does yours.
I definitely think you have to self-identify as an artist in order to be an art therapist. How else can you truly support others on their creative journey unless you are on one yourself? I like music, but that doesn’t make me a music therapist. I embrace art, I practice art making, I am trained as an artist. My identity as an artist is truly the underpinning of my identity as an art therapist.
