Reflection In Art Writing

“This is where you can find your soul, if you dare.” (Anderson, pg 10) This belief comes from the mind of the Melinda, the progantists, art teacher, Mr. Freeman. Art is truly a door to the mind of an individual, showing things that people aren’t able to say. It shows through images and colors what many people aren’t able to express in words, events and thoughts speaking through the medium. Art is growing as a use of therapy to heal and tell. Psychologists analyze their patients art at a psychological level, interpreting the image into words. One of the theories in art therapy, which is seen throughout “Speak”, is the idea that unconscious thoughts are expressed in an image. (Irvings)These images then can be explained rationally. Melinda’s three major art images, the half dead trees, turkey bone, and cubism represent this theory.

Throughout my early teen years, I was exposed to different mediums of art and discovered that I could express myself through more channels than just paper. Although Barry found comfort in her 11 x 17 newsprint and some paint, I was able to focus my energy on making music and taking photographs. Without my art teachers, I wouldn’t have the expressive outlet I do today. My childhood was not filled with unhappiness as Lynda Barry’s was, but from both backgrounds, we found a warmth from the exposure of art that the educational system gave to us.

The pencil liberates my stresses and sorrows. Bare and unimpeded, my mind is able to isolate itself from anything that was happening in my life. At my art table, which is merely an escape from reality, my curiosity is able to wander. Within this room, five blank canvas's look in on me as I become a mold of my imagination. A step inside my world develops into a sea of color and exploration. The vibrancy of the walls resonates throughout. Over the years, my room has served as my oasis. It’s my escape from monotonous and mundane routines. It’s my exploration of another side of me. I observe such works of art almost as much as I create. Taking notice of my classmates’ innovations and inspired by their creativity, my paintbrush begins to alleviate stress. I strive to produce pieces others will appreciate, but often find myself to be the true admirer. My pride, in this world, is driven simply by my own curiosity to express myself. I credit this side of me as the “passion” that supplements my insane drive for success. This passion has sparked critical thinking in me as well as how I see failure. Life is a blank canvas and you can truly draw whatever you want, and if you fail, you start over and don’t make that same mistake again! Hard work takes ideas quite far, but true success is derived from ingenuity and the generation of

“While survivors often feel shame in talking about abuse, talking about their artworks is an experience of finally coming home.” The first picture I created as a little girl, the second as an art student in college, and the other three in my adulthood. Painting, for me, is an affective methodology, a force of feeling life. Being an adult does not erase the childhood memories of abuse. The paintings presented here, convey psychological emotions of how a Black girl who witnessed domestic violence became a Black woman and how these paintings still give me space and freedom. The exploration of these paintings gives me a sense of accomplishment that I certainly would not have had if my father had shot me. I created a safe space for myself by focusing from my inner resource using my artwork and being self-empowering rather than being a victim. My journey taught me that I do not need to fear the past or give into negative criticisms about how I live my plight. Like Picasso, who felt wholly alive when he was painting and, only then, was it possible for him to taste freedom. What is significant for me now is how this little girl survived severe trauma and how I survived today as a Black

When I first heard Ms. Drummey tell us that we would complete a project reflecting on ourselves I thought, “Oh good, this is going to be a piece of cake,” but as I sat down to choose the songs, poems, and art I would use, I discovered that this assignment would be nowhere near as easy as I had originally thought. You see, I had never truly analyzed who I am as a person and who I wanted to be. Hours upon hours of work later, I finally have a blurred sense of who I am, who I want to be, and where my life is going. Each individual entry has allowed me to realize my strengths and weaknesses, and as memories were pulled from the depths of my hippocampus, I was nearly drawn to tears.

Experience is a key element of being creative. More so experience of life, rather than experience of arts or creating. The subject position of a creator can arguably be constructed through life experience. Elements such as culture, religion, relationships, etc. can alter one’s view of the world and their approach to creativity. For example, my own experiences with mental health and emotional abuse have allowed the creation of art that I may never have considered prior to these events. The photography Beethy uses her anxiety and depression to feed her artwork and inspire ideas. The piece ‘anxiety’ connotes her experience; ‘The creative process helps. The idea of the image is something that's been twisting and turning in my subconscious for a while.’ Therefore, significant life events and experiences allow creative abilities.

The young, innocent, promising lives of our past drive emotions through artistic expressions that can be displayed though many outsources. I met my lifelong friend on a day that seemed inevitable to find absolutely nothing. Upon our day to view the art gallery, I entered the gallery feeling very negative that I would view any pieces of art that spoke to me directly. I thought, what possible piece could spark any emotions whatsoever within this “old soul”. I imagined walking in to the gallery to find out that the artistic expressions of others meant little to nothing to me. I was wrong in my assumptions and found a beautiful painting named “Console” by Barlow Palminteri. Tasked with describing what the painting looks like, what it means to me, as well as my

My experiences at LandWorks were enriching; it empowered me to question how art therapy allows emotions to be vocalised through art, the importance of artistic and therapeutic techniques, and the significance to implement art therapy into everyday life; allowing one to find one’s self. I wanted to investigate how each prisoner copes with showing emotion, the importance of time and how their use of their time has changed. Also, what the prisoners learnt throughout their journey, and what helps to motivate the prisoners to undertake a more positive outlook. Does art facilitate the viewer to have an experience? Does it explores the viewer’s perceptual capabilities, so they can develop their own meaning behind the work? Dewey (2005:36) discusses the experiences felt by viewers,

Art has been my passion since childhood. Spending three years within the teaching environment was where I thought I belonged. Before receiving my Bachelor of Fine Art in painting from Metropolitan State University of Denver a personal experience that connects to my reservation and adoption into the Clinical Mental Health program was one of tragic loss. On January 9, 2002, my son’s life abruptly ended and during the grieving process I started expressing myself through painting. In searching for serenity, individual counseling became enhance. Finding a therapist with a background in marriage and family/art therapy became a visual depiction, a self-portrait symbolizing my external realities and internal emotions immediately following his suicide. Driven to face an extremely irritating and stressful paradox to the best of my ability while trying to keep the constitutional need to endure my life as fully as possible.

Roger’s traditional person-centered therapy is perhaps the greatest example of “talk therapy” as there is not any homework, specific techniques, or behavior to be changed. Instead, the success of the therapy lies in the process and letting clients experience this process as fully as possible. Therefore, it may be surprising that Natalie Roger’s person-centered expressive arts therapy has shifted away from traditional verbal means of expression to more creative means. According to Sommers-Flanagan, through mediums such as movement, drawing, painting, music, writing and improvisation “clients peel away the layers of defense and find their true nature” (2007). Expressive art therapy is not concerned with the end product (client’s do not create a piece to hang on the wall) but rather the process of using art to delve into a client’s pain, rage, or grief is the goal. Therefore, just as in Roger’s person-centered therapy the process is the focal point but the mediums used are quite different. Through these mediums clients find other ways to go inward, other ways to speak. Like her father’s person-centered therapy, Natalie Roger’s expressive arts therapy is nondirective and lets client’s lead the process and trusts them to find the modalities they can learn from (Sommers-Flanagan, 2007).

This summer I spent my time on South Street, in a store that has a long history there. I came in as an intern and left a more experienced photographer. In this reflection essay I will discuss the place in which I interned, the information I researched about my field and what I ultimately learned by the end of this experience.

Not much has been written about the use of expressive arts in existential practice. “Pat Allen, one of the founders of the open studio approach to art therapy… decided to experiment with having people make art alongside each other and be of service to each other during the process, hence the Open Studio Approach” (Story, 2007). This approach is based upon three elements; intention, attention and witness (Story, 2007).

For many, symbolic representation gives freedom to open up emotionally as verbalisation can be challenging. Individuals have found that being creative gives them the opportunity to discover and move in new ways, which leads them to express themselves through the use of physicality. In doing so, it releases emotions that may have previously been hidden, making it easier to link the movement with the past memories (Batko, 2013). By connecting mind and body the creative process becomes a pathway for individuals’ to delve into their traumatic event finding symbolic meanings in impulsive movements. All of this happens as the underlying stress of the verbal communication has been diminished. Nevertheless, the ability to relay any account of a traumatic experience is a crucial part of overcoming the impact it causes.

My new body of work is a continuation of the work I have initiated earlier this year. It consists of a series of large canvases where I am painting a distorted enlarged self. I paint with oil colors on Italian linen canvases. This paint layer gets built up in a traditional lean-to-fat technique. I used to paint women portraits, but I gradually became more interested in flesh and less in the facial expressions. Coming to an understanding about how the body alone is a vehicle to convey emotions and how those moods can be exuding from a flat surface.

It is my belief that through this class and the tools provided, that my growth as a writer has grown through leaps and bounds I would never have assumed possible. It is not so much the skill I refer to, although I would think skill has gone up in some levels as well, but more so the appreciation for the craft of writing itself. Intially, at the start of this class my sole goal was to further my understanding and appreciation of the writer's and books that I so love to read. Through further evaluation within the first week, a few other goals came to mind, of which were, making writing a habit, finishing what I start, stop second guess my writing skills and making effective use of detail and description. Through the use of the many articles, various reading materials, whether poems or short stories, and especially through the workshop, I feel I was able to really push myself to accomplishing these goals. I have thus far learned how important it is not to be skilled at writing per say, but to have the will to write, that poetry is as much about it's sound as it is about it's subject, just how important character development is, how the narration and point of view of a story is essential to the way the story is told, and just how much of a difference peer's critiques can make to your writing.