I have said it before, and I will say it again…
ART HEALS
It heals boredom in children, confusion in teenagers and pain in adults.
It reaches more than that, certainly, but that is a good start. I think the hard part is convincing people to try. With the current wave of coloring books all over the shelves of book stores and art supplies stores, I believe that the general population is taking notice.
Thursday evening, I had the great honor to invite women facing the dragon of breast cancer to my studio for a creative evening. The evening was focused on the well being of spirit. These wonderful ladies have faced heart breaking diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and more. They have faced darkness. They have faced fear.
While each had a unique journey, there was definitely a commonality there. I admired their strength. I admired their views on life. I was inspired by their world view, their desire to move on with life and cherish each moment.
We began the stormy evening with some simple drawings with white ink on black paper. They were like children in a candy shoppe. I so enjoyed watching their faces change and their shoulders relax. This seemed to open the door for them to share. as well as a certain wonderful calm. They didn’t want to stop! I needed to silence my need to push through to the next agenda item. I allowed them the control and took my cues from their desire.
Next we moved through a mediation I had written for them. It was oddly perfect even though I had never met any of the participants. It was meant to be a moment to breathe, to inspire some joy and to allow their spirit a moment to rest.
We moved on to a mandala after this. It was interesting to see the various ways they were created. While I gave a few guideline, I really wanted to allow opportunity to create without rules.
The conversation got very personal at different times. I almost felt as if I was intruding. The wisdom shared, the reality that appeared, the hope that was still fully instilled in these ladies was inspiring.
From all of this I took away two message.
- Life is short- do whatever the heck you want.
- ART HEALS- each and every participant shared their appreciation to me. Each remarked that they did not want to stop drawing. Each created beautiful art.
So…. I will continue the mission…. to share the tools of art- to open up Create Art 4 Good, and to be faithful to the view that everyone is an artist and it is good for us.
Be blessed this night and always.
Love & Peace,
Susan