Art as healing

When I started this blog, I was personally going through some things. As the year has progressed I have learned a great deal about myself. I found that I could use art and specifically the process of working to let go of alot of the stuff that I was dealing with.

I also discovered many new things about myself and my personal goals. It seems to me that we have lost so much community connection that not only is society fragmented but our own homes are as well. Few things that we seem to be doing connect us as groups. I would love to see that change. And I am pretty sure I know a good starting place.

When I was young, my mom belonged to an art center. It was in the old library of the town I grew up in. We spent alot of time there, I woudl take dance lessons, mom would be in plays. We attended openings and shows on a very regular basis. THe key here, to me, is that we were a part of a community that came together on a regular basis. I know that when my mom was very ill, I stayed at the home of the director of the art center.

My long term goal is to create that same sort of community. A meeting place where members, participants, drops ins, what have you can come and create and share the art that they are using to heal.

i am sharing pictures today of my Angry Book. I made it during a time of struggle. I was very angry about the way I was allowing people to treat me. And felt silenced by these people. I had tried to express my feelings to them and to those that would convey my message. But each time, my message was ignored in some way. It is a very complicated story whose outcome was personal growth for me. I used the Angry Book to put the rage in and then I tried to leave it there. Didn't always work but it was better then nothing. The book itself was a big break from my standard work. It could be ugly. It needed to be ugly. And for me that was a big break from my definitions of what I do.

I am also throughing in some pictures of this weeks project. Christmas tags!!! I am making a ton of them. It is nice quiet work that really feels like I am getting something done.

Have a wonderful Week

K