Prompt Four - ISR for Katie

Collaboration: weaving a web around us

Everyone's contribution can stand on its own and is unique; together though, the possibilities are endless

Prompt Four - ISR for Cath

the magic can be hard to come by

collaboration post

Prompt Four - Collaboration:

hello!
working hard, so hard!
sharing
support
true collaboration
trust
restful
natural
vibrant
seeing opportunities
challenging
joyful
calm
seeing yourself in other people's eyes
patience
discoveries
surprises
respect
the magic can be hard to come by

in answer to the questions:
I have been collaborating creatively for a very long time - friends sharing lounge rooms, tea, coffee, food, alcohol, friendship, inspiration, tears, frustration, weirdnesses, exasperation - sometimes it ends in an exhibition, sometimes creative, sometimes menial, always with our hands and our hearts and our minds.  As an arts therapist I found true amazing collaboration in running groups with Delwyn.  We'd share our thoughts, so much laughter, our hearts, our thinking, challenge each other, push each other.  The most exciting bit was how much the group work became a collaboration with the families we worked with "I don't know, what would you do?"  It was so so so creative.  At work I collaborate with non therapists and non artists and I have stopped running groups as a result - its like getting blood out of a stone, its collegial but without awe and wonder.  When I run them with other therapists at work it works beautifully, but I don't have free access to them, so I've drawn a line in the sand and said 'no more' until I can collaborate rather than carry.
I collaborate when there is a wage involved or when I'm invited to.  I'm unlikely to initiate a collaboration because generally I undervalue myself, my work and my creativity.  This shaky confidence makes it difficult for me to collaborate - but it is almost always worth it.  I have a neighbour who has been offering me surprising collaborations - we have this very sweet letter thing happening that is turning into a 'craft off' which she hopes will turn into a craft book - I'm not so sure!  But its fun anyway...
The bits that stick out on the image I've posted:
 - the bit that looks heavy and dark (the pink and dark brown wool going between the figure and the nest with the bird carrying it) is actually the most inspiring collaboration I have ever witnessed - my house mate made a basket in our backyard some 17 years ago - a bird made a nest out of the same materials at the same time outside our kitchen window.  It was magical!
 - The apple core - I found the long bit of apple peel on the floor when I dropped some collage materials - I thought it was a bit of collage twine until I looked more closely and realised it was my kids food scraps.  I laughed and had to include it - the kids are my ultimate creative collaborators, at very least in providing me with fodder for inspiration.

Prompt Four - Collaboration

All about your collaborations.
What do you do?
Who are they with? 
When/how do you find/make the time?
Do you collaborate?

How does it feel?

Prompt Three - ISRs for Kay

Prompt 3 Kays reflections on self care (or lack of)

At first I wondered what self-care I do have in place...and then I realized having just lost my Dad on Easter Sunday, I was very much into self care.  What had I done, I had cancelled everything in my calendar.
So I realized that I needed to first identify what my life looks (normally) so here is the first image of my life as it normally is.

There was too much busy-ness going on so that was the first realization.  So what does my self-care look like.  I started to explore with the many colours and papers in front of me to find a second image that starts to demonstrate to me what my self care needs to look like...

This was a definite improvement.  I found the process of creating these images very informing so thank you Jacinta for helping me to unpack my own lack of self care
What do I now know, is that I need to be aware of taking time out and using images are a helpful way to slow things down

Prompt Three - ISR for Natalya

Prompt Three - This is what my Arts based Self Care looks like...

After the workshop I feel inspired. I sift through the collage bits Jacinta has provided and create a front cover for my journal. The process seems familiar but also a long distant memory...I used to decorate all my journals and even make my own books. It feels good to have a cover that invites me to inquire.

Weeks pass and I await the next prompt eagerly, but when it arrives I feel pressured. "I don't feel well" "I don't have time" "I can't make art with a toddler" etc. etc. This is a familiar pattern about making excuses for not dedicating time to my creative expression...gees I wrote a thesis about this theme!

It's been raining and we can't play outside. I brew dandelion tea and rosehip tea, extra strong. I lay out paper and brushes with containers full of the teas and together we make. Alongside each other, collaboratively on the same page and responding to each others marks. "Mine!" "My tea! That's Mummy's". Water soluble pastels go from paper to legs to paper. Tea is washed onto legs and then paper. I respond to her and she to me. I am encouraged by the image of Cath making alongside her children. I let go. I share my expensive pastels and it is okay. I don't have a idea or theme to explore or represent except for allowing space and opportunity for self care.

I cut up an old artwork created in a Creative Art Therapy "open studio" session I facilitated many years ago. These pieces are collaged on the back inside cover. I let go. I move between several images. Working in layers, letting the materials and the emergent process guide me.

My concerns about work drift away. I just stop wondering and the art washes over me like a self care bath. I am immersed in arts process, companioned by my creative being, companioned by my little art child. The tea spills out onto the tiles. Lucky she is wearing her swimmers over her thermals on this cold day. We dance in creative expression. This what is my arts based self care looks like...

Prompt Three - ISR for Janice

 

Prompt Three - ISR for Katie

Prompt 3: Art as self care- Creating (& maintaining) heArt

Prompt Three - ISR for Cath

prompt three - art as self care: What I did on my holidays

As my title suggests, this post is more a diary of my creative pursuits spanning the period between our weekend workshop and the moment I read this post, rather than a response to the post.  It's a bit of a cop out, but its the best anyone will get out of me during the school holidays!

I'm at home with four kids.  I believe wholeheartedly in boring the pants off them in the holidays so that they will be excited to go back to school.  I also think exploring their own minds and bodies and home and garden and relationships is the best way to recharge, so I try to model this a bit.  I also worked this week but I don't go back until after Easter now.  Easter is a lovely time in our household because there is chocolate and also all that egg decorating.

I made the curtain with the kids -we made sweet potato stamps and used screen printing ink.  It was a challenge to 'allow' them to design their own stamps but of course the end result is worth it - I let go of the arrogance that my own design would be the best, and in the end, unsurprisingly, mine is nowhere near the best.

The eggs are from a previous year.  I'm looking forward to what I will make with the years and years worth of decorated eggs sitting in boxes.

I have been wanting to make that apron for years!  Its was so satisfying to make.  I can't say the same for the top - I don't particularly like it, my body got too sore making it, I got a bit obsessed with finishing it.  

So..... Art as self care:

creating rituals, making special, understanding who I am and what I like,  show and tell, exploring boundaries, saying hello, a sensory exploration, surrounding myself in beauty, tolerating others, developing technical competencies, letting go, listening, hearing, allowing, creating my space, finding my limits, breathing, touching, feeling, inspiring, modelling, making, taking in the beauty, appreciating.  Its a different pace, and when it becomes the same pace as the rest of my life then its time to do something else.  I don't feel right if I don't do, in a completely intangible way.  But, if it doesn't work for my body it doesn't work for my mind and ceases to be caring.  It needs to be balanced, embodied.  If I sew I must dance!  Now that sounds like fun!
P.S Is there any other way to survive the school holidays? 

Prompt Three - "Art as Self Care"

Thanks for the topic suggestions for the blog prompts that you offered at the workshop. There were a lot of great ideas.

I am planning to continue posting a new prompt every two weeks to the blog as it seems a great way of keeping the project moving and staying in touch between face to face catch ups. I am really enjoying the regular creative connection with you all.

That being the case, I am hoping to complete at least two prompts (maybe three) before we meet again in May! If you could please respond in the next week to week and a half (the earlier the better) that would be great. That will give me time to create an ISR for you before the next prompt.

I am doing an intensive at MIECAT for the next five days, so whilst I am not at work, I will probably still be a bit stretched for time. I will be checking in every day and I will do my best to respond with your ISRs asap.

Thank you and have a lovely, safe, happy and creative Easter break.

GRAT/MIECAT - Group Workshop One

It was so great to meet up with the group last Saturday and do some art therapy processes together. It was lovely to witness everyone using visual arts to explore their individual journeys working in creative arts therapies, and then to collaboratively interact and connect with each other expanding on the original artwork.

Keywords and phrases collected from discussions following each part of the process included:

A sense of shared story
A dance
I liked the yes
Landscape quality
A sense of being heard
Beautiful
More collaborative
Felt taken as opposed to knowing where I was going
Yes traveled
Letting go
Freeing

Thank you all again for diving in and being open to whatever emerged as the workshop unfolded.

Some images that I took on the day...

ISR for all following Workshop One