Ending Expression (Journal 11)

Short video clip that gives some motions to my feelings about the mask activity and the ending of class. In the very begging I use ASL letters to sign the sentence, "I feel happy that class is over." Feeling happy that something is over is not a bad thing I've realized and I'm glad I can end class this way.

Transitional Thoughts (Journal 10)

Transitional Thoughts

From here to there. From there back to here.

I like being here, but being there is different.

Being there is challenging, being there is new.

I like familiar here though.

Make new friends and keep the old, one is silver and the other gold….can that be applied to places? Can I be in both spaces? My heart can be.

Pockets of my heart everywhere. It’s about the people in places.

 Some people are just there in the transition. Transitional friends.

Others are here to stay.

Others are there to stay.

Its people who help make somewhere stable.

From here to there to where, in my words, I can say “I am here,” and know where I am.

I always take a picture of the loved people from there to here.

 Here I keep them. They’re with me always.

The people here I see in person. I take them to there and yonder with me as well.

 Each place has something special, something that helps the transition be exciting.

 If I didn’t have transitions I may get bored. But it’s the going from here to there, not the landing, that is difficult.

In the middle of the journey, before my bags are unpacked.

That can be exciting for a brief time, then it is uncomfortable, and I’m ready to settle. Settle in the new or settle in the old, but have some settling.

Actual friends instead of acquaintances. 

Having photographs of familiar faces brings the transition to a close.

As I see them in print and paper form, I know these ones aren’t with me, but they’re settled in my heart in the new place.

 Familiar sounds also help with the transition.

Music, songs of the past being brought into the “now.”

The ocean. It remains where it is, but it seems to travel with me. Each place I’ve lived, it doesn’t let me go. I’m so grateful.

Myself transitions, but I still stay me.

Each place must have tea, tea makes everything better…for me anyways.

Phones, in this digital age, the connection, the sound of guiding voices through transition comforts, encourages. I can’t image traveling distances, moving from family and friends and not having their voices right there at my disposal. They were strong back then!

Plane tickets get me from here to there and from there to here, but my heart and mind don’t always travel as quickly at the jet.

So I have my pictures, my tea, my Bible, knowledge of myself, my phone, my smiles to strangers, my guitar, the Holy Spirit. 

Journal 9 -- Thoughts on Adolescents

I don’t think there’s so much of a difference between the needs of adolescents and the general public. Sure, sure, we can get into the details and there are many specific needs that do need addressing and a special focus. But I’m talking about the needs of the heart and spirit. The basic need for love, affection, acceptance, protection, independence. We don’t see that these needs aren’t there in children, nor do we see them disappear in adulthood. If we looked at a scale, some would pop up stronger in different age groups than others, and that is what we’re honing in on, but it doesn’t mean we have to come up with totally new approaches to needs that are met by the same principals for us all.

Adolescents can get caught in a stream of conformity and expectation as they are trying to own who they are. Following the stream is easy and not always negative. Individually should be praised. Communal building based on the strengths and weakness of individuals should be addressed. Humans are made for connection with each other. We need each other. Adolescents need to learn to be in the stream of fishes while not feeling lost or like they’ve disappeared.

When I think of working with adolescents I get excited because I see so much creativity in them that sometimes, sadly, is on the brink of being snuffed out by systems and conformity. Giving adolescents a wide variety of art materials to work with, with no rules about combining materials, etc, can be empowering for them.

I’ve worked with adolescents on a drama team before. Acting out emotions and scenes that deal with heavy issues can be a good introspective activity for adolescents. Providing reflective time after drama play is important.

When Jesus called the disciples we sometimes have this view they were adult men in their 30s, but very likely they were younger lads. And the women who followed Jesus were also probably of varying ages. Mary, Jesus’ mother on earth really went against the stream at a young age. What gave her and the disciples the courage to abandon a “status quo” life and live for Jesus? They were compelled by the love and security in that love that God brings. Humans are compelled by love, we are draw to love. Adolescents need to know that they are loved, that circumstances may not turn into rosie rainbows and cupcakes, but they can be secure in love by the true love-giver-God.  This message can be “told” to adolescents in many creative ways, through dramas, dances, music, and combinations of it all! I would love to have a “workshop” day with adolescents where they are free to question and explore, using creative reflection after music and dance performances. As Jesus called to the disciples to “come and see,” we can call adolescents to come and see there is hope to be found. 

Home (Journal 6)

When thinking about home I got to thinking of how I created home in every place I've lived. What helps me abide in a place are some of the elements in this video-they come with with me every place I go and whether they are in different forms, I still have: light, candles, culture, Jesus, art, family, pictures, tea, my Bible, music, Javed (my guitar), access to nature,  beauty as I perceive it, freedom to express and move, books, windows. I don't need a lot of stuff to make me feel at home. I need care. People I love and who love me. And I need God's spirit to abide with me in that place. To feel safe. To feel enclosed by goodness and love. The song encompasses more of this feeling of home, as it's by one of my favorite artists, Josh Garrels, and is one of my favorite songs by him. "Pilot Me." Wherever I am, in order to feel home, I need to feel that God is piloting me-he's being the wind in my sails. All I truly need is that. God is my House of Grace. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqLcswpU4yo&feature=youtu.be

2nd Response to Art 21 Video: Ecology

I realize you can not see my feet. I promise they were moving. ;o) This is just a clip to allow a clearer view of what I do when I experiment and express and explore through dance. More of this is done and will be done. Even doing this for this short amount of time brought more understanding to me of my relationship with nature, trees, and God, and seeing myself as an artistic being. It prompted feelings in me of wanting to do this with others. Of wanting to see other people's "tree dance." I'm sure one day I will. :o)

Response to Art 21 Video: Ecology

Sometimes people give voice to thoughts I have often "felt" or perceived in  my mind but hadn't found language for. Other times I do find the language and I write it down before I forget what I was thinking. ;o) Here are some words that have spoken to me and captured my emotions, even just for the brief time I heard them....

"Edward Thomas said 'Trees and people are imperfect friends,' citing the imperfect nature of humans and the silence of trees. There are however times of harmony. With Lombardy Poplars, for instance, whose thirst and fragility might tempt us to cut them down, but whose beauty gives us pause, they seem to say with us what we could not say perfectly by ourselves, 'I will praise you Oh Lord with my whole heart.'" ~ Robert Adams (Photographer)  

"Almost every book begins with a gift. A picture you weren't expecting. Surprise is a part of photography. It's one of the great, enlivening blessings of the medium. At your best it teaches you to try to remain open to new experiences, because the gifts sometimes are really exciting." ~ Robert Adams

"Photography and poetry both center on metaphor." ~Robert Adams 

"We have difficulty replicating what nature can do" ~Mark Dion (In creating a space for a fallen tree in the city)

"Anger has been a motivating source...I'm grateful to my anger"~Ursula von Rydingsvard

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Ursula von Rydingsvard found chaos to be more interesting than order. This hit me uncomfortably, as I love order. Learning how to deal with chaos is essential in life however, because man creates chaos. God can bring order. We can practice bringing order through awareness in our bodies and minds, to ourselves. If a person feels chaotic inside, it is hard to unite or commitment with or to anything. Chaos in the artistic process can be beautiful and remain so. Chaos in life is harder to reconcile. It leaves things uncompleted...and we are all searching for wholeness. Chaotic art can help lead someone to awareness, to identification even, and then to wholeness. The art may not be whole, but the person can be. 

I love the sound of glass. 

The photographer Robert Adams identified what was glorious and at the same time what was disturbing and needed correction in the photographs he took. This is how I see the earth most of the time. The earth is God's footstool. It is also a beautiful crown for Him. The earth declares the glory of God. The beauty that helps give life meaning. Yet it displays ugliness, but from Man's doing, not from the Creation itself. Recognizing this can be the first steps to healing--circumstances that invade and bring hopelessness come from unrighteousness and the world's "fallen" state. But hope is always present. God's headlines are always hopeful. Healing can be found in the glorious, as you journey towards correcting the disturbing. On this earth, they come together. When we die, it's a different story. 

Does my art "make sense" to the viewer? How much of art is done for the artist himself and how much for the viewer? Each artist gets to decide. It your art a message, an expression, a battle cry? Purpose. In expressive arts therapy, a lot of emphasis is put on the fact your art doesn't have to "make sense" or "be" anything concrete. The act of creating itself is healing. This is one approach to healing. There is also the approach of creating with more of a focus, or creating in response to another's creation. There's also taking in another's work and finding meaning in it for yourself. However, being engaged in the creative process for yourself works areas in you for full engagement. It helps to stop self-denial. 

Brief summary: 
     
I enjoyed watching this film very much. It looked at 4 different artists, and mainly involved: sculpture, photography, installation, and film. Each artist had a different purpose in his or her work, much of it was very personal and there was emotional connection in each case. Art is so versatile, as was shown through this video. Each artist had some relationship to nature in their artwork. Some found meaning and inspiration from nature itself, and some went about their creation process by thinking of the ideas nature brings to life (last section with Mark Dion was more like this). Nature gives us shapes and sounds and this was used in detail by Indigo Manglano-Ovalle, who created sculptures based on the shape of nature's storms. Robert Adams choose to portray life-lessons and meaning as well as have his art hopefully speak out about the deforestation of trees. Each artist had skill and nuance is a certain craft, and each worked with their hands in some way. Robert Adams found comfort in working with wood, something he did as a little boy with his dad. 



k;ak

An Immediate Reflection on "Expressive Body: Fragmented Tonality"

Beauty and Expressive Arts (Journal 3)

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. " True. Added to this though is the truth, found in studies, and in my own observations of the world, there are certain shapes and features humans as a whole find more aesthetically pleasing. 

In creativity, depending on our end goal-beauty should be taken into account. 

If our goal is merely of expression-one should not strive for beauty, but truth. 

Being in a sacred spot of beauty promotes creativity in me. This in turn brings peace and healing much of the time--as I allow my thoughts and feelings to flow creatively. 

Creating beauty with others takes on a different tone-a different focus. This comes often after one has "played" and created by oneself...and found freedom in that. Creating a "beautiful mess" with people is profound. Life is messy. And life is beautiful. Often in the period of one day even this beauty and mess if found hand-in-hand. Often we saw something turned out beautiful because of the way the mess was handled. Was their kindness, warmth, teamwork? We call this beautifully working together. We use the term beauty to define many adjectives that might be better to use for understanding. And yet this word unites us-we understand what the other means when there is a sigh and "That was beautiful." I would like to go deeper into the meaning of beautiful. I just said we understand-but do we? I question myself. We can feel similar, but each person's perspective of what beautiful, more beautiful, profoundly beautiful, etc, is different. One person loves the desert, another loves the forest. No one is wrong. This needs to be in expressive arts therapy. You are not wrong to say a toad is beautiful. Sometimes though, when using the term, one means something else. Starting a conversation with beauty can be good, and then to find out what someone really means when they find something beautiful, or not beautiful--why, how? 

I've never met someone who thought a sunset was ugly. Beauty promotes healing. The earth is beautiful. It speaks of God's glory. It's dramatic in its expression. I feel comfortably small in nature. I can take in the grandiose beauty and not be crushed. I can join it with my heart beating faster and my lips singing out and my body moving from within. Bringing people to nature, to be in nature, is where beauty and healing often form a relationship. Humans were made in a garden, and that is where life was breathed into us. We were made to walk with God in beauty. No wonder nature pulls us in. Nature pulls us toward a walk with God. To be with ourselves, in ourselves, to be with the Creator and in His creation, with the One who holds it all in His hands. To hold His hand while He holds it all...including us. Yahweh holds us in beauty. This is healing. 

*When we create beauty, this gives us pleasure-this can be healing. Especially to someone who has seen pain and "ugliness" in life. 

*God says He will give us "beauty for ashes" and "the oil of gladness for the spirit of heaviness"  (Isaiah 61;3 in Bible) "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" Healing comes from expressive, creative worship to God. People's pure worship to God is beautiful. 

Glossary of Terms (Journal 2)

Attunement: felt embodied experience 

*Thoughts: People want to feel connected. If you don't believe in God, than feeling connected to people is where you will focus. The idea that we can be so in tune with each other than two people become "one" is fascinating, as from a Biblical perspective, Christians are one with Jesus. We are united with other Christians, and refer to ourselves as the "Body of Christ." It's a beautiful picture of oneness. Being one with another is different than being one in soul with God. I have felt in tune with another, a spiritual, and less often, a soul connection. But I remain separated in myself-while God always knows my spirit and soul. There's a oneness in knowing. And no one can completely KNOW me except for God. Art brings expression of self, which allows for expression and feelings of oneness.

Embodiment: refers to a body-centered intelligence that informs how one knows and experiences the world.

*Bringing meaning and informing the conscious mind. That sounds pleasant. :o) Reading about breathing in Nia: Mind-Body movement class. Involuntary and voluntary. Breath is so vital. Inspiration-being in one's body and allowing oneself to breath. This is my beautiful "container" and part of me on this earth. A physical door into more of your being. Agree. Love to be in tune with body-to be in it and know there is more to me

Authentic movement:  is a practice of active imagination with focus placed on internal body sensations and feeling. An embodiment practice of bringing awareness to the moment, this therapeutic process calls for a tuning in to and following unconscious impulses as they emerge in the moment.

*In the moment. Learn to be a good follower of your body. Related to play.

Therapeutic attunement:  achieved through artistic activity involves an intimacy that relates specifically to experiences that involve shared moments of transcendence such as those found in spiritual contexts, or when one is immersed in great beauty, or transformative experiences in nature. Intimacy in a therapeutic context depends primarily on trust and may involve empathy (the capacity to think and feel oneself into the inner life of another person), or sympathy (the feeling of compassion for another). therapeutic attunement can be viewed as being based on an embodied awareness of rhythmic flow, and on mutual connections that occur when there is an intense process of deep listening, kinesthetic awareness, and deep attention to what is occurring in the moment

*Immersed in the art activity, daily life is forgotten, even if for a short spell. God connects us to each other when we pay attention to each other. Opening ourselves to love another.

Entrainment: occurs when resonant fields rhythmically synchronize together, such as brain waves, circadian rhythms, lunar and solar cycles, breathing, circulation, and rhythms found in the nervous system 

*I love when things come together. I enjoy resolution and harmony. (From text: Muscle cells from the heart, when they move closer together, suddenly shift in their rhythm and start pulsing together, perfectly synchronized.

Entrainment also takes place when two people have a good conversation as well as when individuals engage together in creative activities. For musicians this is often called “being in the groove.” ) Flowing, breathing, moving and being in the groove with myself-embodiment-is great. Doing this with others is powerful. When Christians gather together and the Holy Spirit breaths in that space, there is a resonating "togetherness."

Misattunement: It is often cited in the literature that the inability to experience relational attunement can be thought of as “misattunement.” In this context misattunement can occur at any moment when a relational bond is broken or a misunderstanding occurs. 

*Not a fan of misattunement. Even reading about it makes me cringe. I hate misunderstanding. But every person is different and it's bound to happen. It's healthy even-trust in built when one stays commitment to a person and the healing process even after a missattunment. However: "Learning how to live with the unfamiliar or what might be perceived as moments of miscommunication can also help individuals live a healthier and more balanced lifestyle."

I love this conclusion: "As one taps into creative flow, there are no mistakes, only new possibilities. When I am improvising at the piano the most important thing is deep listening." Listening is so vital in life. As I listen to the Holy Spirit, I not only gain insight and knowledge, but am affirmed and reconnected to God. Love! 

Journal 1 ~ Exploring My Art Modality

Dancing and free movement has been a part of my life since childhood. Creative choreography. Pieces that tell a story. Connection, touch, breath in nature. 

Music, voice, fun, performance, teamwork