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