Symbolic Projections

These days it is hard to be mindful. So much negativity and anger floating around, bogging us down. In a mindfulness group I run we dived into a daily practice for the month of December (yes that was so 2016, seems like only yesterday).  We began by splashing and smearing paint on old folders (the 1/3 tabs). Then turning them into small books. Using a prepared calendar with prompts for each day's mindful practice. The writing of a goal. Contemplating on a color. Conjuring and writing a pleasant memory. And so on... Everyone approached the tasks a bit differently. Some with words, others with pictures, or even drawings. Everything/anything was OK. The purpose had been achieved. To slow down, stop, contemplate for a few minutes, before getting all wrapped-up in the day. Or as a breather after a long day. Having served its purpose, we now place it aside and ourselves permission to pick-it-up when we need a break. A distraction, and a breath. Have the c...

July for me meant conference, friends, colleagues, and another fold-out book. Early July, I prepared to attend the 46th Annual American Art Therapy Association Conference in Minneapolis, MN. As with last year I decided to create a multi-day activity that could be mirrored by my clients and we could discuss after my return. It needed to be something I could do while on the road. My clients were supposed to be simultaneously completing (I hoped) their own books as well. So here’s what we did. July 1 - 6, 2015 Who: My MBAT (mindfulness based art therapy) group and myself. Why: In July, due to the holiday, a semester break, and my conference, there was an extended period of time when group would not be able to meet. The activity’s purpose was to encourage daily creative engagement for distraction. Hopefully providing at least a several minutes of mindful art making each day. July 6 - 13, 2015 Where: Everyone was to create with whatever materials were available to th...

In 2013 I decided to create a mini fold-out book to document 13 days of travel (from the July 4th holiday through conference and back). The experience was fantastic (that was pre-blogging days) and so the following year I decided to repeat the project. In 2014 July/Travel Journal 2014 documenting the 2014 AATA Conference in San Antonio. So of course this year I had to do it again! New city (Minneapolis), new book. I’ve been swamped at every turn as of late so instead of making my own book I used one made/gifted to me by a very talented past intern. The book itself a work of art with hand-made pages, cloth pages, cardboard sections, pockets, the works. The book became my memory-saver. Lecture and workshop notes, contacts, keepsakes, it all went in there. It was the repository of stray thoughts and tasty eats, as well as sketches and future plans. See you at next years...

It is now the end of May and things are gearing up for the summer months. In this post I'll review the last month's #creativedeed365 offerings and where I see it going in the next month or so. Plan in review for #creativedeed365 . When I first began this 151 days ago back in January 2015, I planned on: 1. Sticking to a small card format has worked out well. As I continue to be busy and am ramping-up to get even more tied-up with school and work for at least the nest 2 months, a small size format will limit the amount of time it takes to create one deed "on-the-go". Although to be honest I am secretly looking forwards to having some free time in the fall so I can spend hours on just 1 deed for the sheer pleasure of it! 2. Up-cycling cards (first & whenever possible). I have up-cycled for most if not all of the first 5 months (and 151 deeds) and in preparation for the 6 Degrees of Creativity 2015 workshops I am now switching for the next 2 months to use th...

In the previous posts I described some of the attributes you may want to look for when selecting a children's book which to alter  Altered Book {Intern Edition}: Work in Progress Preview 1  and then I gave a couple of research sources and tips on how to mix-media with traditional materials and organics in this post  Altered Book {Intern Edition}: Work in Progress Preview 2 . In that last post I voiced my intention for the book. A sort of tribute from past experiences and resource for future interns working through an art therapy internship. As mentioned before I'll be using nuggets of knowledge left behind from prior interns as well as more "inspirational" sorts of generic content that I ascribe as being helpful for the students to know/think about. It is rare for me to use 1 media...maybe rarer still is for me not to think or work in layers (tho it happens at times). On the page-spread with the white daisy for example... Background Daisy image. G...

In my last post I gave a few suggestions on selecting a book and prepping it. If you still haven't selected a book take a peek here  Altered Book {Intern Edition}: Work in Progress Preview 1  before proceeding. Over the last few years I have had the opportunity to work with and supervise some very creative and motivated art therapy students. Each having to come face-2-face with the good the bad and the hairy of an internship site. That is the reason for this altered book. Advice, inspiration, motivations from myself and prior students for internship survival... tho maybe it will be much more.... Maybe it will be: ...an informal guide to thriving at an art therapy internship site... (remember, the title is still a work in progress so bare with me here) On this post we will pick-up after the children's book was prepped (see Work in Progress Preview 1 ) and a theme selected...  Magazine images can be added-to and extended in order to facilitate incorporation...

Dare I ask, what is a travel journal? I will be the first to admit that I ventured down this road without the slightest clue as to what I was getting into. Back in June, as I turned-in my IRB application and took a break from dissertation writing I decided a change was in order. Not a permanent one, oh no. Just a small change lasting the entirety of the month of July (give or take a few days). That is how I began down the path of making the journal. Initially I referred to it as my July Journal. The one I would toil over the course of the month of July and my pending travels (to the country of Texas and back to my humble Florida). My very first was last year at this time, that book was made in an accordion style from 1 sheet of paper. In it I documented the events surrounding the AATA 2013 conference in Seattle. The nitty-gritty: book measures about 7.5”x3”x?(its still growing) Cover: I used cardboard sections cut from a found box for the cover & chose to cov...

Returning from this years’ AATA Conference in San Antonio thankful to have connected and reconnected with so many amazing art therapists. It’s been busy and I didn’t mean to set the blog aside, but here’s some visual yummies to begin to make things up. Last August (yep, 2013) I made a small accordion book. In this accordion style, I essentially pieces together several strips of paper into one continuous page that folds at repeating intervals. I gave the book purpose when I decided to use it as a place to document art techniques. These art techniques were small samplings of ones I would be using in my groups. Today I completed the small book and am posting some of the images here with brief dialogue on some of the techniques. If there's interest I will consider separate posts later-on. Book Cover: Layered tissue paper with pressed leaves. Accordion style pages were 'seamed' with strips of tea bags. On left: Tea bag sheets can be used to age/antique.   On ...