Be the Change

This week I did not do a lot of curriculum planning. I've been helping out other teams with summer programs. I gave a presentation on stress management to recent alum who are going to college, and I made personalized  place-mats for our Family Engagement Self Care Tea Party. It's nice to interact with the students.  (I forget !)

I have been thinking about my classes however. (When am I not is the real question).  I just wrapped up Art & Fear, and holy cannoli, I had shock face on the entire time. So validating and sooooo sad, and well - inspiring too. That book does it all. I was looking at reviews and some folks really hate it. Reviewers say it's stuff they already knew or that reading detracts from art making. Well - I'm not that reviewer! I think it's great. Thank you David and Ted for articulating something that I struggle with but could not verbalize.

Lately, I've been asking, "who teaches this stuff!?, why don't we teach this stuff?!" I've got to stop looking outside of myself for the magic that I already own.

...The greatest gift you have to offer your students is the example of your own life as a working artist.  There's a story told student who asked what courses he would be teaching the following term.  Replied Santayana: "Santayana I, Santayana II, and a seminar in Santayana III."

-Art & Fear

Yeah. I totally teach Donica I & Donica II. 

Now the challenge is to focus. I'm so excited - I feel like I have enough material for Donica University. huh?...not a bad goal, but I'm sure my semester long class will not appreciate that.

Brushes & Color

Drop Fear. Draw Near.

Ohhhhhh, down the rabbit hole. ...

I wrote this blog post: Developing an Artistic Style. Yeahhh. you know.... It was a simple thought. I checked out Visual Voice from the library; I really enjoyed the content and thought it would be good for my students.

and something just hit me. My heart burst open with panic and sadness and jealousy and...and...I don't even know what else because I can't pick words for describing THAT feeling when the dam breaks inside. Incredible gaping hole. It's terror. (I'm blessed to live with a friend who is such an incredible guide. She carries life-jackets at the ready). Even with the desire to make art ...there is nothing on paper. I'm in a relationship with no intimacy. No acts of love. I'm struggling.


I feel so failed by my education systems. I am so afraid of the art process with little tools to plow through.  Yes, I know my elements. I know some history. I can matte and present. I can participate in a critique. But what about that other stuff!? -the relational piece. That stuff that inherently happens by doing art. Are we teaching that? and not as a side note. Purposeful objectives and lessons on the subject matter that books like Art & Fear, The Artists Way, and Visual Voice write about. I know there are workshops one can take exploring these things, but isn't this important enough that it should be part of a formal education right alongside our traditional lessons for those enrolled in programs? because Art is Therapy. Examination of the self WILL happen. Isn't facilitated dialogue and reflection...helpful?! I mean... the answer is YES.

I had one instructor at UNLV who I was profoundly impacted by. Life Changing. and not for the mean things he said. (We have plenty of those negative life changing people unfortunately huh?).  He touched on the spiritual aspects of art-making and was consistently present with me and my process.


I want to be my version of him. for me and my students. 


I have got to drop fear and draw near. I have to make art. 

Developing an Artistic Style

I have lots of fear that prevents me from creating. I have no idea who I am as an artist. I don't know what I enjoy, I don't know what I look like.

Well - that's not true. I DO know what I look like. It happened by a fluke circumstance. In a 24hr  countdown panic, I could do nothing but let go and get the assignment done. and of course in letting go, that magical thing happens. It happened once. maybe twice.

That magical thing is not some unpredictable, show up randomly cosmic event.  It's a relationship the artist has with her genius. If you trust and practice with the unknown, the unknown shows up brilliantly, and you make not just cool stuff....but authentic stuff. Art that reflects you at your core...not just your amazing draw-an-apple skills.  More like....that-feel-good-this-looks-just-like-my-soul-stuff. That mmm-yes-I'm-committed relationship.  


I missed out on this. My degree made no space for yummy relationship building. I can recognize Hagia Sophia but I can't identify myself. 


The more that I plan for my classes, the clearer it's becoming that I want to teach what my own education lacked. And not because I have weird Art Therapist ego. I'm using my experience to recognize a need. Students benefit by falling in love with who they are. Don't we all? I want my students to fall in love with their genius. Discover their genius, paint their genius. To not be afraid. 


I want it for myself. 

I picked up Finding Your Visual Voice by Dakota Mitchell.  *Drool*  I'm teaching this to my Level  2 Class. THIS is what I want students to walk away with. "It explores how & why you paint and what you respond to visually and emotionally. [This book helps bring awareness] to the combination of instincts and feelings that encourages you to pick up a paintbrush and create work that is your own". Yummyyy.  Very structured & workbook style. 

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard  Thurman.

From Shoe Box to Spice...& Everything Nice.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the lids! 

Learning to use Data

Well, my reflective post comes today because I start a bit of vacation tomorrow! (insert confetti and party blowouts now!!). OH yeahh. BUT not for another 2 hours. *ahem* 


If there is one thing to take away from school that transfers seamlessly to education and non-profits is evidence-based practices. How do you know what you're doing is having an impact? and if you're not having an impact, then therapist, put your ego to the side and do something different. You too teachers, doctors, and everyone!! ( Wouldn't it be nice if our food industry followed suit...hmmmkay.)


I facilitate an art class -with all the bells and whistles. I closely follow state standards.  If you didn't know though -I'm an art therapist. and it's a good question for people to ask "why you?"  Sometimes I also ask, "why me?"  Hopefully I bring some therapeutic goodness to the space. It's not just about that line or that red hue. It's about feelings. and coping skills. and relationships.  I hope I'm increasing emotional intelligence. Well, hope is not enough. 

The Silver Drawing Test "use stimulus drawings to elicit responses that provide access to a patient’s emotions and attitudes toward themselves and others, while also testing for the ability to solve problems and convey ideas." - from the psychotherapy arena


I gave this assessment in Fall 2010, and this week the amazing data team put together my numbers. (well, my intern's numbers; she did a great job of scoring). 

I'm still learning to read and interpret the data, and still trying to fully understand this assessment, but I do know how to recognize an increase! Like the above graph - Self Image looks at a scale ranging from the respondent seeming to identify with a subject as sad, helpless, isolated, to a respondent seeming to identify with a subject who is powerful, loved, or achieving goals. 

What's really cool is that one of sub tests looks at concepts that are fundamental in reading. Art improving reading? Hoorraayyy.


I'm kinda excited. Really excited. First it's theory, then it's practice, and then it's theory again. Doing makes understanding that much more solid. I  can go back to the literature and makes sense of the text now.  I look forward to collecting more data, looking at results, and examining my interventions.  

Reflective Practioner

I know some fantastic bloggers. Chelsea & Kaileen are my favorite. and not just because I know them. They have a really amazing way of presenting content they love (you should totally take a gander). Which made me think, "gee, I'm boring". Bleh. I know, I know, we're not in the business of comparisons . But really - who wants to read about standards and testing?! and my awkward coming of age in art therapy story. Probably no one. Realistically - okay. Someone.

But more importantly: Me.

I create blogger drama for myself. and it's really not that serious. These two posts came at a great time:

• How To Make Better Teachers
• 5 Reasons Educators Should Blog

I don't need to fight to come up with awesome material. I'm here to reflect on what is my awesome life. To do better. To be better. (duhhhhh). 

At the end of each week, I'll give you the tibits, the inside scoop, the reality tv show that is my learning. and by "you" I could just be talking to "me". It's like R.A. programming though. Whether 1 resident shows up, or

the entire hall, you impact those who come. 

Tell Me Which Way I Ought To Go From Here?

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

                                                                                                -Alice in Wonderland. 

"How do we make it more likely - by our design - that more students really understand what they are asked to learn?"

*Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe 

 I'm in the middle of major curriculum reconstruction. My supervisor and the previous art therapist passed on fantastic lessons and a context to teach those lessons, and now I'm trying my best to document it. This process makes me very aware of the gaps between what I expect students to know, and what I actually teach them; what's gold, and what may get in the way. 

Handy for me, backwards design is very similar to setting therapeutic goals, which I had lots of practice in my 2nd year of grad school. I say that because my peers will let you know -I wasn't gettin' it. And it's still hard to get. I'm spending hours thinking about outcomes, and evidence, and scaffolding. It will be worth it though because duh -you can't build a  house on the sand. 

So! Starting backwards....what's the point? What do I ultimately want students to understand?

• Art 1: Visual Literacy & Personal Definitions of Art. 
• What is Art? How and why is art used as a vehicle for communication

• Art 2:  Looking at Art & Artist Identity
• How do you evaluate art? What artists, mediums, and content inspire you?

"To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. it means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction"

-Stephen Covey

Looking For Me

One of the things I'm trying to figure out is "who am I?"  I'm trying to answer this big question in many facets of my life, but really in Art Therapy. I had no idea I would be stepping into education and there are nuances I'm still trying to understand -like people. And this is important because knowing people introduces me to a PLC that I would really like to be a part of. School based art therapists are just that. They work in the educational environment with the goal of helping students access their education -and really that umbrellas everything because school is not just about an academic diploma - it's a microcosm of life.

Miami-Dade is a powerhouse. They piloted a program in 1979 and have been leaders in the field. They list the following definitions:

Art Therapy: helps students identify and reconcile emotional conflicts using art processes as the modality for communication, evaluation and treatment.
Art Education: teaches students how to produce, understand, evaluate and appreciate aesthetic productions.
School Counseling: relies heavily upon verbal communication to help students understand their feelings and adopt socially acceptable behaviors.
School Psychology: emphasizes evaluation and placement of students for diagnostic and prescriptive purposes.

What does a hybrid of Art Therapy, Art Education, and School Psychology look like? Because I think it looks like me ....

I have my Masters Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, emphasis Art Therapy (currently working toward licensure), and I have my alternative teaching license in Visual Arts. I facilitate two classes for Public School Credit toward graduation. The classes are delivered with a therapeutic framework with a focus on product and process. Therapy, education, and counseling are all inclusive.

"M-DCPS clinical art therapists provide individual and small group counseling services. They do not teach classes."


Well who does?

Lighthouses

You go to the best cocktail party ever.  It's a life-changing event because you meet the most with-it, interesting, empowered people, and each of them can contribute to your career and interest in some way... Who was there? What kind of information did they share with you? what did they ask you? How did they offer to help you?*
*Fire Starter Sessions by LaPorte, pg. 35

 I'm sad I cannot answer this question. :/  Can I really not identify role models? Wow. I cannot. Which is ridiculous. I have no identifiable markers of the kind of person I want to become.  People who "look like us".. who resonate with our own purpose (spoken or unspoken) make really fantastic lighthouses.

I don't want to swim in the dark.

Artherapeducation

"Studying art and design involves inquiry, posing and solving problems, perseverance, re-purposing, taking risks, and persuading and inspiring....

...Students engaged in visual art and design gain confidence in communicating and defending their ideas and decisions, and demonstrate a strong sense of self-identity...

....Artists are able to transform, reorganize, and transfer understanding into personal renderings and interpretations of the world around them" 

-Colorado Department of Education 

Visual Art Standards

I think they're a bunch of Art Therapists ;)

It's really nice to see this written because folks wonder how art therapy is done in the classroom. I too wondered and questioned as an intern and a "first year" how I was going to combine the two worlds. Well, duh. they are not two worlds. 

Just teach art.