To Be or Not to Be...

Donica C. Snyder, MA, LPC, ATR-BC, LMNOPQRSTUV

I went to grad school because I really wanted to learn about transpersonal counseling. I didn't necessarily want to become a transpersonal counselor.

What do I do now?  I was taught you go and get your LPC. But do I want that? Do I need that? How does this professional thing work? Am I not a real art therapist if I'm not registered? And what communities do I become a part of? They should be mutually beneficial, right?

I wanted to write this insightful post about credentials, but I haven't arrived at anything insightful. I just have a lot of questions.

?????????????????????????????????????????????

Clutch Me If You Can*

The glitter rack made it's debut with a lot of sparkle. Today, I gave them labels. I wanted to be really clever... but the fact is, I'm not so clever. Which just proceeded to stress me out.

*Clutch Me If You Can nail color by Essie

No need to reinvent the wheel, right?!  Nail Polish has the most-awesome names ever. They already did the work, why should I? I like Essie, but any brand will work if you're looking for silly & cute names for colors.

I cut out circles on really colorful paper.

 But, my room is getting a little crazy. 

I think it's a good idea to have some white-space

Flip!

A little Modge-Podge Love

Pepperoni | Carnival | As Gold As It Gets | Action!

Mad Hatter | Case Study | Playdate | Lovie Dovie 

Go Overboard | Nothing Else Metals | Bikini So Teeny | Yellow Polka Dot

Smooth Sailing | Damsel in Dress | Wicked | To Buy Or Not To Buy

July is a time to Re-calibrate

I love July. Not only because it's my birthday month, but because it feels like the middle! Although June is technically our halfway mark to the year, July just feels like a better checkpoint of sorts. And what a great opportunity to evaluate our visions.

This is especially on my mind as I pull up mint.com and realize...where is my money!? Hmm. Looks like I've made some choices that has made my budget very. very. small. Gasp! ughh. and although I'm frustrated that this is the point I've arrived at, this is a perfect time to reflect and re-calibrate.

• What do you want to accomplish by December?
• Why do you want to accomplish these things?
•  ( oh yeah - there was a reason I stopped buying polish at Ulta). 
• What things are going well that's moving you toward your goals?
• What's not working so well, and how can you adjust?

So this is awesomely serendipitous because I'm planning a group for the fall: Goal Setting. But of course it's not called Goal Setting because That. Is. B-O-R-I-N-G. and of course - duh. it includes art-making!

Inspired by Personal Geographies, Taking Charge, Tackling the Tough Skills, Lisa Sonora Beam and my own love of vision boards, I'm helping students identify steps in the problem solving process- through cartography. 

Yeah. Cartography. Neat!

I first fell in love with maps reading My Father's Dragon

There will be castles, and mermaids, and treasures, and monsters, and ..well, more stuff. I'm in the middle of tinkering.  

But what perfect timing because of course -good instruction always includes a model example. and who better to do one than me! I'm also taking volunteers to test this out with me. Who wants to make a ___________?! (hmm. I need a cool name...) 

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.