Overcoming Challenges Through Art

I want to share how two of my art experiences with art are helping the individuals to overcome challenges. The first is an autistic young man who is taking private art. The art is building up his skills that he enjoys doing. Working together we are conversing on different life goals he has. I was so excited to have another parent donate a drawing apparatus to be used with a computer. This week he showed me some of his simple sketches. I am proud to show you some of his art that he has created and his work continues to grow each week. Praying that God continues to use this young man in a special way! Notice the before and after pictures. What a vast improvement!

My second group that is overcoming challenges are a group of seniors at Clearwater Senior Living in the new Riverpark development in Oxnard. For most of the seniors they had never taken an art class in their life. And you never ask a lady her age, so I wasn’t about to ask how old these seniors were. We created a still life piece in the style of Fauvism. It uses a lot of color, rather than trying to be representational. You can see the piece by Maurice de Vlaminck. I was so thrilled to see how their pieces expressed their unique personalities. Apparently one man in the group is known for doing his own thing and yet he joined in following my guidance. Another lady kept saying her work wasn’t real good, and yet in the end her friends were telling her how beautiful it was, and she was quite pleased with the affirmation. In the end it proves you can learn something and enjoy it even in older age. But please don’t wait to join an art class when you’re past 80!! I have classes now :))

Still Creating Amidst shutdowns

It has been extremely emotionally and economically detrimental to close down businesses and schools for 9 months here in California. I personally am hibernating like a bear financially in order to conserve my resources. I am thankful that a few small tutor groups have been going on to provide joy in my life and a trickle of income, as unemployment is not the way I want to stay afloat. I love seeing the excitement from my young students as they express themselves artistically in my private art classes. Art helps provides them with a creative release from the stresses of this extended quarantine.

During this time I had the opportunity to take a workshop to grow in my own Intuitive Expressive art skills. It was fun to let loose try painting with joyful strokes, new techniques letting paint drip down on the canvas, stamp into the paint, paint with my fingers, or spray more water on the canvas to see fluidity and spontaneous changes in the paint process.

This exercise was done in a course of several days, allowing the paint to dry in between otherwise opposite colors of the color wheel turn to mud or grey. It was great to have no idea in mind on what I was painting and let it just flow from pure fun and enjoyment of the medium. At one point though I really thought my piece was hopeless, everything was in a state of chaos and too busy with all kinds of lines and colors everywhere. . . very much like the state of our country - as if it could not get any worse!!!

The instructor encouraged me to go on and that I would like it. Could it turn out into something beautiful? Internally I thought I can not make any sense out of all this. I would need to let it rest and speak to me. Well nothing really spoke to me so I decided to add something that speaks fun to me- a sea turtle. Somehow as I placed this familiar and enjoyable object into the piece covering an area that I clearly did not like, something changed. I added some blue and greens to outline the shape. This helped coax the turtle out of the busy background so I could recognize it better. Then my turtle needed another friend so I added a seahorse went into another area that was too distracting. . . pretty soon these happy memories of underwater diving made my heart sing being under the sea again!

Once in my happy place, I was able to add bits of color and details to bring more attention to these whimsical sea creatures. Applying a light wash to the background also helped in bringing the seahorse and sea turtle forward. My energy and mood changed and soon this was turning into a piece of art that I am quite excited with.

My other painting was done having hinderances broken and taping into that playful creative side!

If you are interested in trying this creative approach, contact me at Michelle@Art-N-You.com.

(SOZO) Healing through Art

Hoping to find time for myself after teaching others art I took an expressive art workshop in Santa Barbara. I was surprised how this workshop unlocked some very painful lies I had been feeding my mind, while going through a very traumatic divorce. One encounters a lot of shame, depression, and fear going through abandonment issues.

Unaware, I did not expect the workshop to be a time of deep healing, but it was. Beginning in a small group we each shared what we were processing as we went through various painting exercises to help those who have never painted before or to help those who felt intimidated with painting. It was the process and not the final outcome that was so releasing of buried emotions that each participant had stored up. Sharing in a small group, we were there to support one another, as well as to feel safe.

After taking two of these workshops in Santa Barbara, I wanted others to experience the freedom I received and am offering these healing workshop to others. Come join me and my co-leader Andrea for our first Art SOZO (healing) workshop on Sunday, April 28th 4:30-7:30pm at the Snapdragon Gallery, 778 Greenwich Dr. , Suite #3, in Thousand Oaks. Registration is $20 before 4/22 and $25 at the door. All supplies are incuded in this workshop. Feel free to bring some snacks to munch on and share with others as we know this is during dinner time. Please arrive 10 minutes before class as doors close promply at 4:30pm, please no late arrivals to disruptive the healing enviroment.

Creative Juices Still flowing in Seniors!

I am seeing how art is helping Seniors in the Assisted Living and in Memory Care Facility here at Alma Via in Camarillo.  I have also learned it is not the product that is important but the process of enjoying creations and expressing yourself.  Many of the residents have limited dexterity, but enjoy creating pieces that are broken down simply.  This helps them engage their minds and stay focused.  They also enjoy the fellowship creating within a group and the dialogue and exchange of ideas, but don't we all learn and are inspired by others in a community.  Some projects are just for the fun, and other times I like to work with my art therapy training to focus on a theme to help them process emotions.  Especially as we are approach Thanksgiving, it is nice to have something that reminds us of the positive things in life.  It is easy to slip into negativity when your mind is slipping, and the body isn't moving like it did at 40, but to focus on thankfulness brings health to our minds and bodies.  We really have a lot to be Thankful for our friends, family, community, and needs met at a great facility like Alma Via Senior Living Home.

NEVER too old to learn Art

I wanted to highlight my 101 year-old student: Jeanne Clark.  She was such a joy to teach! She was joyful, open to new ideas, and had such a willing heart to try things. She looked forward to our weekly art lessons, as much as I did. She has helped me to see things that will last long in life: joy, counting your blessings, being close to family, having a happy heart, and doing things that you enjoy!  I also enjoyed hearing her sing "Blue Skies" whenever I asked her, "what color do you want the sky?"  I downloaded it on my song list for her art lessons!

Now that I go to several different senior homes, someone will say, "I am too old, I can't do that", I share pictures that Jeanne has created. Those 80 year-olds don't have her beat! If she can, you can too! We are never too old to learn art and have fun expressing our creativity inside!

"An artist brings joy into our lives by teaching our eyes to see. How deeply I recommend Michelle Honles as a person as an artist, and as a teacher. My mother at 101 years is taking art lessons from Michelle. How gently, patiently and sweetly she engages my mother in art . There are few things my mother can do any more. Her art lesson with Michelle is the highlight of each week and the best expenditure of money, for her well being that I can make. Beauty satisfies the soul."

Christie Johnson, (Jeanne Clark's daughter)

My Newest Art Form - Videos

I was quite happy to see that my art skills have been useful in editing and creating these two videos of two recent dive trips I took to Belize, Central America and here at the Channel Islands. I needed to work with the music, learning how to film with a GoPro, edit, and then compose a video. I selected a piece of music but then I realized that the original pictures did not coincide with the lyrics, so those photos got scrapped and I worked with the song and edited accordingly. My first trip was to The Great Blue Hole in Belize where I enjoyed warm-water diving with wonderful, colorful fish and sea turtles! My second video consists of what is local to me in Ventura County of the California coast. Enjoy without the weights, wetsuit, or water!

Art Therapy and How it Works

After taking the "Art as a Healing Tool" training through A Window Between Worlds (AWBW.org) in Santa Monica, I gained the necessary training to help others process difficult emotions and trauma from domestic violence. I wish I had this training earlier, as I have encountered children who were experiencing triggers while doing a self-portrait. At that time, anger and resentment had surfaced from a student's abandonment as a child and adoption into a new home. I did not know how to allow this frustrated individual to express their deep pain through art.

Now, as participants go through the lessons created by AWBW, they tap into subconscious feelings and art allows those emotions to come to the surface in a non-threatening way. In the above workshop, we set goals for 2015, and took time to journal our thoughts bidding a farewell to 2014's destructive habits and past lies. We also let go of someone or something that holds us back in our lives, a toxic relationship, an abusive parent, etc. 

After the art project is completed, the healing comes when we choose to open up. In the circle, women will open up even if they don't know each other, because talking about your art detaches you from the issues inside. As affirmation is shared about the creative pieces we make, we grow closer and feel safe and nurtured.

Every time, I am amazed how much we need to clean our hearts from the stuff of this world that wears it down or causes pain. If you would like to know more about these classes go to: ArtesiaHealingArts.org