Handwritting

The first thing we learn in school to write is our name.   Throughout our life we write our names hundred of thousands of times.  School papers, checks, marriage certificates, leases ect.   We each have a unique signature and letters.

This week I explored using names as a form of bedside practice.  Multiple ways to use this practice.  The patient could write their name or write names of loved ones.  If they can't write the artist could assist.  I used the water color pencils, which I feel for this populations would be easier.  Able to write their name and then use the water to go over it to blend it.

Handwritting is cherished my many.  Popular currently are tattoos of parents or grandparents handwriting.  Blown up recipe cards from grandparents in kitchens ect.

A conversation could go so many ways with this exercise.  Discussing how and when they learned to write, their maiden name, ect.

Supplies Used:

** Canvas
** Water Color Pencils
** Water
** Brush

Bed Side Zen

Zen philosophies come from Mahayana Buddhism.  The word "Zen" mean meditation.  The goal in Zen is to reach enlightenment through focused thinking.  Zen gardens provide a place well suited for meditation.  This week I explored creating a Zen garden bed side.  I used a lid of a box, sand, small rocks, small frogs and bead.  

This project is great for people well into their adulthood and could be used not only in a hospital setting but for everyone.  Having a small Zen garden at ones desk is also a great idea.  Being able to use the small fork to rake designs and just take a few moments to relax.  This is appropriate for a range of adults.   You could vary the size of the garden as well as the supplies used in the garden. 

Salty Adventure

This week I explored watercolors, glue and salt.  This project is something that can be adapted and suitable for someone in adolescence through adulthood.  A great way to make this suitable for any age is by the prior conversation about what type of scene they are going to create.  For a younger child a simple conversion about where they want to visit.  This conversation can evolve depending on the patient.

Supplies needed:

Canvas
Salt
Water Colors
Glue
Paint Brush
Water

1.  Apply glue in any pattern or scene to the canvas
2.  Apply salt all over (be sure to apply a generous amount)
3.  Tilt canvas and allow excess salt to fall off of canvas
4.  Using water colors apply the color to the glue/salt
5.  The salt will absorb the paint and spread

This project is great because the entire process is very fun and intriguing.  When you apply the water color to the glue and sand it soaks in a spreads, its amazing to watch.  The finished project has so much texture.  

Here Comes the Sun

This week I explore activities for children ages 0-12


Here Comes the Sun

Supplies Needed:

Paint
Fork
Plate
Sharpie
Paper
Scissors

Step 1:  Draw face for the sun
Step 2: Put paint on plate
Step 3:  Using fork make sun rays on sun


This is a great activity for a variety of ages.  You can have the sun face drawn and the child just has to use the forks to make the sun rays.  Or for older children have them draw the sun and then cut out the sun.  Being able to have projects that are versatile is important.  This is also a great conversation starter.  "what do you like to do in the sun"  "do you want to visit somewhere thats really sunny" questions like that can really open and engage children.

Where I'm From and Where I'm Going

While creating my Arts Timeline I did a lot of reflection on my personal journey in the artist and asked myself the question a lot of....how did I get to be the artist I am today.  When I looked through each stage I asked myself this question.

One stage that I had a particularly  long reflection of was my time at my boarding school in Virginia for dance.  While I was there I felt that I wasn't using my artistic talent rather being asked to fine-tune  my technique and presentation of the art itself.  But after reflecting I have used more of my lessons learned there to create the artist I am today.  I find myself time and time again reflecting on teachers I had during that time period.  I use they're analogies and teaching methods often in my personal classes.  I also use their corrections still to this day on my own personal dancing and creating.  While in the moment I felt that I wasn't being artistic that moment in my life has really shaped me today as an artist.

For my timeline I created this art instillation of glass jars with sand and glitter.  The fourth jar from the left/ the second pink on represents that time in my life.

Human Development

Human Development is a never ending process.  Myself personally as an artist I try to expand my "tool kit."  This week I decided to explore my personal human development through some visual art.  

Supplies:

1 canvas
acrylic paint
gloves
stickers

Steps:

1. Place the numbers on canvas
2. Put on gloves
3. Use paints to cover canvas

I choose to use numbers 1-26 due to my current age.  I wanted to show my human and creative development through the years.  I used my fingers to trace and explore the space between the numbers.  I found that using my fingers really allowed myself to explore and feel the canvas and also connects a lot with human development.  So much of growing and learning is tactical. I really enjoyed making different textures.
 

I love going through something and finding an old note or card.   Thats how I felt when I opened this blog back up.  No it isn't that old, but it was a nice reflection to see what I've done and how I've grown.  I'm so excited to be back to this blog for my class Arts in Human Development.  As I was reflecting on my past year in the masters program and how I wanted to introduce myself to this second year I only found it fitting to dance.  I decided to use a list of words to create a short movement phrase.  The words I used to introduce myself and reflection of the last year were: 

Happy

Searching 

Fun 

Wrapped

Embraced

Learning 

Reaching 

Purple 

Grasp

Write

Explore 

These words I feel not only describe me personally but also me as I'm on the adventure of the masters program.  I made a dance phrase using these words as inspiration for the movement. 

So this is my friendly hello to old friends and introduction to the new ones! 

P.S. Sorry the sound is kind of low 

http://vimeo.com/110177650

A closing thats only the beginning

Throughout the past year this blog has been the collection of different creative practices I have engaged in.  As I come to the end of my certificate work I feel that I'm not ending only opening a new door into a new journey.  This dance is a collection of multiple thoughts, phrases and drawings I have had over my year in a journal I kept.  This journal has been a very personal collection of thoughts not a place for notes about course work but a place for thoughts both positive and negative about my life.  My life encompasses and intertwined in school, work and relationships.  I've overcome many challenges within my certificate work, challenges in embracing visual arts.  This blog has been a place for me to post my work, which when I first did a visual art project I was so nervous to do so.  This blog has been a place to express and explore and know while no one really looks at it, it can be found.  Its forever on the internet--which while scary is also so cool.  This dance was composed with inspiration by drawings, words and phrases in my personal journey. Enjoy

The Seven's

Trisha Brown is an iconic modern choreographer.   Her work encompasses multidisciplinary practices and is so beautiful.   Her book "SO THAT THE AUDIENCE DOES NOT KNOW WHETHER I HAVE STOPPED DANCING" served as my inspiration for my creative practice.

The book is a collection of some of her thoughts and inspirations for her dances.  In 1969 she created a work called "Skymap" for this work she used sketches she had drawn to create her floor patterns and movement for the dance.  I was so intrigued by this, I decided to try it myself.  This week I focused on the sketches.  Trisha Brown discusses that she would draw many different sketches before picking just one.  I noticed in her sketches she seemed to follow a pattern of type, but never discussed it.  Some of the sketches only have 5 lines repeated and others only having a circle.  

For my creative practice I did "The Seven's"

I challenged myself to create 7 drawings created of 7 lines.  This is my 4th sketch I am including.  It was such a inspiring practice, I really enjoyed it.  I found myself turning the paper and looking at it different ways.

I am planning on using this sketch to create a dance, much like Trisha Brown has done.

Gratitude Phrase One

I'm so thankful everyday for so many people and so much in my life.  I had an idea to create dance phrases in gratitude.  I have started compiling a list of things, experiences and people that I am grateful for.  With this list over time I plan to create short dance phrases and hopefully string them together into a much larger work!

As an artist dance is my form of expression, being able to show people my gratitude with movement is such a sweet idea in my mind.  Also the idea that to people unknowing the movement may have different context or meaning to them.  This is a project I am not putting any timeline on.

My first dance phrases is actually to myself, I made this phrases to thank my body, my mind and my soul for all that is has done so far.  I'm focusing on working from the inside out, if I'm happy I will radiate happiness and be able to provide happiness as I'm facilitating my art.

Dance is such a dynamic journey for me and I'm really happy with this phrases and can't wait to build on and add onto the idea of gratitude!

Letting it go

Sometimes you need to let things go...........

This week I reflected on things I need to let go both good and bad. I spent time reflecting on thoughts I wanted to let go.

While reflecting on thoughts I wanted to let go, I also was reflecting on amazing thoughts and memories I wanted to send off as well.

I decided to write these message on card stock and attach them to balloons and literally "let them go."

My Balloons

My Messages

Holding the Balloons

Letting it go 

 The whole experience was so satisfying and rewarding.  Being in the sunshine and watching those thoughts go up far far away!

This is a practice that I really think I will continue as part of my healing and recovery  I loved sending good and negative thoughts up into the sky!

Blackout

This week for my creative practice I visited a technique from Austin Kleon

http://newspaperblackout.com

Austin is a artist who created poem by blackout words of newspapers to create his poems.  I decided to make my own version of Blackout

BLACKOUT
Supplies needed:

Magazine, Book or Newspaper
Sharpie

Step One:
I selected a fashion magazine

Step Two: 

Choose Article

** I choose this article really just by flipping to a page and tearing it out**

Step Three: 

Choose Article 

**I choose the one at the bottom the title caught my eye**

Step Four: 

Use Sharpie to blackout words

** I just started drawing lines and choosing words not worrying about phrases or anything**

Step Five: 

Complete your poem 

Here is my completed poem: 

Still Need 

I never became?

he said my boyfriend didn't want to the right thing?

I've questioned become involved. 

Because I had me 

I am and you

Who's been some to go to call cautiously

But we all know what 

Reflection: 

This was a really great project for me, I would love to continue with this process to create a collection using different mediums of words from newspapers, books, journals pamphlets ect. I think the act of using someone else words to create your own is very exciting and fulfilling. I'm interested in creating more blackout poems and then exploring movement and art with the influence of the poems created! 

Creative Practice 2

This was one of my favorite projects to do bedside at the hospital.   The supplies needed are magazine clippings (which I made small bags for each patient so not to have cross contamination) Mod Podge, paintbrush and small item to decorate.

This project really opens a window for conversation about what you want to put in the box after or what words you want to use ect.

This is also great because it works with many different settings children to elders can do this project.  A great keepsake

Creative Practice

This project is part of my art tool kit that I have created for my practicum work at the hospital.  When I meet a patient I offer one of my crafts.  I have found that having a choice of three is good for both the patient and myself as a facilitator.  Having the three options allows me to know I am offering something I can do and allows the patient a easier choice to make rather than asking "what would you like to do."

This craft has been one of my favorites.  I find that the simplicity of the project makes it accessible to multiple communities of people children and elders alike.  I always explain that there is no wrong way, and tell them I am a dancer not an artist.  I have found that allowing myself to take my guard down and be honest about not being a visual artist has allowed both me and the patient to have beautiful explorations.

Dot Painting:

Supplies:

Canvas or thick paper
Acrylic paint
Paint brush
Paper plate


1. Start with a blank canvas or thick paper, paint, paintbrush and plate for mixing.  Include white or cream paint.

2.  Using paint brush or paint bottles make random dots of paint over entire canvas

3.  Using brush begin to mix colors with a swirling technique 

4.  Continue across canvas you can add more paint if needed there is no right or wrong

5.  Enjoy your art work!