Creative Music and Creative Painting

This week we were asked to create art while listening to music.  I did two separate pieces using two separate pieces of music.  I decided to use these circle cardboard pieces as my canvases.  They allowed me to have a boundary but also explore my creative flow in a circle.  The first piece of music I used was a piece of music by Balmorhea titled The Winter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9cVN4ZqNIM

My art work reflects a use of multiple colors of blues, the continuous flow and dimension.  While I was creating this I did a lot of reflection on the past semester and all the work I have done and how its all melted together to provide me with a complex and depth background and thought process.  How I look at compassion and my work differently than before.  My continued journey into my work with arts in healthcare.

The second piece I created I used a piece of music by Air Max '97 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvOTowxAnZU

This music has a more electronic funk to it.  The piece I created with this is brighter and has lines and fading.  While paining this I was really having fun and getting very excited for my future, the end of the semester and whats to come next.  The bleeding of the colors within the lines represents for me all the crossover I have throughout all my work and how I learn all the time and how excited I am to learn even more! 

Program Implementation: Boots on the Ground & the Bird's Eye View; Advocacy and Visibility.

As our course comes to an end we were asked to reflect on our course theme's: Program Implementation: Boots on the Ground & the Bird's Eye View; Advocacy and Visibility.  As I reflected on our work on program implementation I thought about connecting the dots.  When creating a program you make a bunch of dots.  Dots being ideas, themes, communities and locations.  As you begin to piece it together the lines start to form.  Finding the proper locations, creating a budget, finding the community and looking for funding.  The dots connect and lines and the program begins to take a form.  I started with drawing the dots, different sizes and shapes.  I then used different colors to connect the lines, then used a light colored pencil to fill in the shapes I created.  This entire creative process this week really was a reflection for me.  To consider what I've learned through this entire course and the entire process of shaping a program.  While I'm still connecting the dots of it all, this piece of art is a reminder of they will all connect eventually! 

Evaluating Happiness

A major part of arts in medicine is finding the funding for the work, being able to provide the services for free to the community of people but also valuing the art and the artist in residence.  The majority of the funding comes from grants.  A large part of grants is the evaluation process.  How can you show results from your work.  A very common evaluation used is a simple feedback survey.  These anonymous surveys allow for data that can be analyzed.  For my creative practice this week I created a happiness evaluation.  I decided to go to a popular shopping area here in Gainesville and hand out 50 surveys.

On a Friday evening 6:00-6:30 I went to the Archer Road Trader Joes shopping area loaded up with clipboards, pens, and surveys.  I decided to wait out site the area between Trader Joes and other shopping areas.  When I approached people I asked them if they would take one minute to circle a quick answer on my survey for happiness.  At first I was a little nervous so I think people were as well, but the more I asked the more comfortable I got!

After I collected 50 responses I used the data to asses that target area.

Out of 50 people surveyed

21: Very Happy
12: Happy
13: Average
4: Sad
0: Very Sad

This evaluation showed me that the majority of people in that area at that time were average or above with the mast majority very happy.

During one survey the older gentleman said to me, I was kind of sad but now that you asked how I was I'm happy.  Showing that simple actions can really turn peoples days around.  

Evaluations can be fun!!

Included is the blank evolution form and a view filled out forms.

Symbol of Compassion

This week we were asked to create a symbol of compassion.  After pondering the thought for a while and reading our weekly readings, I wasn't sure what would be able to capture compassion.  A single symbol.  So many thing within our lives have a symbol a cross, Buddha, peace sign, smiley faces ect. What could be my personal symbol for compassion.  Compassion is something that is never ending its continuous but constantly changing.  It has dimensions, levels and textures. Something that is necessary to life.  Much like water.  We need water to survive but water also is constantly changing and has complex levels, dimensions and textures.  So for my symbol for compassion I'm using Clark Little Photography for some assistance.  Clark Little Photography is based out of Hawaii.  This image was a beautiful example of compassion for me.  The wave symbolizes the every changing dynamic of compassion, the consistent flow but strong powers.  The sun also captures how compassion can shine light into new directions, ones you may have not known before.  The symbol of a wave captures compassion for me also because waves are happening all the time, even we aren't seeing them.  The ocean is huge and waves are always happening, much like compassion.  There is always compassion happening around the world the same as waves.

Photography: http://www.clarklittlephotography.com