1. < Just Want to Talk

Art for Healing

Posted by Harriet Hodgson @harriethodgson1, Oct 26, 2018

Kudos to the Montreal Museum of Fine Art for allowing physicians to write prescriptions for free admission to the museum. And kudos to Mayo Clinic for its art program. From the beginning, Mayo Clinic believed that art can uplift patients and foster healing. Whether it's Rochester, Jacksonville or Scottsdale, Mayo Clinic displays a wide range of artwork for patients. The Rochester site published a brochure for a self-guided tour of artwork. I live in Rochester and every time I'm at Mayo, I take the time to look at the artwork.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Nov 7, 2018
In reply to @harriethodgson1 "I am acutely aware of shapes, colors, color combinations, and textures. I have absolute pitch so..." + (show)
@harriethodgson1

I am acutely aware of shapes, colors, color combinations, and textures. I have absolute pitch so when I hear a bird sing, I hear the notes, such as g, f sharp, d. I'm aware of the rhythm of language and fascinated by it, which is why I'm a writer. I look upon cooking as love and enjoy cooking for others. All of these things add richness to my life.

Jump to this post

@harriethodgson1 Yes! that's exactly how it is! I see the world that way too! I look at the relationships of everything all the time and ask myself how would I paint that? What colors would I mix to get that? I memorize the colors in the sky, so next time I'm working on a painting, I can bring up the memory to add life to what I'm doing. I play music too and in my head I imagine harmonies to layer on top of music I'm listening to. In the same way that I paint layers of colors on a painting, I paint layers of notes colored by the expression of the instrument that would make the notes... or a voice singing. I use music that really moves me to get into the zone when I paint, when all I'm feeling is the creativity and oneness that I have with my subject. It becomes timeless and transports me to another space and time. Then all my husband has to do is just start talking to me and I jump because I am so focused that I didn't hear him walk up next to me....... and he's learned to wait until my brush is not contacting the painting to speak.

My husband and I played in a community band and played all kinds of wonderful music in outdoor summer concerts. I played in percussion on the glockenspiel and xylophone because I could translate my keyboard knowledge from the organ lessons I had as a kid. Playing in a large band of around 70 players has lots of melodies interweaving and it helps you to know where to come in when you hear the other parts of the music. We prepared a new concert every week with a dozen of so pieces of music which is a lot when you are just a volunteer and there is only one rehearsal after the show for the next week's concert. I have learned so much from doing that. The other sections had safety in numbers as there were multiple players for most instruments, but I was always playing a solo... the bell or chime that rises above everything else. I did have a big solo to start out a Harry Potter medley when there was no band accompaniment, and I really had to focus. I told the director, I couldn't look at him because if I watched his waving baton to sync with it, I would miss my notes. It was just me on those bells playing the lines everyone knows in front of about 800 people on a pleasant summer night. I had really practiced, and got it perfect, and I was nervous, but did my best to forget that the whole world was watching. I guess painting is a little bit like that too, and I'm really always painting a self portrait because I'm painting my emotions and how I feel about what I see. Then when you stand next to that painting at an art show, it's kind of like having your sole exposed as you listen to what other people say about your work.

I think the power in the arts is that they take you to another place and time from where you are, and that is why they are so beneficial, not only in healthcare, but also in living. I can't image a life without art. It is innate in our nature and goes back to when cave paintings recorded and communicated things about life and survival.

REPLY
2 replies
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Nov 7, 2018
In reply to @rachelanne "I also find that either visiting Art Museums, participating in Art classes, and teaching art to..." + (show)
@rachelanne

I also find that either visiting Art Museums, participating in Art classes, and teaching art to young children, makes me feel better! Art also helps me unwind at the end of my day, and helps me heal whenever I feel anxious or upset! I find Art to be my "go to" every day,regardless of how my day actually went ! My best way of reducing stress however, is writing my book or writing in my journal

Jump to this post

@rachelanne That's great that you've discovered the benefits of art and expression. It's good for our health and helps us with problem solving skills and that helps in other areas as well. The people who think outside the box are the ones who invent things that no one else thought of before, and the ones who can connect with other people and solve problems at businesses. Besides that, It's fun to engage our brains in something new. When I see great art work such as the exhibition I saw recently of works by John Singer Sargent, I feel so alive. Then I study it to figure out how the painting was made, and it what order he layers were painted.

REPLY
rachalanne Shelley | @rachelanne | Nov 7, 2018
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@mlmcg You are absolutely right and I agree, anything creative can be healing therapy. The important..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@mlmcg You are absolutely right and I agree, anything creative can be healing therapy. The important thing is just to do something because it's in the doing that we feel so connected and valued. I share art and music with open arms for anyone who wants to receive it, and I also really appreciate art made by others and I learn from it. I see it as another way to solve the problem of how to say something that there are no words for, and it recharges to me. My work comes from my heart and the only person I compete with is myself... to make the next painting closer to the picture I've already painted in my head. I started out at the beginning too like everyone else, but what was different was not my coordination and skill, it was the way I looked at the world. It was the questions I asked myself about what I was seeing and why things are the way they are. It was looking for how colors bounce off each other and how light dances around an object. It was looking for the relationships and connections in the world around me and why it matters. Anyone can do that and find meaning in something. That is how I look at the world, and having art in my environment is uplifting to me. When I walked into Mayo for the first time it felt like an art museum to me, and for the time that it engaged me, I forgot about the medical problem that brought me there. Other people seemed to be uplifted too. That was a welcome relief from the worries that I had.

What I can say is that my creative outlet came out of loneliness as a child, and the fears that I had. I could always express myself with pencils or paint and I would spend hours in my room doing that. Being in my room was a safe place to be. I also came the long way to fine art as a career because my parents discouraged it. They wanted me to be a doctor, and I earned a biology degree, but I decided that wasn't what I really wanted, so I worked in a university research lab for awhile, before I left to go to art school. At the time, I was healing a broken heart, and wanted to reinvent myself, so art was therapy then too. I went in thinking I was pretty good, but soon learned I had a lot to learn. The assignments were hard, and I lacked the skills to do them and I had strict deadlines. What I learned was how to fail which is a good thing because I learned from failure. Failure actually is a gift if you learn from it.

My story is one of overcoming my absolute greatest fear and using art and music to do that in order to heal. I had a choice to make. I was loosing the ability to hold my arms up and control them because of spinal cord compression from an old injury. I had worked so hard to get to where I was, and I was loosing what I loved to do the most. 5 surgeons turned me down before I came to Mayo. My case had some unusual symptoms, and no one wanted to help me. If I didn't get medical help I would have become disabled, and I was already at greater risk for paralysis. So when I came to Mayo, I brought a painting with me to show the surgeon what I needed to be able to do again so he would understand why it mattered. I really was afraid of being turned away again, but he liked my painting and took interest in it. I needed to find a way to connect with him so I wouldn't be afraid of him, and I returned to sketching as a way to address that by sketching my surgeon and he gave me his permission. I only draw and paint what I love, and this was a game to convince myself that everything would be OK. I needed to be able to embrace the surgery that I needed and had feared for so long. That is how I started down a path that lead to painting a portrait in gratitude for the surgeon who saved my ability to paint, and who preserved the fine motor control in my hands.

I used all the life experience that I had to understand my dilemma and confront my fear to make the choice to go forward with major surgery. I am so glad. This was life changing for me. I used to think that I didn't have the courage, but somewhere inside, I found it. I had to rehab after my recovery and practice again to get back what I had lost. I still have to take breaks when I tire, as painting is physical, and I am still trying to rebuild muscle that was lost in my arms and shoulders, but I have a goal that drives me. I share my experience in hopes to inspire others in what is possible. Every journey is different, so we can't compare ourselves to others. I didn't choose the hardships that have come my way in my life, but I learned from them, and all of that has shaped me into the person I am today. That is what creativity can do. It gives you the power to make a difference in your own life. I think of art as a lot of things, not only the fine arts, but also music, theater, laughter, appreciating nature, gardening, home decorating, and most of all for the connections that come from participating as both a performer and a spectator. ©

Jump to this post

I appreciate and couldn't agree more! Your post was honest, forthright, and absolutely from your heart! Art really is beautiful, and makes me think about what could have happened if I didn't come out of my Coma after suffering a major Stroke on 5/4/01! I love Art and it really helps me express my true feelings, especially when I feel isolated or upset! I always feel anxious or fearful, that I won't ever, be taken seriously by the medical community; therefore not wishing to see physicians! I would prefer going online, because then I don't run the risk of losing providers like I did in 2014! I was kicked out of 7 practices at once, had my information put online, without my knowledge or permission and was blocked from receiving ANY HEALTHCARE from 11/8/14-6/30/15!!! L was therefore, without medications for my Epilepsy, asthma, anxiety, depression, etcetera! This is my reason for not wishing to trust Physicians, no matter who they are, period!

REPLY
1 reply
Harriet Hodgson | @harriethodgson1 | Nov 7, 2018
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@harriethodgson1 Yes! that's exactly how it is! I see the world that way too! I look..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@harriethodgson1 Yes! that's exactly how it is! I see the world that way too! I look at the relationships of everything all the time and ask myself how would I paint that? What colors would I mix to get that? I memorize the colors in the sky, so next time I'm working on a painting, I can bring up the memory to add life to what I'm doing. I play music too and in my head I imagine harmonies to layer on top of music I'm listening to. In the same way that I paint layers of colors on a painting, I paint layers of notes colored by the expression of the instrument that would make the notes... or a voice singing. I use music that really moves me to get into the zone when I paint, when all I'm feeling is the creativity and oneness that I have with my subject. It becomes timeless and transports me to another space and time. Then all my husband has to do is just start talking to me and I jump because I am so focused that I didn't hear him walk up next to me....... and he's learned to wait until my brush is not contacting the painting to speak.

My husband and I played in a community band and played all kinds of wonderful music in outdoor summer concerts. I played in percussion on the glockenspiel and xylophone because I could translate my keyboard knowledge from the organ lessons I had as a kid. Playing in a large band of around 70 players has lots of melodies interweaving and it helps you to know where to come in when you hear the other parts of the music. We prepared a new concert every week with a dozen of so pieces of music which is a lot when you are just a volunteer and there is only one rehearsal after the show for the next week's concert. I have learned so much from doing that. The other sections had safety in numbers as there were multiple players for most instruments, but I was always playing a solo... the bell or chime that rises above everything else. I did have a big solo to start out a Harry Potter medley when there was no band accompaniment, and I really had to focus. I told the director, I couldn't look at him because if I watched his waving baton to sync with it, I would miss my notes. It was just me on those bells playing the lines everyone knows in front of about 800 people on a pleasant summer night. I had really practiced, and got it perfect, and I was nervous, but did my best to forget that the whole world was watching. I guess painting is a little bit like that too, and I'm really always painting a self portrait because I'm painting my emotions and how I feel about what I see. Then when you stand next to that painting at an art show, it's kind of like having your sole exposed as you listen to what other people say about your work.

I think the power in the arts is that they take you to another place and time from where you are, and that is why they are so beneficial, not only in healthcare, but also in living. I can't image a life without art. It is innate in our nature and goes back to when cave paintings recorded and communicated things about life and survival.

Jump to this post

Well said Jennifer. We are both blessed by art.

REPLY
Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Nov 7, 2018
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@harriethodgson1 Yes! that's exactly how it is! I see the world that way too! I look..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@harriethodgson1 Yes! that's exactly how it is! I see the world that way too! I look at the relationships of everything all the time and ask myself how would I paint that? What colors would I mix to get that? I memorize the colors in the sky, so next time I'm working on a painting, I can bring up the memory to add life to what I'm doing. I play music too and in my head I imagine harmonies to layer on top of music I'm listening to. In the same way that I paint layers of colors on a painting, I paint layers of notes colored by the expression of the instrument that would make the notes... or a voice singing. I use music that really moves me to get into the zone when I paint, when all I'm feeling is the creativity and oneness that I have with my subject. It becomes timeless and transports me to another space and time. Then all my husband has to do is just start talking to me and I jump because I am so focused that I didn't hear him walk up next to me....... and he's learned to wait until my brush is not contacting the painting to speak.

My husband and I played in a community band and played all kinds of wonderful music in outdoor summer concerts. I played in percussion on the glockenspiel and xylophone because I could translate my keyboard knowledge from the organ lessons I had as a kid. Playing in a large band of around 70 players has lots of melodies interweaving and it helps you to know where to come in when you hear the other parts of the music. We prepared a new concert every week with a dozen of so pieces of music which is a lot when you are just a volunteer and there is only one rehearsal after the show for the next week's concert. I have learned so much from doing that. The other sections had safety in numbers as there were multiple players for most instruments, but I was always playing a solo... the bell or chime that rises above everything else. I did have a big solo to start out a Harry Potter medley when there was no band accompaniment, and I really had to focus. I told the director, I couldn't look at him because if I watched his waving baton to sync with it, I would miss my notes. It was just me on those bells playing the lines everyone knows in front of about 800 people on a pleasant summer night. I had really practiced, and got it perfect, and I was nervous, but did my best to forget that the whole world was watching. I guess painting is a little bit like that too, and I'm really always painting a self portrait because I'm painting my emotions and how I feel about what I see. Then when you stand next to that painting at an art show, it's kind of like having your sole exposed as you listen to what other people say about your work.

I think the power in the arts is that they take you to another place and time from where you are, and that is why they are so beneficial, not only in healthcare, but also in living. I can't image a life without art. It is innate in our nature and goes back to when cave paintings recorded and communicated things about life and survival.

Jump to this post

It is my belief that the colors or sounds or sights that we react to in a visceral way go directly towards that right side of the brain, that is the spiritual, ethereal and deeply healing side of us. Unlike the left side, that is the logical side. When I was learning to quilt my teacher couldn't grasp my innate sense of color and design since here I was trained and educated in left brain activity, reacting in a very artistic right brained way. All my life the two have intertwined themselves. I paint with words to hopefully allow those who can't see as clearly with their artistic eye the beauty around them. Colors with all the nuances of tones and shades, combined with shapes can allow me and escape for hours!
Ginger

REPLY
1 reply
Harriet Hodgson | @harriethodgson1 | Nov 7, 2018

Thanks for this thoughtful post Ginger.

REPLY
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Nov 7, 2018
In reply to @rachelanne "I appreciate and couldn't agree more! Your post was honest, forthright, and absolutely from your heart!..." + (show)
@rachelanne

I appreciate and couldn't agree more! Your post was honest, forthright, and absolutely from your heart! Art really is beautiful, and makes me think about what could have happened if I didn't come out of my Coma after suffering a major Stroke on 5/4/01! I love Art and it really helps me express my true feelings, especially when I feel isolated or upset! I always feel anxious or fearful, that I won't ever, be taken seriously by the medical community; therefore not wishing to see physicians! I would prefer going online, because then I don't run the risk of losing providers like I did in 2014! I was kicked out of 7 practices at once, had my information put online, without my knowledge or permission and was blocked from receiving ANY HEALTHCARE from 11/8/14-6/30/15!!! L was therefore, without medications for my Epilepsy, asthma, anxiety, depression, etcetera! This is my reason for not wishing to trust Physicians, no matter who they are, period!

Jump to this post

@rachelanne It sounds like you have been through an ordeal. I know it's hard to trust, but you need to put yourself first. Going online is fine for education, but you might not accurately interpret your condition, and you could put yourself at risk by not seeking medical attention. Anger can make you overlook things that are important. I've missed clues too that affected my health because I interpreted something wrong. Since I had sinus issues and allergies, I didn't notice the spread of an infection in my jaw bone from a tooth with an old root canal. I came very close to loosing the tooth and I certainly have emotions connected to this because I fell on my face and broke my teeth as a kid. That caused a cascade of problems and fears over the years, and I could have handled that better. I just didn't know how.

Two years ago, I was in trouble with bone spurs and a ruptured disc pressing on my spinal cord, but the problem was different. I was very anxious and I knew I needed help, but no surgeon wanted to help me. That is when I came to Mayo. I found the environment there very compassionate, and the surgeon who saw me really cared. He understood what 5 other surgeons missed. I had to confront my fears and advocate for myself even when I was afraid, but when I found the right surgeon with his compassion and down to earth sense of humor, I knew I was in a safe place and I could trust my life to this man.

Everything is a choice and how you think about something is also a choice. You have to consider if the energy investment is worthy of your time. I am glad you find calm and healing in art. I think that makes a big difference and ads a lot to the environment at Mayo. I have asthma too and if I am upset, I trigger some issues. I've learned how to reduce my blood pressure with slow deep breathing in time to calm music that I listen to. It's a nice escape. Another strategy is to have a "safe place" in your mind and go there when you need to. It can be a real place that you have a picture of or something that you imagine, but in this place you will be calm and cared for. Find a piece of art that speaks to you , and that can be your place. I've had to move on from doctors who made mistakes and difficult circumstances. It's hard, but just take one step at a time. You may want to go back to the first page in this discussion and read a bit about a gift I made for my surgeon. I was inspired and I think you would like it. I got a second chance, and I am going to celebrate that every way that I can. It sounds like you have also had a second chance. I don't know your situation. Keep looking for doctors you can trust. You might need them some day.

Rachel, I also wanted to add....thank you... my badge just turned Silver on this post I wrote to you as my 100th post here on Connect. Thanks for joining the conversation. I guess you're the lucky one today!

REPLY
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Nov 7, 2018
In reply to @gingerw "It is my belief that the colors or sounds or sights that we react to in..." + (show)
@gingerw

It is my belief that the colors or sounds or sights that we react to in a visceral way go directly towards that right side of the brain, that is the spiritual, ethereal and deeply healing side of us. Unlike the left side, that is the logical side. When I was learning to quilt my teacher couldn't grasp my innate sense of color and design since here I was trained and educated in left brain activity, reacting in a very artistic right brained way. All my life the two have intertwined themselves. I paint with words to hopefully allow those who can't see as clearly with their artistic eye the beauty around them. Colors with all the nuances of tones and shades, combined with shapes can allow me and escape for hours!
Ginger

Jump to this post

@gingerw Lovely words.. well said. I understand completely since you've engaged my right brain... oops the left brain side just interrupted to correct my spelling... and so it goes.. back on track now and thinking about escaping. Remember how Mary Poppins and Burt jumping into a chalk painting and it became real. It's like that.

REPLY
Harriet Hodgson | @harriethodgson1 | Nov 24, 2018

Your drawing is amazing. I feel like the squirrel is going to jump off the page.

REPLY
Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Nov 26, 2018
In reply to @parus "As I read through the words of others I realize that chopping veggies can also be..." + (show)
@parus

As I read through the words of others I realize that chopping veggies can also be an art. I have known many creative ones over the years that want their talent out there and on display. I do not want mine hanging in a gallery as each one is a part of me and I feel exposed and on display. One of the shy ones. ☹️

Jump to this post

@parus I was a shy one too. That might be hard to believe since I'm here talking about art, but I learned to love the real appreciation that I got from people, and watching them enjoy my paintings makes me feel good that I gave them some joy. The people who like it stop and look for a bit, the others look politely and walk on by. There are also those who want to tell me how their grandmother can do this too, and that's OK if they want to think that, as I know it's not likely to be the truth. I don't need to please everyone and art is so personal. I know lots of artists and all of our work is different, equally good, but it reflects the individual who created it and their response to what moved them to create it. Yes, it does feel like being exposed, but let that be our secret. When you stop to think about it and you realize that only you knew how to create it, and that they wouldn't be able to do that just like you did, and that they are not making the connection to the exposure because they haven't tried to do this, then you're giving them something that they didn't know about, and teaching them what you think is important. When you start marketing your talent in hopes of sales, you need to learn to be entertaining and to connect with people on a personal level. I used to be nervous about public speaking, and one day at an art show that I was in, someone put a mic in front of me and asked me to say something about my work. I was totally unprepared and couldn't think of much to say, but I realized what an opportunity that was, and that I needed to be prepared to talk about my experiences and my work at any time. I have no fear of public speaking now, and have given a talk at a museum along with a solo show of my work, and I have been interviewed on a live TV talk show about my work that was in an auction. I was able to set up that opportunity through a connection and get air time to promote a charity fundraiser for a volunteer fire department with my art work, and talk about the experiences I had on a covered wagon trip that was the source of the painting that I had in the show. I guess this would be an example of how being an artist changed my life and gave me confidence in other areas. Art is problem solving, and those skills relate to ways to creatively solve other problems. It's OK if you do it just for yourself and don't share it with the world, as it's a benefit either way.

REPLY
1 reply
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.