AHN NEWS: Spring 2010
This issue of AHN News is dedicated to CREATIVITY & PARENTING. The creative process is so valuable for parents or anyone working with children, because artmaking allows an opportunity to access deeper wisdom, create balance, heal past family wounds, and honor family members. In addition, when done together with one’s children, the power of creativity can be magnified, offering fun and transformation for the whole family.
I am delighted to start this issue with an interview with Lucia Capacchione about her innovative Creative Journaling process, which is an incredible tool for parents and children alike. In addition, I review The Artistic Mother, which helps mothers find the time and space to bring creative work into their daily life. I also review The Creative Family, which offers tips and activities for weaving creativity into your entire family’s life. Lastly, I include some links to Michele Cassou’s resources for using expressive art with children.
Whether you are a parent or not, may this issue inspire you to use creative expression to make peace with your own childhood and share creativity with the youngsters around you.
Wishing you a creative spring full of new possibilities,
-Mary Daniel Hobson, Director, Arts and Healing Network
AHN INTERVIEW:Lucia Capacchione
“Art and journaling are ways to find a voice for the soul, which is where healing comes from, and it allows us to find balance within. For me it is the combination of art and words, art and writing that really heals.” – Lucia Capacchione
Lucia Capacchione is truly a treasure within the field of art and healing. She is an art therapist, workshop leader, and award-winning author of 13 books that speak to the transformative power of art making and writing. Her book titles include The Creative Journal for Parents: A Guide for Unlocking Your Natural Parenting Wisdom, The Power of Your Other Hand: Channeling The Inner Wisdom of the Right Brain, and Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams. Her mission is “to find the divine within and help others do the same through the creative process.”
Years ago Lucia developed an innovative and invaluable process she named Creative Journaling, which combines writing, drawing, collage and the use of the nondominant hand. In March 2010, Mary Daniel Hobson interviewed Lucia about using the Creative Journal process with parents to help them clarify their values, find balance, and heal past family wounds – as well as sharing this process with their children.
Mary Daniel Hobson: I thought we could start with talking about your transition into motherhood and what it taught you about creativity?
Lucia Capacchione: Motherhood ushered in a second career. With a degree in art, I'd been an artist and designer at the legendary Charles Eames Design Office (think Eames chairs) in Venice, CA. Right after getting married to a fellow Eames office designer, I accepted an offer to teach in an inner city parochial school (with no experience or training). My motivation was to prepare for motherhood. In that fourth grade classroom, I discovered a talent for teaching and an innate understanding of children and their natural creativity.
At the end of the semester, I stopped working in order to devote myself to motherhood. I did do some freelance design and created serigraph posters in my spare time when my daughters were toddlers. Those posters (created under the name Lucia Pearce) eventually were published, and I am now enjoying a retro-popularity with them.
When my daughters started Montessori school, I took Montessori training and later became one of the first Head Start directors in Los Angeles county. My interest in education was inspired by motherhood. I have been teaching ever since in one capacity or another.
Mary Daniel: Your book, The Creative Journal for Parents, is such a wonderful resource for tapping into one's internal wisdom as a parent. In it, you outline a process that you call Creative Journaling. Can you talk a little about this process and why it is such a valuable tool for parents?
Lucia: Creative Journaling combines drawing, collage and words - using prompts I have designed. It also uses drawing and writing with the non-dominant hand in order to get in touch with one’s inner child (the physical, emotional and intuitive self).
Mary Daniel: Could you offer an example of a Creative Journaling exercise for parents?
Lucia: One exercise in the book, called “To Tell the Truth,” asks one to look at the things you didn't like about the way you were raised and to release resentments about it. This paves the way for acknowledging how you want to raise your own children, so as not to repeat the past. This exercise has three parts. The first is writing a letter to one of your parents or guardians describing what you did not like about the way he or she raised you. Then in part two, you use crayons and newsprint to draw with your nondominant hand, releasing the emotions around this experience onto the paper. Then in part 3, you use both hands alternately to create a dialogue with your parent or guardian – using your dominant hand to express your voice and the nondominant hand to express the voice of your parent or guardian. This is a summary of the exercise – you could read the detailed version of this in Creative Journaling for Parents (on page 40).
Mary Daniel: Do you have a story you could share of a parent who was transformed by using your Creative Journaling process?
Lucia: One woman realized she was saying the same things to her daughter that her mother said to her (this is common among parents). She said she'd never say those things to her own kids when she became a mother, but she reflexively repeated them to her child. She then became conscious of what she was doing and through more journaling, she turned her unconscious pattern around and started relating to her daughter in a different way - one that reflected her values and not her mother's unconscious behavior handed down to her.
Mary Daniel: I know you have also found that the Creative Journal process can be really wonderful for children too. You have published two books, The Creative Journal for Children and The Creative Journal for Teens. Could you talk about why this process is so valuable for young people?
Lucia: Children need to learn to reflect on feelings, wishes, dreams, and experiences. Both The Creative Journal for Children and The Creative Journal for Teens allow children to do just that. The books start with making pictures and images (so little kids can do it starting in kindergarten). There are no grades, and no adult is allowed to look at the journals. They are private and safe and free from outside judgment. We've used this process with kids of all ages - kindergarten through 12th grade. The process also works very well for children who do not speak English. They can draw and then write in their mother tongue and then in English. They love it. When my method has been used in schools, academic gains have results as well as improvements in motivation, attendance, social interactions, and more.
Mary Daniel: What is the best way to introduce Creative Journaling to a child?
Lucia: The best way is to do journaling together. Explain the ground rules and make time to do journaling, giving the child prompts from my book.
Mary Daniel: I know you are also a grandmother now. Have you done Creative Journaling with your grandchildren? What has that experience been like?
Lucia: I have done artwork with my grandsons. Whenever they visited me during their early years, they had constant access to my studio. Their journaling was more in the form of making artwork and sharing it. One of my daughters, on the other hand, has been a lifelong journal-keeper. She has authored two books and teaches at the university level. Creative Journaling got her into the habit of writing, just as it did for me.
Mary Daniel: What has surprised you most about the Creative Journal process?
This process seems to have no limits - it is being used all over the globe in many, many languages. A blockbuster film, called “Cease Fire,” was even made in Iran in 2006 based on one of my books. Journaling was featured as the "cure" for an ailing marriage. It was the most popular film in Iranian cinema history. That has been the biggest surprise yet.
I have found that there is no place the Creative Journal method cannot go: prisons, programs for vets and soldiers, schools, hospitals, corporations, organizations, life coaching sessions, and more. I am always looking forward to seeing where my certified graduates of the Creative Journal Expressive Art Training will take it.
Mary Daniel: In conclusion, could you speak a little about the power of art to heal - why do you believe the creative process is such a catalyst for transformation?
Lucia: Making art and journaling healed me from a life threatening illness, so I have personal experience with this. Art and journaling are ways to find a voice for the soul, which is where healing comes from, and it allows us to find balance within. For me it is the combination of art and words, art and writing that really heals.
To learn more about Lucia Capacchione, her publications, and workshops, please visit www.luciac.com.
You could also watch a series of video interviews with her on YouTube.
FEATURED BOOK:
The Artistic Mother: A Practical Guide for Fitting Creativity Into Your LIfe
By Shona Cole
Reviewed by Mary Daniel Hobson
“Creativity is a gift to be received, opened, and enjoyed to the fullest. As artistic souls, it serves us well to own the gift of creativity and carve out the time and space to work at it and produce art. Rather than stealing from the energy we use as mothers, time devoted to art makes mothering more vibrant. By coupling our maternal instincts with our creative actions, we become well-rounded women with a positive outlook – and therefore content, hopeful and happy mothers.”
–Shona Cole
The Artistic Mother is a wonderful affirmation of the importance of carving out creative time for oneself as a parent. As Shona Cole explains in the introduction, the benefits of making art as a mother are numerous and include personal fulfillment, an enriched perspective, and recharged energy, as well honoring family members and having a positive influence on your childrens’ creative life.
The great challenge for artistic mothers is finding the time and space to pursue one’s creative work, and Shona Cole offers great advice – such as time management strategies, working with the inner critic, involving your children in your creative work, creating a support network, and more. She also guides mothers in the creation of an Artistic Vision Statement and Creativity Goals – she recommends turning this vision statement and goals into a work of art that can be hung in the house where you can see it regularly. Shona’s words are enhanced by the voices of seven other artistic mothers who appear as “Artist Spotlights” in the book, sharing their working rhythm, artwork, and insights.
The bulk of the book is devoted to techniques and projects that can be used to honor one’s role as a mother and celebrate one’s children. Chapter Four offers an introduction to writing poetry, taking photographs, and making mixed media art. Shona reveals how each of these techniques can be broken into small action steps that allow them to fit within the fluid, busy life of parenting. The final and thickest chapter of the book is dedicated to twelve specific projects that weave together photography, writing, and mixed media. The resulting art objects are either a way to honor the mother’s vision and process (such as creating a special cover for your poetry journal or a vision statement banner) or a way to celebrate the children’s unique spirit (such as making a special book with a story about your child with pictures of him or her). The book is beautifully illustrated with color photographs that make you want to dive right in and create these projects.
Overall The Artistic Mother is a nice resource for any mother who is struggling to find time and space for her creative soul in the midst of parenting. The only thing this book lacked for me was the depth of personal and psychological exploration that can be found in books like Lucia Capacchione’s Creative Journal for Parents. I also wanted to hear more personal stories of Shona’s life as a mother, but happily one can find that on her blog at shonastudio.blogspot.com. Whether you are a parent who already has a dedicated creative practice or you are just beginning to express yourself creatively, you will find charm, insight and inspiration in this book.
This colorful soft-cover book was published in March 2010 by North Light Books. Click here to purchase it through Amazon.com.
You can also find articles by Shona Cole online including “Art Makes Us Better Moms” on the Wishstudio blog and also “Art Saves: My Artistic Heart as a Mother” on the Crescendoh blog. You could learn more about Shona Cole’s life as an artistic mother on her blog at shonastudio.blogspot.com.
FEATURED BOOK:
The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections
By Amanda Blake Soule
Reviewed by Mary Daniel Hobson
“Nurturing your own creative spirit will not only bring you more peace, satisfaction, and joy into your life and the lives of those around you, but it will also serve as a guide and model to your children on finding their creative selves.”
–Amanda Blake Soule
The Creative Family is a wonderful primer on how to cultivate the qualities of imagination, wonder, and inspiration within one’s family. Designed for parents with younger children, it lays a foundation for honoring the innate creativity of children while fostering that same quality within adults. Amanda paints a picture of family life that is rich in color, texture, ritual, art materials, interaction with nature, family connectedness, gratitude, generosity, and playfulness.
In addition to Amanda’s insights on cultivating children’s creativity, the book is chock-full of suggested art projects and creative activities. Some of them are so deceptively simple, and yet they open the door for imagination and sharing of important values. One of my favorite sections was on gratitude. In it, Amanda offers exercises like making handmade thank you notes, using the ABC’s to spell out a word for each letter of something you are grateful for, and gratitude hugs – which are verbal appreciations that envelope someone who is feeling down. These kinds of activities are woven in with more detailed craft projects like making homemade crowns to be worn at birthday celebrations and sewing special pajama bags with a pocket for books for bedtime reading.
Throughout the book Amanda offers tips on setting up your home in a way that supports creativity and meaning – from collecting and storing art supplies in a way that facilitates easy access to using recycled materials, making one’s own paste and dies, decluttering, focusing on quality rather than quantity, and allowing a child’s imagination to turn simple things like objects from nature into toys. There is a strong earthy and tactile sense to her vision that is very ecologically-minded. What a gift for a child to grow up in such a thoughtful, encouraging, creative home environment as Amanda describes here.
This 212-page soft-cover book was published in 2008 by Trumpeter Books. Click here to order it through Amazon.com.
Learn more about the author by visiting her web site at www.soulemama.com.
FEATURED LINKS:
Michele Cassou Resources
Michele Cassou is known internationally for her groundbreaking work in stimulating creative potential, dissolving creative blocks and exploring the spiritual dimensions of the creative process. Below are some links to resources she has created specifically for working with children. You could find all these resources on Michele’s web site by clicking here.
Book: Kid’s Play: Igniting Children’s Creativity
An inspirational guide for parents and teachers, this book reveals the essence of creativity as play and self-expression. It also shows the dramatically important role parents and teachers can play as guides and catalysts and how they can help remove obstacles to jump-start their children's creative power. Full of heartwarming stories of children's creative breakthroughs, Kids Play is also a magical book for adults who want to reclaim the magic of spontaneous expression. Click here to read an excerpt.
CD: How To Jump Start Children’s Creative Power
http://www.michelecassou.com/BookTapes.htm#
A CD that shows the dramatically important role parents and teachers can play as guides and catalysts for children's creativity and how they can help remove obstacles on the creative path. Michele also describes the natural evolution of children's creativity and how to help children find the joy of self-expression.
DVD: The Flowering of Children’s Creativity
In this DVD, Michele shows parents and teachers how they can inspire children to discover the magical world of spontaneous expression. She shows the important role adults can play in safeguarding spontaneity and intuition, and how they can help children by inspiring them to trust the creative voice. Many pointers are given along the way to guide the viewer to a new understanding of children's creativity. Click here to view a YouTube sample.
NEW ARTS & HEALING PODCAST:
Making Magic & Art at Creativity Explored: An Interview with Amy Taub
Amy Taub is the Executive Director of Creativity Explored, a nonprofit arts center in San Francisco, CA where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art. Any adult with disabilities in the San Francisco Bay Area may apply to become a studio artist. The studio artists work at one of the two San Francisco studios, which are staffed by over 20 professional artists who act as teachers and guides. One of the unique things about Creativity Explored is that not only are they empowering people with disabilities to express themselves with art, but they are also giving these artists a professional career through which they can support themselves. Artworks created by the studio artists are sold through the Creativity Explored Gallery and also in their online store. The studio artists receive 50% of all proceeds, and the rest is used to support the Creativity Explored program.
In addition, Creativity Explored has created an exciting, dynamic community that includes not only the artists working in the studio, but the larger public too. Their openings and special art sales are hugely popular with people lining up around the block. They have become a vital part of the creative culture of San Francisco's Mission district. As Amy Taub explains, "People are often surprised when they experience the considerable outpouring of creativity and talent that happens within our walls. At first, people are overwhelmed, and then they keep coming back for more...it's a pleasure to participate in the entire process.”
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