Culminating Projects
This past year doing field work has been amazing, powerful, scary, and emotional. I’ve learned so much at my sites, from my patients, and from my teachers and supervisors. I’ve absolutely loved all the art and el duende processes during this time. Art has helped me explore my inner world and experiences as I’ve navigated through new terrain. It’s felt incredible powerful to have art as my friend through the ups, downs, twists, and turns of my practicum and internship. I plan to continue working with the creative process throughout my career to explore, release, and discover my ever-changing and evolving self. I must practice what I preach to patients. I plan to continuously expand on my abilities, consciousness, and work to heal my own wounds.
ARTIFACT 1:
Capstone A Mural and Reflection
The Capstone A Mural and Reflection project was an interesting group process. Given that it was online, rather than an in-person mural, it became a collective series telling our stories about our journey through Southwestern College. Some of the symbols and metaphors that our group felt drawn to were the use of bright colors, a cosmic feel, sky, flight, momentum, and movement. On an interpersonal level, I can relate to all of those symbols and metaphors, and it felt synchronistic that we were matched together as a group. We decided to create three pieces each, telling the beginning, middle, and end stories or our graduate experiences. Then we combined all of our pieces into a collective group story poster.
For my own process, I felt drawn to bright pinks and golds. At the beginning of my journey at Southwestern College, I felt a sense of being lost and feeling stuck. I desperately needed connection, growth, and change. Yet I knew, as my art depicts, “abundance flows from the wellspring of creativity.” As my journey unfolded, I felt ready to jump into battle with my demons of the past. I could feel growth and change bubbling up inside me. My art says, “fortune favors the brave who embrace change.” I’ve most certainly embraced change throughout my journey. Lastly, my final piece features me, flying in cosmic space with a broader awareness and expanded state of consciousness. I am above the sun. This final piece reads “life’s cycles are a journey of growth and transformation.” I wear a butterfly on my head, a symbol of transformation.
This series feels synchronistic with how my experience with the project unfolded as well. It was a rough start as the class and expectations were extremely disorganized. However, as my group collectively sorted out our own structure, I was able to connect with my creativity, and ultimately, feel good about my contribution. It was a learning and growing experience in group dynamics. It taught me what it could feel like for a clinical group member if the therapists are unorganized and unhelpful. I learned from my capstone teachers teachers what not to do.
ARTIFACT 2:
Capstone B, Creative Self-Inquiry
The Capstone B project was a dive into creative self-inquiry. My project focused on dream incubation, dream tracking, and dialoging with dream imagery artwork. Additionally, I spent a lot of time researching and reading about dreams. I designed the project to answer the question: What inner guidance/wisdom seeks my attention through my dreams and how can I work with it to grow personally and professionally? Self-care and sleep hygiene were important elements in my project to ensure optimal REM states during sleep. Some nights I practiced dream incubation, asking my psyche a question before falling asleep, and other nights I left it open to whatever dreams might come. If I remembered a dream, I immediately wrote it down in my journal, whether in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. At the end of the week, I created artwork. Weekly I used artwork for dialog and to further explore messages. When I didn’t remember my dreams, I returned to past dreams and active imaginations for further exploration.
What have I learned during this process? So much. My inner world is intricately woven with the cosmos, other worlds and dimensions, which are vastly more complex than humans could ever realize. I’ve learned that through dreams, these realms can be tapped into for guidance. I’ve also learned that dreams are a pathway to our deepest inner world. Dreams allow us access to both the macrocosm and the microcosm of our existence. In this way, dreams can be utilized to explore and expand our consciousness in new ways which can foster deeper healing and connection. I’ve also learned that my inner child is calling me and I need to do more work with her.
My self-study has opened the door for new ways of knowing, new techniques to approach dreams, and new ways to interact with creative dream expression and art. I now feel more comfortable working with patients’ dreams in both dream groups and individually. I feel more strongly equipped to explore dreams with patients. I’m closer to my inner intuition and psyche. I’ve also emerged more connected to my ancestors and other guiding energies. That all helps me be a better therapist. This project has helped me to understand the importance of dream analysis primarily coming from the dreamer, not a therapist or a book. My job is to support and guide. This project has helped me grow as a human and in my ability to engage with patients as an art therapist and counselor. It has broadened my ability to work with the human experience through dreams and the unconscious. Lastly, it has further expanded my ways of knowing and connection.
ARTIFACT 3:
Professional Seminar II, El Duende Project
For this El Duende project, I decided to go back to my roots: mixed-media with a strong watercolor component. Rather than working with the whole canvas each week and painting over prior elements, I felt called to focus on details, slowly working around the whole piece.
A cosmic, spiritual image emerged. Not surprising. The cosmic element has been a recurring theme throughout my journey at Southwestern College, popping up again and again over the past three years. It’s become an important symbol for me along the way, reminding me about the importance of connection, spirituality, and trusting ancestral guidance and my own intuition. In the final image, the energy of my cat Astrid, who unexpectedly passed away during the program, came forth from the cosmic tear. Astrid and her passing to the next realm taught me an important lesson about spirituality, death, and energy transition. Additionally, our cat Lyra helped with the el duende process by walking on the painting while it was still wet. Her beautiful paw marks now reside in the cosmos, among the stars, reminding me of my support systems.
I’ve learned a lot about working with suicidality over the past couple of months. I can feel myself growing as an art therapist and as a human. My patients teach me so much, and it often times feels like we are growing alongside each other. I’m getting comfortable working with psychosis and delusions. I enjoy exploring the creative realm with these patients and witnessing their creativity and insight intertwine in the most fascinating ways. They are my teachers. I’ve learned much more about the power of supervision and the deep insights that come from being open to multiple theoretical approaches. The concept and limitations of language and words, as symbols to communicate what words can’t adequately describe has been an interesting exploration as well. I’m really looking forward to the journey ahead as an art therapist and counselor.
In the summer’s heat,
Can you see the flowers dance?
She’s too exhausted.
Beyond the flora,
Waves recede into a dream,
Brave, she ventures forth.
Within a dark woods,
Mystery and growth unfolds.
She breathes in its spores.
Magic!
Off in the distance,
A new sunrise softly glows.
An energy rush.
There! A cosmic tear.
Energetic bodies dance.
She dances with them.
The stars spill across,
A cosmic sea of wonder.
She stares, mesmerized.
In the lush shadows,
Lightening bugs come out to play.
They shimmer and shine.
She has discovered herself.
ARTIFACT 4:
Internship, Roadmap
The Roadmap project challenged me to create art depicting a road that included three possible challenges on my future path as an art therapist and counselor, three or more resources should those challenges arise, and myself somewhere on the path. I chose to approach this directive from a three-dimensional perspective rather than a traditional drawing. The branch represents my road. My potential challenges include passing the NCE and jurisprudence exam; choosing to work with a population, environment, or company culture that isn’t a good match for me; and possibly continuing health (heart, breast, etc.) issues. My resources include love/my husband; pets: fur and feather family; spirituality/ancestors; self-care; and nature. I am the bee near the start of the road. After completing my artwork, I wrote a self-treatment plan and reflected on the overall experience.
Not only did I learn a lot about what to do and not do when branch weaving (it was a new process for me), but I also learned that I have a lot more support than I realized. I appreciated this exercise because it forced me to sit down and really explore what possible challenges I might face and come up with a plan. Having a plan in place gives me more confidence as I venture forth after graduation. Further, I know I can always modify and expand on the plan as needed.
I really enjoy doing self-treatment plans because it allows me to experience the potential positives and negatives a patient might encounter during the treatment planning process. Additionally, I feel more comfortable doing treatment plans when I’ve practiced with myself. I also think branch weaving and utilizing other natural elements might be something to explore with patients. I believe in continuously exploring new art media and techniques as a lifelong exploration.
