Art and Health Project Report

Support for Individuals – Small Award
Name: Maria Kuipers
Reference: 0101389G
Date: November 2000
Report: May 2002

Summary of purpose
Development of personal artwork relating to health issues linked with mentoring scheme and
art therapist.

Report
The principle aim is to develop personal artwork, as well as, embrace therapeutic functions within the project to help regain good health. My main objectives are to raise self-awareness for growth and change, to promote a stronger sense of identity and autonomy within my work, and to identify and address barriers to creativity. To find the best possible root to achieve this whilst maintaining a flexible and holistic approach throughout particularly in respect of health issues, I considered using a deliberation of methods and processes, some unorthodox. I implemented a strategy for documentation in the form of tape recordings, journals, evaluation questionnaires, formative assessments as well as monitoring, all for the purpose of self-evaluation to help directional changes and the evolution of ideas. I anticipated working with the art therapist and mentor alternately in order to firstly respond directly from feelings and senses drawn from the art-therapy sessions towards self-development, followed by a more concentrated focus on the art development.

I began by choosing a piece from my sketchbook studies to work with during the first art-therapy session. Having had previous experience with the therapist I immediately felt safe to jump in with both feet and express myself at a deeper level. Looking into both the content and aesthetic components of my art, I explored feelings and thoughts about the work, memories of how I felt in the making and the methods I had employed. Through this process I reached places beyond conscious levels connecting with personal values and deep psychological issues. The therapist who is an empathic listener showing unconditional acceptance, assisted by encouraging me to stay with and expand my responses to the artwork together with mirroring and reflecting back to me. As importantly, and essential to the project, I began to discover what was aesthetically significant for me and why. I was able to run with these discoveries producing a variety of abstract pieces mainly in the form of collagraph prints. This first meeting, which I valued enormously, became the inception of a whole new approach towards the development of my work.

For the next part I chose a broad selection of recent art pieces for discussion with the mentor. The work was analysed in depth. We looked at strengths and weaknesses, subject and content in addition to ideas for development. Receiving invaluable feedback and armed with an excellent critical appraisal I considered and evaluated the outcome at length. Again with heightened enthusiasm I investigated a multitude of the resultant ideas all of which I found exciting.

I developed aspects of the figurative in printmaking, which I found powerful, emotive and extremely cathartic. But the symbolic impact of the images often felt overwhelming and I especially felt exposed in the context of shared facilities in the educational environment. Discussing these new works with the art therapist strong emotions unfolded and subsequent deeper psychological issues were magnified. In assessing my progress so far, I recognised a number of points to consider, first of all the difficulty in continuing with the figurative aspects so decided to put this work on hold. I had moved into a completely different direction having lost the impetus from the initial therapy work, and I had also tapped into a performance driven mentality. At this conjuncture I was struggling with making choices from the spread of ideas generated in convergence with both facilitators. It became apparent that working alternately with two professionals who have different approaches and use methods linked to different progressive targets was confusing and complicated a direct path forward, thus counteracted the flow of the project. Through negotiation I revised the sequencing of the programme to working with a whole block of art therapy first.

Early on in the project I was already much more aware of how certain activities brought up consistent difficulties that threatened and compounded health issues, clearly aggravating or causing subsequent blockages to creativity. In response to my encounter with some of these obstacles I took significant steps in reviewing strategies. I felt it crucial to ‘play’ and experiment, alleviate subject matter and at this point concentrate on developing a natural capacity for progression at my own pace. I chose water-based inks using the ‘wet’ on wet’ approach as I wanted to use a medium that ideally connected to the senses and worked well with the unconscious, encouraging creativity to take on it’s own form. The fluidity and changing character of watercolour meant working quickly and intuitively with flexibility for opportunities and discoveries within the processes. As ‘play’ took hold I spontaneously began layering and adding other mediums as well as texture. Some accents had more depth, transparency, tension or variety but felt contained and held within the natural structure of the whole. Recurring themes emerged such as ‘boundaries’, which became paramount to development, discovering in art therapy they symbolised my inner world, mirroring psychological issues and personal values together with hopes and desires, each with a separate story.

I continued with and also developed from the same theme in printmaking. Although I seemed to have lost some of the personal and expressive qualities of the figurative and found it challenging diverting from representational form, I felt the change into abstract was a significant step forward. Abstract had become more comfortable to work with, a kind of refuge where I could express my inner and often non-verbal world without the viewer or myself having ready access. Materiality evolved as the key subject. The tactile qualities encouraged intimacy and a way of getting in ‘touch’ with myself. I loved the pure physicality of the printmaking, particularly collage and collograph plate preparation, also the repetitive sequenced skills required for printmaking had a calming influence and a restorative power for me. The potency of materiality and the process of ‘making’ energised me, reactivating a need to return to stitch work which in turn encouraged me to enrol in a dressmaking class, something I had wanted to do for years. All these tactile processes gave me a strong sense of containment. Listening to needs has helped establish a progressive route, particularly in terms of fulfilment as well as productivity.

The direction of my artwork and methods of working has been strongly influenced by the ethos of the art therapy programme. The person-centred approach placed emphasis on self-development through the power of self-discovery and self-awareness, enabling a more solid transformation from my feelings and values into art form. With the therapist alongside I was able to unravel the content of my choosing and at my pace. This meant I felt safe to return to particular components of the work that I was drawn to, and despite the fact that some were quite disturbing I was compelled to return time and time again. ‘Art’ being the central and fundamental concern on the one hand helped to contain strong emotions that arose and on the other hand a language I identified with therefore encouraging self-expression. The power from specific details in the art intensified and in time significant reference points transpired becoming influential for the development of further work. Essentially the work generated has been rooted in my deeper self.

Working within experimental conditions with no deadline alleviated some pressure to perform therefore encouraged creativity and helped the art to evolve naturally rather than me forcing it. My artwork has been made up of a conglomerate of things, many obscure during the making. Some incongruent and incoherent pieces of work have often mirrored fragmented, disconnected and irresolute parts of myself whilst others have illuminated strength, sensitivity and beauty. I have learnt to value each piece and allow it ‘to be’. Instead of discarding or even destroying work because of frustration or discomfort I have learnt to contemplate, and reflect, returning to develop each piece when I felt ready by way of adding to, rubbing back, salvaging, reshaping and reinstating. Reflection now plays an important part of my progress. I have enjoyed working intuitively within a variety of disciplines. My vision has always been to merge different art disciplines, juxtaposing diverse components into a coherent whole. The culmination of these art experiences has taken me into a new developmental stage. I am starting a series of canvasses where I am experimenting in new ways of constructing mixed media utilising printmaking, textiles and painting and using the boundary theme compositionally. Various courses have contributed in building a mark-making vocabulary and helped me to be more expedient with materials.

Since co-ordinating all information I have digested, reflected and evaluated over a period of a good few months trying to get to the pith of the project for my own satisfaction and in order to write an articulate report. Not only had I to deal with dyslexia but I found it difficult to articulate deeper feelings and senses, even transposing and processing these into art form. There is no doubt that ill health together with psychological issues has prolonged my development and disrupted the creative process, and has made it difficult to work alone or longer periods with others. I respond well to professional discussions within limited periods of time, and felt empowered by the art therapy, with particular emphasis on person-centred. It has not been about ‘painting out the pain’, although aspects had strong therapeutic leanings, it has been about finding ‘myself’ and my own pathways, both personally and aesthetically. It was also essential for me to work concurrently with a counsellor in order to follow up certain issues. Consolidating all experiences I can see there is a strong correlation between self-development and art development with many parallels between both, such as deconstructing and reconstructing, fragmentation and boundary constraints. I have gained immense understanding between symbolic connections from my art and my inner world, and links to and parallels between aesthetics and psychology. Art has been an affective vehicle for self-development, which in turn has reflected on art development.

In conclusion I clearly have met my objectives relating to self-development as empirical evidence has shown through self-critical analysis and self-evaluation that much has changed. I have learnt to work in a more relaxed and holistic manner, with more self-acceptance, tolerance and self-awareness, built self-esteem, gaining respect and a stronger regard for my work. I am not so driven or obsessed by producing the perfect end piece but enjoy the processes of ‘becoming’. I observe that I am bolder and more decisive in application and have a stronger sense of composure and continuity within the work. Together with broadening observational and organisation skills I have increased concentration and gained a strong sense of achievement. Although at times I greatly missed critical appraisals from my mentor I felt the void had inadvertently helped me to find ways of working, which promoted a sense of autonomy and largely prepared me for this next stage in art development.

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