Category: Negotiated Specialist Project

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Conversations with John

I have been speaking with an individual who is soon due to live in a hospice, I wanted to maintain a source of joy in their life and work with some potential processes for my up-coming art therapy book, here I will be exercising recommended relaxation methods and theraputic processes through art. I have met with him in his home in Mobberly, here he showed me through old photo ablums and we spoke about his family. As we got chatting I began explaining my current project and its links to world war one and two, this set a great basis as he was able to tell me about his father, however he had never met him and was raised by three women. John was able to provide me a picture of his father from the war, he was a pilot in the airforce during world war one. It was an interesting visit and I look forward to the next.

 

I feel the results from this experience will greatly help the development and effectivity of the book. Gaining primary in depth results from a contextual source. This will be exercised throughout the course of my project every two weeks as the processes develop.

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Workshop Research

Words are Wands: Writing your way to well being

I visited the words are wands workshop for multiple causes, mainly to retrieve in-depth, live primary research around art and wellbeing. I wanted to contribute to the workshop as well as observe the approach as I will be conducting a similar workshop with year one art students.In an interview in November 2018 with psychoanalyst and poet Fokkina McDonnell, it was suggested I explore the works of Natalie Goldberg and practice writing as a way of mindful therapy and understanding our unconscious, this understanding resonated well with the event as I was able to contribute the ideas of Goldberg’s zen writing process and writers block, her name was also mentioned on some of the paper works handed out which I felt was interesting.

After the talk we were supplied with a worksheet and pen, consisting of three different creative writing challenges, we went through each one, filling out four of the options however I intended on continuing the worksheet from home in my own time. I found the most important part of the experience was Veronica Hyde’s meditation exercises, this was conducted before the large writing activity and allowed us to centre ourselves and work through mental barriers and anxiety into potential. The writing exercises were a great way to cut through the chatter of your mind, I felt inspired to explore meditation and art therapy as a way of exercising art and wellbeing, I will reference activities and approaches of this event when designing my upcoming session with the year one art students and final piece.

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Methods of Research

The project will reflect a variety of research and practical exploration, which will be evidenced within appropriate records within a detailed and reflective research folder. The following will demonstrated in a professionally presented folder:

  • Mind-maps and visual progression
  • Tutorial and critique feedback sheets
  • Talk with Dr and psychologist Alison Alborz
  • Preparation and results of market research
  • Record of conversation with art therapists: Jennifer Allen and Doreen Meister
  • Self-reflection and critical evaluation through blog and word journal
  • Record of ‘Words are Wands: Writing your Way to Wellbeing’ event and workshop
  • workshop with individual from a hospice
  • Annotated visual practical development
  • Record of informative secondary research from books, documentaries, journals
  • Record of primary research of museums and galleries:
    -Imperial war museum (Trench art)
    -Whitworth Gallery exhibitions –     Alice Kettle: Thread Bearing Witness, William Kentridge: Thick Time)

-Manchester Art Gallery (And Breathe…Exploring the relation between art mindfulness)

– The Lowry Galleries (Lowry and the Pre-Raphaelites)

 

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Concept Analysis

I have naturally discovered an interest in art therapy and psychoanalysis, actively advocating the positive effects of art as therapy through workshops and sessions with friends and locals in between my professional practice and course work. My work and research around this has been evident in presenting the positive impacts of artistic communication, understanding and expression, I am motivated to continue contributing research to this field as well as further establish the movement of ‘art on mind’ in the 21st century. Following on from my last project, I will be contributing research to the fields of art therapy and psychoanalysis by exploring cases of war in relation to the positive impact of art; ultimately highlighting how art is essential in a movement emotional distress.