Most of the contributers here at SpouseBuzz, had blogs before writing here in a support forum.
Some of us were blogging as a means of expression, or keeping the events of the day, (no matter how mundane) in a sort of historical perspective for our families, others started blogging as a way to keep in touch with those far away.
After meeting most of my fellow contributors, and other bloggers. I have yet to meet anyone that regrets using writing as an outlet.
After meeting Shelly Hall a mentor for TAPS (A support organization for military widows and families), and receiving a publication from that organization. I noted that TAPS, also recommended journaling through grief.
I found this on the Veterans Administration website today as well.
Why Art Therapy Is Important
Barbara Skelly
Recreation and Art Therapist
San Francisco VA Medical Center
Department of Veterans Affairs
Everyone who is creative has made time to play. It loosens up the brain and enables you to be open to new ideas. This includes playing around with paint or words or wood. Be open to what happens, and let what happens tell you what to do next.
In my art therapy classes, I'll put on some serene music while everyone paints. A favorite is "Serenity Suite" by Steven Halpern. It helps people calm down, center themselves, focus on their art, and drop into another mental state, into a flow, where all other thoughts and worries vanish. Some veterans say it's the first time all day that they have really felt calm.
It's not difficult to get started. Here's what I suggest for anyone who would like to pursue a creative outlet like painting or writing:
Find an adult education class at your local high school. Many of them are on nights or weekends and are inexpensive.
Take a class at a community or junior college. The tuition is usually low and you don't need to enroll in an entire program, just a class.
To get started without classes:
Just go to an art store or variety store. Buy a sketchbook, spiral bound or hardbound, but one that opens flat, so you can draw or paint in it easily. Choose one that has heavier paper, so you can use watercolors or draw in the same book. Buy some oil pastels, a soft drawing pencil (a 4B or 5B, for example), a pen (such as a Pilot Hi Tec-C, #0.4 or 0.5), thin or thick markers, or a tin of watercolors. If you get watercolor paints, I recommend the Prang brand with 16 colors, because the paints have more pigment than most inexpensive brands, and they will be more satisfying to use.
Try to draw something every day. Many people, when they wake up, draw or paint some little scribble or sketch about how they are feeling at that moment. It gets the creative juices flowing. It helps you to center yourself, and get oriented to the day. (For 50 years, John Ruskin, the Victorian artist and philosopher, got up every morning and painted the sky!)
When you fill a sketchbook, you have a body of work that gives you a record of your experiences during that time, and that you will really enjoy looking back at. Be sure to turn off your critic while you are drawing, painting, and looking back at earlier work. These are exercises for your inner life, not for the Museum of Modern Art.
Or, maybe you are a word person. You could get up every morning and write down whatever comes to mind. It doesn't have to have any meaning, just get it out of you so you can start the day with a clean slate. Again, keep these writings in a notebook, so that you have a record of your efforts. The more you do these kinds of things, the more you will notice your feelings when they occur, and you will pay more attention to your intuition.
Try creating a collage. Take some old magazines and cut out pictures that have some meaning for you, that touch you in some way. Glue them on paper. The pictures may bring words to mind that express your feelings or thoughts. For example, imagine:
Your life story
Fun experiences from childhood
Your goals as a child and how they relate to your life today
What your personal Sanctuary would look like
You can draw or paint or write on your pictures, whatever seems right to you at the time.
The important thing is to play and experiment. Over time, you may even find that there's a serious artist in you who's ready to reach further out.
Andi has spoke at length about how history is important to those of us in military service. And I agree. Since less than 1% of the population serves in the military, our perspective is unique, and needed. When SpouseBuzz supports the Whats Your Story essay contests on this site. We are always amazed at the entries, and have a difficult time voting. EVERYONE has an important story to share.
I would like to encourage you to keep a journal of your experiances, and watch yourself evolve.
