A Great Quote 10/05/2009
I love the following quote for it reminds me to look deeply into a person as well as taking a look at myself....enjoy! The reality is that nobody is one hundred percent bad. They must have some good qualities if you search hard enough. So, the tendency to see someone as completely negative is due to your own perception based on your own mental projection, rather than the true nature of that individual. ~ The 14th Dalai Lama Great Tools 10/01/2009
Journaling is another expressive arts modality that I LOVE! It is one of the more powerful ways to shift distressing thoughts in a fairly short amount of time. One of my favorites, and one that I just practiced, centers our thoughts on what we do and do not control. Here's the truth: I do not control: Events Weather Time What others Say, Do, Think, Feel, or Believe! I do control: What I put in my mouth Getting out of bed What I wear What I say What I believe Where I work Who I am with The choices I make The decisions I make How I react/respond What I think People, myself included, often forget this and there is a very simple journaling exercise to help. I just practiced it. It goes like this. When I find myself embroiled in a situation that I don't like and I find myself feeling powerless and angry, I grab my pen and my journal and I write out the scenario. I do not edit myself. I let it all out. Then I make a simple two column list. On the left side I label it: In my control. On the right side I label it: Out of my control. I then take all the events in the scenario and sort them. What I usually find is that a lot of what I am upset about falls on the out of my control side. This is why I feel powerless. I cannot make someone do the "right" thing. I cannot make someone tell the truth or stop conducting themselves in a manner that causes me suffering BUT I can get my thoughts in line so that my suffering is less. I CAN make a plan about HOW I want to respond. When I start to focus on what is in my control, the relief that comes is HUGE! Try it and let me know how it works for you. This exercise can, in a very short amount of time, shift things dramatically! Happy Writing! Learning from my teens...all the time! 09/29/2009
 This piece of art was created by one of the clients at the center where I work. Collage is a common technique used in expressive arts but I have often thought about it as simplistic and possibly not all that interesting or complex. When I looked at what this client did I was blown away. His ability to use images from a variety of resources to create a cohesive and powerful image hit me square between the eyes. He graciously gave this piece of art to me. He explained to me that he is the young figure in the center foreground of this piece and that his guide was behind him and eagle flew above him to help him in his recovery. He is grounded in nature because that gives him strength and hope. I often hear from people that "troubled" kids can't do this kind of work or that they don't care. It is my experience that they have deeper and richer life experiences than most people I come in contact with. They have more to overcome,oftentimes, but once they decide, they are incredibly strong and determined. This young man was just that sort of person. He taught me never to set limits on what can be done within any medium or to limit what people could get out of that work. I am amazed each day by the places that this kind of artwork can take us. I wish deeply that people see that this process isn't about "art"....that the creativity is the gift that shows us where our work is and where to proceed. This process takes us into places and shows us insights and connections that we might never be able to make with the use of our mind only. I invite you to try some of these techniques: collage, sand tray, sculpture....hold a question in your mind and then let your mind go. Cut out images that call to you, shape clay anyway that your hands want it to. Don't think. I promise you that there is a gift in it for you. More to come... Recovery Happens! 09/20/2009
My stumbling and bumbling can be your gain! It's been an interesting time for me of late...My art is looking different than it has ever looked before and I could feel the heaviness that I was carrying around with me. Here is the good news, no one is alone and there are an abundance of resources out there for all of us. When I wasn't able to use my processes; journaling, movement, art, meditation, to shift my energy, I asked for help. I called an amazing energy worker, Glen McCarlie, who was able to help me shift my thinking and ultimately, how I felt, in about an hour. It's important to remember that when we find ourselves in a loop that we can't seem to get out of, ask for help. After talking with him it has been amazing to watch and feel how different things are. I have been able to tackle projects that have been sitting around for a while. I have been able to face people that I was struggling with and I feel like myself. It's interesting...I'm in the process of creating a project for the teen center where I facilitate expressive arts therapy. The director has asked me to focus on the theme "Recovery Happens". Apparently, it is recovery month and the entire center is celebrating it. When I looked up the word origin of the word 'recovery', it said, " to return to one's original state". I love this. It means that we are all in and out of recovery all the time. And in this case, I've been needing recovery for the last month. It feels like being back in my 'original' state and I am incredibly grateful. Grateful that I know Glen and that I have such a positive working and learning relationship with him and grateful that I know it's okay to ask for help. Just a gentle hand to hold a mirror up for me and to remind me about who I am. Thank you Glen! and Thank you to me for doing whatever it takes to 'recover'! What do you want to grow? 09/11/2009
 I've been sick for almost 3 weeks now...It's interesting. When I was in Scotland there were walls everywhere. I swear this country spent a great deal of energy taking stones and building these beautiful walls. What struck me is the way that things grow in these walls...moss, ferns, flowers, ivy...you name it. I especially love this photo of this tiny delicate fern growing in a wall on the walk up to Wallace Monument. Now what does this have to do with my being sick for 3 weeks...well, I believe that what grows in me is largely of my own creation. I am a match for a sickness or I am not. I manage to walk through flu and various other illnesses all the time without being touched by them. There isn't "soil", if you will, for them to grow in. This time was different. I have been in a place where not just one illness but a variety of particularly nasty illnesses have taken hold. It isn't a moral evaluation of my character but an acknowledgment of where I have been in my mind and in my heart. And as I come out of this sickness, what will I learn from it? Hence, my question, "What do you want to grow?" My mind and my emotions are tremendously powerful and I can work with them and train them towards my betterment or towards my 'victimhood'. Which do I prefer? A great Buddhist monk said, "It is our mind, and that alone, that chains us or sets us free." It is my responsibility to work with my thoughts everyday, deliberately and consciously so that I reach for freedom and joy and consciousness. I'm not looking for perfection here but rather, for being awake. It's a lot like one of my favorite sayings, "You can't stop the waves from coming but you can learn to surf" What do you want to grow? Return from travels...a great adventure! 09/03/2009
I've been gone for a few weeks on a grand adventure to Scotland. I've always wanted to go to Scotland because of the rich mythical tradition and the fascinating history. The picture below was taken at the base of an amazing and beautiful waterfall near Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland. I felt absolutely peaceful as I sat beneath the water giant. The sound of the rushing water filled my ears and brought tremendous joy. You can see in the second picture the enormity of this waterfall...can you imagine?   One of the things that I learned while in Scotland is how dedicated I am to the idea of self-determination. I was thunderstruck by a repeated pattern seen in the history of countries all over the world...the pattern went something like this: One group (political, religious, ideological) does not approve of another's thinking so they come in to destroy and annihilate that viewpoint and people. The new ideology lasts until another group gathering and garnishing power repeats these actions taking out another ideology...sound familiar? It struck me...is it not possible for us to co-exist? to value and appreciate that this is a place of multiple perspectives and ideologies? I can think differently than you and still love you and be your friend. Perhaps, I can learn from your thinking and conversely, you can learn from mine. As I visited Wallace Monument and multiple castles and Church ruins, the stories were the same. Have we learned? Is it possible for people to agree to disagree and leave it at that? Perhaps in some cases yes and in others no...I can think of lots of examples...but perhaps if we reached for more of coexistence, especially in our personal circles, we take a small step towards learning...I don't know...it's just what I'm thinking about after an amazing visit to Scotland.   One day I was working on some collage stuff and literally whipped this out in a few minutes. I was recently reviewing one of my art journals. Looking through it, reflecting on what it might have to teach me...that kind of thing...and I came across this page. It made me smile and laugh. I love this bird stretched out in the grass, hanging on for dear life and yet looking so balanced and poised. The playful line, "Look what we found" reminds me of what happens when I create. It often feels like, "Wow, I had no idea that was there." It is playful, a little hairy and soulful all at the same time. I love coming across this stuff months after I create it. In the moment, it may not seem very important but it sits and waits for me. When I return to it and am ready, BAM, I get the gift and for today, that was the reminder of how much I love this work and how it takes me to places I might not otherwise go. It teaches me and stretches me and helps me to grow. Amazing!!!! Message in the Artwork 07/28/2009
 When you allow the art to just flow amazing things can happen. I created this piece of art during a particularly turbulent time, I was drawn to this angel and spent a great deal of time cutting her out and just admiring her. When I found the child on the stepping stones, the words, "no point in worrying", fell in my lap. What I love about the piece is that it is a great source of comfort and a reminder that there really is no point in worrying. I was having a conversation wtih someone, I'm sorry I can't remember who, and they were sharing wtih me a story about worry. It went something like this. They were listening to a speaker who was discussing worry with them. He told them that worry is an absolute waste of our energy. For if you are worrying about something over which you have no control...well, what's the point of worrying. You have no control over it anyway. If you are worrying about something over which you do have control then...what's the point of worry...do something about it. I LOVE this story and the way it came right on the heels of creating this art. This is what I mean by the act of creativity will take you places. Like a bottle one might find on the shoreline, open it and there is a message inside. Inner Work 07/22/2009
One of the greatest gifts of working with the 'tools' of expressive arts is opening the door to consciousness. People wonder how it is that doing a piece of art or looking at your dreams or writing can do this. The truth is that the expressive arts is a path into the unconscious and that it speaks in the same language as the unconscious; that is, the language of symbol and metaphor. Think about a time that you had a really vivid dream. You awoke with that feeling of 'wow'. Notice the kinds of images and symbols that filled the dreams, the way that images moved with fluidity and that time and space were not limiting factors. This is very much the way it is when working in the various modalities of expressive art. When we let go of our battles and open our hearts to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present moment. This is the beginning and the end of spiritual practice. ~Jack Kornfield  This piece of artwork captures what this quote feels like to me. When we are able to "ride the waves" so to speak, then we have arrived home. |  AuthorMy name is Caralyn Henry and I am the owner of Expressive H'arts Studio. From time to time, I will share the work that we are doing here at Expressive H'arts Studio, as well as thoughts and wonderings that I am having. I hope that you enjoy the creations that unfold here on this page! Please feel free to ask questions or add comments. We learn best from each other! ArchivesJuly 2010 Paragraph.
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