Creating a Healing Environment

I am in Englewood Florida for the next three months at The 4^th Door Worship Arts Healing Center, the ministry center for art and healing that Steve and I started one year ago.  Last year we acquired the two commercial condos for the center and painted, tiled and carpeted the units.  For my creative project during my studies in Arts in Medicine, I am going to redesign The 4^th Door Worship Art Healing Center into a healing environment.  The elements I will be working with are natural sunlight, nature, healing gardens, indoor lighting, seating and healing art. 

The theme of the healing environment will be based from the scripture Revelation 22: 2,                          On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

The center is 2000 square feet, mostly open space with some office rooms, backs the Gottfried Creek, has two outdoor enclosed balconies and six sliding glass doors. 

Some ideas I have for the design are:

Ø  Create two outdoor healing gardens utilizing the two enclosed balconies. 

Ø  Make hand painted sheer curtains allowing the natural sunlight through.  Theme- water for the river.

Ø  Healing artwork on the walls, possibly mosaics, leaves, fruit, music notes or art from the seminars we are having in February and March at the center.  Some clay sculptures indoor and outdoor.

Ø  Create a large tree of life, made out of pipes, clay, fabric and silk plants, like I described in my creative blog 1.

Ø  Bring in new indoor lighting to create more of healing atmosphere

Ø  Seating : some reclining type chairs, couches, that are comfortable and functional for the sick.

I have taken some pictures of the center to show what it looks like now, to show what we have to work with.  This is just the start of the ideas for the healing environment, I know as I start to create it and research out healing environments , more creative ideas will flow.  

Creative Practice Blog 2

Engaging the Arts to Address Patient Safety

I really enjoyed the creative release in the discussion and responses this week on engaging the arts to address patient safety.  Reading some of the ideas sparked other ideas and others reading my ideas sparked more and more ideas.  For myself contemplated the idea of performing a skit in the entrance area, with a visitor who was coming down with the flu coming to visit a patient at the hospital. The skit could go on to teach about how different people pick up the germs etc. The skit could be utilized to educate on how to prevent getting the flu; vaccination, hand santizing etc.   I starting getting ideas about a music song jingle that would be sung during the skit, something catchy so it would stick with the people when they left.  So I told my husband about the idea and the two of us wrote a quick jingle, here are the words.

To help fight infection

And even stop the flu
There’s a simple answer
Here’s what you do……..

Wash your hands, wash your hands

It’s so easy to understand
Then, don’t touch your face
And, don’t rub your eyes

Be wise…..

And sanitize!

Nature and Clay in a Healing Environment

When I started reading about the criteria for the weekly creative blogs, I naturally started thinking that I would want the creative process I use to be with clay and sculpture.  The whole idea of creating a sculpture out of clay in a medical facility with the purpose to add an artistic aspect to the overall healing environment is new for me, however I find it to be very exciting and challenging.  So as I was reading about the different factors that contribute to the healing environment in week one I was really drawn to the aspect of nature and the healing gardens. 

I keep getting the idea of a large tree made out of clay that is fired in a kiln. The tree would be made out of cylinders that are thrown on the pottery wheel and after thay are fired glued or cemented together.  Each section would be sculpted with tree bark like texture.  The cylinders would be made so the lips would fit inside each other to be put together to make one large tree trunk.  It could be for the outside but I keep seeing it inside the facility so the main structure the gesteral trunk and main branches would be made out of clay and fired but the finish would be a combination of paint, fabric and silk plants.  The clay tree structure would have holes put in the ends of the branches so when finishing the sculpture silk branches and leaves could be added. So it would have the feeling of bringing nature inside and being alive.

The tree would be a combination of similar colors and tree textures but it would also have bright colors and new textures that are a surprise and draw attention.  Hanging from the branches would be ornament like pottery angels, words, the patients names, these would be made by the patients and families with clay, paint and fabric. The tree would be called "The Tree of Life" and would represent life for each patient and hope for them and their families. 

I also have the idea of these trees of life on a smaller individual scale as a healing creative process/project for the patients and their families.  The smaller trees they would make with clay, paint, fabric and silk plants along with the ornaments of their guardian angel, healing words etc.  I see them mounted on a base that incorporates lighting and even healing music at their bedside.  Their very own personal tree of life to help them in the healing process.  This is something they can take home with them.

I started getting all these ideas last week as I was contemplating on nature, clay and what to blog. I was really inspired and encouraged when I read this week, Marlene's discussion reply on the large tree with masks hanging from the branches to help with stopping the spread of influenza.  I found it to be interesting we had both had such similar ideas, but yet with a slightly different focuses on healing and safety.