Final Creative Practice Blog

The final art piece I created is a reflective collage of my creative practice blogs for each class and my recent pastel landscape piece which is a culmination of my journey in the Graduate Certificate program. Blogging was brand new to me when I started my first class, Arts in Medicine in Practice. I quickly discovered that I enjoyed the creative practice blog assignments and began to create blogs reflective on the material I was studying and learning. The ceramic healing wall projects began during my creative practice blogging while I was learning about healing environments. I began creating the ceramic healing tiles for my blog which eventually led me to propose to the hospital, a ceramic healing wall project, Tiles of Compassion, for my practicum. During my practicum I was inspired to draw healing angels for my blogs which culminated into sculpting out of clay the healing angels during my Professional Seminar blog assignments. Creating my work on a consistent basis helped me to stay in a creative flow with my work, which became a means of self-care for me which in turn helped me maintain the creative flow in my practice during bedside art. I learned during blogging and discussions, reflection, which aided my writing and deeper sensitivity in my own work and arts in medicine practice. This week I am on a cruise in the Caribbean, while packing for the trip I realized I needed to pack art supplies so I could engage in creative activity during this time. My desire for creating art has increased. While in Labadee Haiti, I was sitting on the ship deck looking out at the landscape and the desire to engage in creative activity with the oil pastels and paper I brought, came upon me. This was very different for me because I usually create in 3 dimension with clay, but I have found a new freedom and release from what I have learned and experienced in my Graduate Certificate program. I realized that I could try this pastel drawing, because for me it was not about a great work of art, it was about engaging in creative activity, just like I do with my patients in bedside art. So I did it and what was really great was the whole time I was drawing, a group of local Haitians were drumming so I created to the rhythm of their culture, I loved it! I have only worked with pastels 3 times before so I was pleased with the time I spent creating and my result. I am finding a new found interest these past few days in creating landscape drawings with pastels, which flows with my arts in medicine practice. I plan to introduce landscape drawing at the patient’s bedside. I realized through this experience that I am excited to try new mediums of art for my own art and in my practice. I feel so liberated and new confidence in my practice which I realized has developed from all that I have learned and experienced in my practice from the Graduate Certificate program this past year. The program has been life changing for me. I have so many new creative ideas for my arts in medicine practice and my own art. Most of all I have learned in the Graduate Certificate Program is that I am determined with all my heart to pursue my calling as an Art in Health Practitioner so I can help to enhance others quality of life.