Millcreek Senior Center August 2017
Creative Mindfulness: Using Visual Art to support mindfulness
Throughout the ages, art has been synonymous with healing and has in many cultures held a key role in many ancient spiritual and religious healing rituals. Traditionally, art has also been held as a hallowed and fundamental part of society and culture. However, the role of art is changing. It is my hope that as the role of art changes in our society that you will learn new ways to change your perception and participation of the arts.
Today the value of art-making is in increasingly under scrutiny and often dubbed an unnecessary and unimportant luxury. Art is being slowly removed from school curricula and faces defunding. Often art is quarantined in the halls of museums and available only to the select few who have the luxury to go out of their way to be involved with the arts.
The benefits for seniors, include reduced stress, and increases in relaxation, energy, self-esteem and even cognitive functioning.
“Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life, your sketchbook is a tool for taking charge of your life, a way of doing something for yourself that no one else can do for you — consciously and systematically working with your own stress, pain, illness, and the challenges and demands of everyday life
As art’s role in contemporary society is increasingly questioned, another topic has enjoyed a surge in popularity: mindfulness. Contemporary psychology has seen a substantial increase in the study of mindfulness—in 2012 alone over 500 scientific articles on mindfulness
So what's this class about?
This class is about incorporating the many forms of art into a daily routine that ensures a holistic lifestyle. The primary focus is incorporating and using the visual arts by keeping a sketchbook.
The sketchbook is just a tool to use and record your thoughts. It forces yourself into a greater sense of mindfulness. It’s about mindfulness in a fun way.
My personal application is presented in my blog, “ An Easel A Brush and the Bus”
Throughout this blog I use public transportation to free myself from the needed attention to driving myself to various locations to make sketches and take time for mindfulness observation.
Art is so important in my life I also have another blog, Wasatch Art, http://wasatchart.blogspot.com/ the theme of this blog is modeling the role of art in times of socioeconomic and political transition.
Suggested materials for using the visual arts to create your own mindfulness path.
1. Sketch book, Any type will do, from a inexpensive note book to a nice sketching journal book.
2. Minimally a pencil, and or pen
3. Additionally soft pastels
4. Watercolors and or gouache
The use of all of the above will be demonstrated in the class.
Suggested materials for using the visual arts to create your own mindfulness path.
1. Sketch book, Any type will do, from a inexpensive note book to a nice sketching journal book.
2. Minimally a pencil, and or pen
3. Additionally soft pastels
4. Watercolors and or gouache
The use of all of the above will be demonstrated in the class.
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