Lani Puppetmaker's Blog Spot

eCourse Alert: Using Puppets & Stories for a Healing Journey Through Uncertain Times

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:21:00 +0000

Paper Puppets by Lani

Using Puppets & Stories for a Healing Journey Through Uncertain Times
Susan Ainlay Anand, ATR-BC, ATCS
Lani A. Gerity, DA, ATR
SATURDAY AM NOVEMBER 7, 2020.

Would you like to learn how to create a simple paper puppet and a simple book structure from basic office and art supplies? Would you like some guidance about helping the population you work with create healing journey and resilience narratives through uncertain times?

During a course Susan Anand and I and giving at the fall Summit, on line, we will be creating paper puppets which will represent a character, hero or heroine and possibly a helper character and a “manageable monster.” These might be based on folk tale characters, historic figures, super heroes, or figures from our families.

We will provide you with a template/guide for your Paper Puppets and prompts to draw out characters along with a simple narrative structure to develop a healing journey narrative.

Also here’s an inspiring list of things that can be included in your creative stash for this class:
Fabric samples, favorite paper scraps, wall paper samples or card stock.
Magazine images, photo images, printed images for collage which could
include human figures (when collecting human figures it’s an
interesting exercise to look for images that match the demographic
that you happen to work with), animals, interesting environments,
interesting objects that could represent gifts and treasures, maps and of
course wings. Let your intuition be your guide.
Interesting text, positive and inspirational words are always good, different
fonts can be interesting.
Your favorite fibers and waxed thread is good for the simple binding.
Embellishments, beads, charms, watch parts, etc.
Washi Tape.
Your favourite pens (sharpies, paint, gel, etc.) to include written text.
Any favourite stamps and stamp pads.
And of course your creativity, inspiration, and sense of playful fun
(most important).

Also the Summit has some great ideas about where you can find magazines for collage:

"MAGAZINE GATHERING SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR SUMMIT WORKSHOPS
We realize that the pandemic makes it a little more complicated to gather magazine donations around town, but when done carefully, and well-enough in advance, that is the best way to accumulate used National Geographics, photography magazines, and other image-rich publications for your Summit collage making workshops.Here are some ideas we’ve gathered for your consideration.
Where to Get Old Magazines for Free or Cheap (Online & In-Person)https://firstquarterfinance.com/where-to-get-old-magazines/https://offerup.com/ - a site like nextdoor.com that has quite a few listings for everything from single issues to large lotsFacebook MarketplaceCraigslist.comwww.Ebay.com - Search for "Used Magazines Lot"https://www.etsy.com/market/collage_old_magazines (these tend to be costly)"

If this sounds interesting, you can read more and register here:
http://www.cvent.com/events/2020-expressive-therapies-summit-ny-registration-site/custom-128-dc36db3df55c400da470725d6f5fc5dc.aspx?lang=en&sms=7&cn=twJcB9ujxUaWiUagNZ91yg

Morning Pages Art Cards Arrived

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 12:14:00 +0000

This is a little bit exciting! I had decided I would like to have my Morning Pages in some kind of card form, so that I could pull a card randomly and be surprised. I tried a recommended card printing service and was very happy with the results.

They had a lot of options for size, card stock, and finish. I showed some friends who said print and sell. The current way this is done is to set up a kickstarter crowdfunding effort. When you reach your goal, you get the cards printed and sent to you. Then you mail out. There are many difficulties in all this for my current life situation. So I chose another option.

In this option I sell you the images and the "How To Get Your Cards Printed" with easy-peasy instructions and screen shots ($10). And really the printing company has set things up so they couldn't be easier. Then you can choose to go with the company I chose, or you could print at home. You could choose a smaller card size, you could also print duplicates to give away. I added a couple of images and an extra back, 54 total.

Another plus with this option is you become comfortable using the card printing service and can create your own art cards! Hooray!

Creating Sanctuary - Wonder And Hope Create Possibilities

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 11:44:00 +0000

"Wonder And Hope” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

What two things do you employ to help create sanctuary?

Creating sanctuary - Meditative Stories and Self Care

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 12:40:00 +0000

"Stories Are Sacred” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

This post is very simple. While creating sanctuary do consider principals of Self Care. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has many resources under Self Care. Take a look and breathe deeply. We can get through this.

The other element in creating sanctuary is mindfulness. I do find meditation a little more difficult in times of enormous anxiety, and I think the creators of Meditative Story may have a wonderful answer. You can read about the psychology of this process here but at it's simplest each podcast is a first person narrative, quite compelling, from a variety of authors. Meditative suggestions a woven throughout the podcast so you are able to practice mindfulness even under extremely anxious conditions. You can listen to the podcasts here and most podcast sources, like Apple Podcasts.

Creating Sanctuary - A Healing Environment

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 20:26:00 +0000

"Heart And Soul” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

There's quite a lot of interesting evidence-based research out there about the effects of our environments upon us, particularly in medicine. Roger Ulrich and Craig Zimring analyzed more than 600 published articles, reports, and research programs and were able to establish a strong link between the physical environment in which patients receive care and patient outcomes.

They list five key factors that are essential for the psychological well-being of patients and their families, including:
• Access to nature
• Reduced or eliminated environmental stressors
• A sense of control
• Positive distractions
• Social support
They also list specific recommendations that embody these principles:
• Access to nature or views to the outdoors
• Harvested daylight
• Healing gardens
• Use of materials that evoke nature
• Positive distractions such as therapeutic art and sculpture
• Private rooms and increased patient privacy
• Noise reduction and elimination of overhead paging
• Patient-controlled lighting, acoustics, and audio/visual electronics
• Cafes, family resource areas, libraries, and health-related retail shops

Well now, if these things are good for patients, and increase their ability to heal, so much so that hospitals are hiring architects who understand these principles, then it seems to me that these things would be good for all of us, and that they would encourage our well-being, especially in times of pandemic. So I'll be getting right to work on my healing environment, my sanctuary!

Creating Sanctuary - Staying Close While Phyisical Distancing

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 11:55:00 +0000

"Hope” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

I came across Dacher Keltner, Ph.D., the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Dacher is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name.

The podcast of particular interest is one full of ideas about Staying Close While Physical Distancing. It's only 17 minutes, and hugely helpful! Also helpful on the Berkeley Greater Good website are many practices for this difficult time, including awe, compassion, connection, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, happiness, kindness, mindfulness, optimism, resilience to stress, and self-compassion.

Creating Sanctuary - Art Seed Packets

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 12:32:00 +0000

"Courage” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

This idea creative activity includes a component of generosity. This is for two reasons. One is that generosity helps create good social networks, which is a very strong resilience factor, the top of everyone's list. The second reason for including this element of generosity, is that it seems to stimulate a creative process. Cathy Moon, Michael Franklin, Laurie Vance, and Randy Vick (Franklin et al, 1998, 2000 and Moon, 2002) are very generous artists/art therapists, who have discussed their collaborative work in many American Art Therapy Annual Conferences. Together they had formed an artists’ collective agreeing to encourage and inspire each other’s art making, by sending each other "Art Seed Packets." I totally fell in love with their idea of the “Art Seed Packets.” So here's your art challenge:

Try this:
Create two art seed packets. Fill them with interesting, mysterious, and beautiful images, fiber, stamps, and other embellishments. Mail one to an artist friend and one to yourself. Create an art piece with the contents when your packet arrives. Check in with yourself about your responses to the process as you go along.

Creating Sanctuary - The Artist's Emergency Kit

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 12:16:00 +0000

"You Are Loved” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

I love this prompt and it's obviously the perfect time to create an artist's emergency kit! This idea is based on a Self Care Strategy from wellness coach, Hueina Su. Hueina used to work as a nurse and now coaches people in the medical profession. She's fond of using medical metaphors in her work, like "CPR for you life" or "Intensive Care for your soul," or "Rx for Balance." I was thinking about these metaphors and I like it. So here's today's challenge:

Create a small, portable container for self care reminders, something you could slip in your purse or keep tucked away at work. Collage or alter it up a bit. Need some ideas? Take a look at the altered bandaid tins on Art-E-Zine. For the contents, create cards with simple reminders and images for self care. Review Hueina's list (see below). Do you have a friend in need of and Emergency Self Care Kit? Make two, one for you and one to give away!

Here is Hueina's paraphrased list, sorted according to amount of time needed for these activities.
Less than 2 Minutes Breaks
• Deep breathing: take a deep breath in slowly, hold 3 counts, and breathe out slowly
• One-frame Mental Picture: use one mental picture that gives you instant peace and joy. E.g. your child’s smiling face, pet, favorite vacation spot.
• Apply therapeutic-grade essential oils to your pulse points and inhale deeply.
• Wash your face or run cold water on the back of your hands – this will energize and
wake you up
• Get a drink of water – proper hydration is important in keeping your energy
• Send a quick email to say hi to friends or family
• Rub your palms together until your hands are warm, then cover your eyes with your
palm for a minute

2 to 5 Minutes Breaks
• Close your eyes and visualize yourself skiing down the slope or doing one of your
favorite activities. Create a 5 minute ATC.
• Browse through an art book
• Keep a book of affirmations or positive quotes near your desk so you can read a few
pages when you need a spiritual pick-me-up
• Brew a good cup of tea or (decaf) coffee. Enjoy it
• Have a quick, healthy snack
• Take a short walk
• Give yourself a head massage or foot massage

5 to 30 Minutes Breaks
• Plan some extra walking into your day
• Curl up on the sofa with a good book and/or a cup of tea
• Play with your kids or your pets
• Create a present for your friend/family member
• Contact someone you enjoy talking with, and have a positive, energy-building conversation
• Have a collection of pre-cut ATC cards and post cards at your desk, so you can write a quick note to your friends or family – reaching out and feeling connected to someone you care gives you energy and lifts your spirit
• Create a surprise for someone you love or appreciate
• Create something special to look forward to this evening, or this weekend
• Take a camera on your next walk

30 minutes to 2 hours
• Take an exercise or yoga class
• Check out a YouTube lecture on a topic that you enjoy
• Take an on line arts and crafts class or workshop – learning something new energizes you
• Create a tea party with your with family
• Take a bubble bath or foot bath
• Light a scented candle and meditate
• Enjoy your favorite dessert and savor every bite of it
• If you have a yard, enjoy an outdoor game together with family
• Attend to your garden
• Take a nap
• Track down old friends that you’ve lost touch with, and call or write to them
• Watch an old favorite movie or sitcom

Creating Sanctuary - Explore Resilience Strategies

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 12:44:00 +0000

"Darkest Corners” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

Try this:
Create an art piece based on one of these resilience strategies:

Create or nurture relationships and a sense of community.
Take charge of something in your life, be the heroine of your own story.
Look for good things, when ever possible.
Voice your goals and wishes, or create art about them.
Believe in yourself!
Create time for insight.
Practice kindness and generosity.
Create time for art and creativity.
Laugh more often.
Use a moral compass to make decisions.
Take care of yourself. Create more time to be good to you.
Make more time for your art journal.
Create time for meditation or spiritual practice. Pay attention to your inner life.
Explore resilience. Find new resilience strategies

Perhaps you know someone who could use just such an art gift with one of these resilience strategies on it. Give it to them. As part of the process, check in with yourself as you go along, monitoring feelings and possibly endorphin levels attached to acts of generosity. (See Stephen G. Post on Altruism and Health)

Creating Sanctuary - Finding The Secret Messages

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 13:15:00 +0000

"Exquisite Refuge” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

Here's a creative challenge which you can try while maintaining social distancing. Go for a walk in your neighborhood, and look for things hidden in the landscape, interesting shapes that might be hearts, faces or even messages. Often our unconscious tries to find good and kind messages for us. So keep your eyes open for the kindness that you are trying to give yourself.

You can also go for your walk with a question held in your mind or perhaps you are just feeling a little low and would love a message of encouragement. See what messages you find. Of course you can go for a "virtual walk" through collage materials and hold a question in mind and look for the hidden message that your unconscious will find for you. I'll bet you could even go through your own house or studio and look for these hidden messages. Find a way to incorporate the results into your daily art practice and please allow for surprise and joy.

So here are my results. I found this graffiti:

And here are the results:

Creating Sanctuary - Stress Reduction And Art

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 13:19:00 +0000

"Hope” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

Here is a question for you about combining stress reduction and art.

I posted a whole series of Shiatsu videos (here) a while back, showing how to give a facial massage for stress reduction and to alleviate migraine etc. I notice that the lighting is very soothing in these videos, very warm, very similar to candle light at a spa that I used to go to for massage. I'm thinking I'd like to do some work that is deliberately soothing to the eyes, like candle light. Have you ever noticed how relaxed everything is by candle light?

So here's my question:
If you were to create art that was deliberately soothing to the eyes, what would you do?

Creating Sanctuary - 3 Good Things (these can be very small)

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:01:00 +0000

"Art & Life” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

We can try the "3 good things" challenge, as a way of starting to look around at the world, here and now.

This "challenge" based on Martin E.P. Seligman's research at the University of Pennsylvania with what he calls The Three Blessings (trademark, copyright, etc. etc.). Seligman found that when his subjects wrote down three good things that happened to them each day for a week, there was an increase in reported happiness and decreases in depression and anxious thoughts. He retested his subjects months later and found that they were maintaining their observations of good things, and were also continuing to maintain their increasingly positive outlook.

Turning this into an art challenge was quite easy. During my morning art journaling, meditative time, I would incorporate 3 good things into my art work, sometimes drawing objects that would represent the things I chose and sometimes embedding words into the drawing. I started to look for "good things" during the day, collecting things in my mind, a very enjoyable way to go through the day, I must confess. There are endorphins at play with this challenge, for sure.

A good illustration of this idea can be seen on Cynthia Korzekwa's website "RETABLOS". She creates simple everyday art of things she's thankful for, easy things to be thankful for, like an umbrella when it rains or the smell of coffee, or the wag of a dog's tail. She uses basic materials, paint, cardboard, and simple thoughts.

So that's our challenge. Create a work of art that has three things embedded in (or three works with one thing each) for which we are glad. If we do this every day for a week, we will start to notice some shifts.

Creating Inner Satisfaction and Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 12:55:00 +0000

"Explore” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

Try this:
Create an art piece based on things that give you inner satisfaction and joy, not necessarily tangible, consumable things (extrinsic rewards), rather the intrinsic variety.

Pay attention to your inner dialogue as you work. Check in with your inner artist, or your intuition. When you receive positive inner feedback you know you are on the right track.

Here are some non-art prompts to try in your life:
1. Do one good thing for someone else each day, anonymously, not hoping for anything in return. (It could be a simple as smiling)
2. Write down your goals and intentions for the 3 months as if they are already accomplished.
3. Make note of any difficulties that you would like to be more resilient around, as if they are in the past tense, a memory.
4. Just "stop" and "just be" once a day. (You can do this after doing your one good thing and see how it feels)
5. Find new things to do each day to support your body/mind. (This blog will be full of hints for you.)

For all those with young kids at home now, here is a great resource for many arts and crafts projects, and basic creativity.
http://www.tracyskids.org/toolkit/ -- Designed by the wonderful art therapists @ Tracy's Kids (https://www.facebook.com/tracyskids/).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-UyjyRJm3ifZe44St-tiAf9jIf7XrpAJ/view

Creating A Sanctuary In Difficult Times - Exploring Resilience, Transformation, and Art

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 12:26:00 +0000

"Self-Preservation” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

I first started thinking about resilience, transformation and art after Hurricane Katrina while talking with my friend and fellow art therapist, Susan Anand. Susan was extremely busy in Mississippi, working for Catholic Charities Hurricane Recovery Program at that time. The way Susan explained it, Catholic Charities was focusing on strengths, community, and resilience while working with evacuees from New Orleans now in Jackson Mississippi.

What is resilience? The APA says resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. So how was it that some of the folks Susan was working with were able to weather these storms and sorrows. How did they do it while looking at an environment that was totally destroyed and forsaken by the powers that be, every day for weeks, months, and finally years.

How is it that people can survive something like that? And how can we learn from them?

So I started looking into resilience and the various factors that psychologists have pinned down as being key to being able to bounce back from stress.

I used the APA, Vida Petronis, and Charles Figley to create a conglomerate list of Resilience Factors.

1. Relationships are top of everyone’s list, because we need people.

2. We need opportunities to take charge of aspects of our life whenever possible, because we need to feel competent rather than helpless.

3. We need to have goals and wishes, because having things to look forward to produces optimism.

4. We need to look for good things in our environment, because we need at least a few positive things in our awareness.

5. We need to believe in ourselves.

6. We need insight, so that we can think, draw conclusions, and problem solve.

7. We need to exercise our creativity for the above reasons and because it feeds us in non-material ways.

8. We need humor. We need to be able to distance ourselves from life’s difficulties at times, and humor allows for this.

9. We need an internal moral compass, to help us with our decisions.

10. We need to take care of ourselves.

11. We need time and space to help us create meaning of our lives. We need to keep a journal (art journal) to help us reflect on what is happening to us.

12. We need meditation or a spiritual practice that helps us feel ourselves a part of a greater whole.

13. And finally I discovered that while doing this research I began to feel more resilient so I’d say we need to study resilience, because it makes us feel stronger.

Then there are two factors that inhibit resilience; Anomic Depression and Compassion Fatigue

Anomic Depression

If the folks affected by Katrina had no resilience strategies and if the people serving them didn’t know about resilience, they would be prime candidates for what anthropologists and sociologists call anomic depression. They were uprooted, relocated, saw that their communities were not being rebuilt and drew some pretty serious socio-economic, cultural, and racial conclusions.

Wolfgang G. Jilek, M.D. suggests that:

Anomic depression occurs

[1] when there is a disappearance of the traditional cultural structure;

[2] with the realization that your group is suffering from deprivation in the midst of abundance; and

[3] when there is confusion of socio-cultural identity.

Anomic Depression is most commonly reported among people from First Nations who are alienated from their traditional culture yet not comfortably assimilated by the dominant culture.

Anomic Depression isn’t explained in terms of the psychodynamic conflicts, but rather in terms of socio-economic and cultural conflicts.

Burnout or Compassion Fatigue

Mental health workers and service providers who had no resilience strategies would be vulnerable to burnout, or cumulative stress. This is the state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by a depletion of our ability to cope with our environment due to the stress of our daily lives (Maslach, 1982). High levels of cumulative stress in our lives negatively affects our resiliency, making us more susceptible to compassion fatigue.

Charles Figley believes that when our work is centered on the relief of the emotional suffering it automatically includes absorbing information about suffering. And often it includes absorbing that suffering as well.

Figley (1995) defines Compassion Fatigue as:

A state of tension and preoccupation with the individual or cumulative trauma of clients as manifested in one or more ways:

· re-experiencing the traumatic events,

· avoidance/numbing of reminders of the traumatic event,

· persistent arousal

· Combined with the added effects of cumulative stress (burnout) (p. 11).

Some of the symptoms of compassion fatigue include:

· increased negative arousal,

· intrusive thoughts/images of clients’ situations/traumas (or our own historical traumas),

· difficulty separating work life from personal life

· lowered frustration tolerance/outbursts of anger or rage

· dread of working with certain clients,

· marked or increasing transference/countertransference issues with certain clients,

· depression

· seeing the world of terms of victims and perpetrators, decrease in subjective sense of safety

· increase in ineffective self-soothing behaviors

· hypervigiliance

· feelings of therapeutic impotence

· diminished sense of purpose/enjoyment,

· diminished ego-functioning

· decreased functioning in non-professional situations.

· loss of hope

We no longer feel “at home” in our bodies, our work, our thoughts and our spirit.

Are you vulnerable to compassion fatigue or anomic depression?

Relationships - Do you have a strong sense of community?

Take charge of something in your life - Are you the heroine of your own story?

Goals and wishes - Can you voice these?

Look for good things - Do you see enough good?

Believe in yourself - Do you believe...?

Insight - Do you have time for insight?

Creativity - Do you have time for Art?

Humor - When is the last time you laughed?

Moral compass - How do you make decisions?

Take care of yourself - Do you have time to be good to you?

Keep a journal (art journal) - Do you have time to journal?

Meditation and spiritual practice - Do you take the time for your inner life?

Exploring resilience - Do you look for ways to be more resilient?

The good news is that we have tremendous resources to help us cope with stress and trauma. We can use the tools and imagination of the artist to build our own resilience strategies. As artists, we can find ways to build our strength within ourselves. We can use the same tools to help others develop their strengths in order to be better able to take care of themselves, to help them be more resilient.

As a researcher and writer I’m always looking for new artist’s tools and “challenges” to encourage intrinsically rewarding activities and investment in the inner life. I first began to notice the importance of intrinsic rewards or inner satisfaction while working as an art therapist in New York City. It seemed like following the trail of inner satisfaction was very empowering for the folks I worked with and, to tell you the truth, it was a pretty good thing for me too. The thing that never really provided lasting satisfaction or lasting growth and change for clients (or for me) was the extrinsic rewards. For example, clients often sought the group leader’s approval but achieving that was not nearly as freeing and resilience building as finding their own inner approval. The thing with intrinsic rewards and self approval is that it is totally egalitarian, completely accessible to everyone, to all of us.

In the blog posts to follow will be art challenges and self care reminders all based on resilience strategies that will encourage inner rewards and satisfaction. Take an experimental approach with these ideas, imagine how you might solve the challenges presented, or try them out in your art rooms.

Remember to light a candle, perhaps try a little aromatherapy, soft soothing sounds, then sit back and make some art!

Creating an Inner Sanctuary In Difficult Times

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 12:43:00 +0000

"Refuge” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

Danny Gregory & co. have created a Coronavirus Creativity Guide, free for the asking. Bless them! You can find it here: https://sketchbookskool.com/coronavirus-creativity-guide/. "In times like these, it's more important than ever to support the creative community, see the world from a different point of view, and draw together. No matter your job or experience, you can make art!"

Creating Our Refuge and Sanctuary In Difficult Times

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 12:34:00 +0000

"Take Courage” collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

For the next little while I will be focusing on how we can create refuge in difficult times. In the past I have collected various activities that encouraged resilience. I will be going through them and posting here.

Meanwhile Jack Kornfield has some great resources and links here. Remember to keep a candle in the window and the kettle on the stove.

Notes for Caregivers #10 - Make Time For The Things That Give You Inner Satisfaction

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 20:58:00 +0000

"Wellbeing" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

Often caregivers become so caught up in our roll of taking care of our loved ones, that we forget to look after our own wellbeing. The truth is we are part of a team, a family, or a community, and this team or community needs all its members to have as much wellbeing as possible in order to function well. So in an effort to create as much personal wellbeing as possible, I reviewed some work I did around resilience. I believe posting some of these resilience strategies here may be helpful for all of us in the caregiver roll.

Make time for things that give you inner satisfaction. What gives you inner satisfaction and joy, not so much tangible consumables or extrinsic rewards, but more things that give you intrinsic rewards? Can you create something based on what you find? Pay attention to inner dialogue as you work. When you find you are receiving positive inner feedback, you know you are on the right track.

In addition, here are some non art prompts to try for increased wellbeing:

1. Do one secret good thing for someone else daily, anonymously, not hoping for anything in return. (It could be a simple as smiling or opening a door or paying for someone's coffee)
2. Write down your goals and intentions for the next month as if they are already accomplished. "I am delighted that I was able to create more time for [fill in the blank] this month.
3. Make note of any difficulties that you would like to be more resilient around, as if they are in the past tense, a memory. "I am so glad that I really have peace of mind around...[fill in the blank]"
4. Just "stop and be" daily. (You can do this after doing your one secret good thing and to see how you are feeling)
5. Find something new each day to support your body/mind.

I hope this is helpful. All comments are welcome.

Notes for Caregivers #9 - On keeping a candle in the window, and creating happiness in dark times.

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 16:50:00 +0000

"Noble and Good" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

For all caregivers in dark times, have a look at this wonderful video. Dr Maria Sirois talks about how to find happiness in our lives, even in dark times. She combines the latest research with personal stories and how we can put this into practice. She also talks a bit about her new book, "Praise for A Short Course in Happiness After Loss (and Other Dark, Difficult Times)." Keep a candle in the window and the kettle on the stove.

Notes for Caregivers #8 - A sweet video for Caregivers

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 21:43:00 +0000

"Sustainable Joy" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper

On the Stories for Caregivers Facebook page, I found a wonderful, truth filled animation on finding your way in the adventure of care giving. Often the caregiver feels quite isolated by the seriousness of the task. Things that used to matter a great deal now seem less important. This short video may just reframe your story, it may give you a new way to view your situation.

The video tells the story of a brave raccoon's journey to caregiving for an orphaned eagle. We learn about the transformative nature of caregiving, its disorientation and its rewards, from the racoon's journey.

Please share with other caregivers. "Connection and support are what keeps caregivers strong."

#'s 193 - 293 out of a thousand ways to have a happy artist's life; Give your creativity a burst.

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 22:49:00 +0000

"Art Warrior" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper.

From a March 2002 Issue of The Studio Zine from Teesha Moore.

1. Carve a stamp. Use a white eraser and a linoleum cutter.
2. Make a puppet. Use a paper towel tube, attach an old doll head to the top and drape fabric around neck. Add stuff.
3. Dig out your sewing machine and make something out of your old clothes destined for the thrift store.
4. Take a trip into the big city. Look for ideas.
5. Go cruise the aisles of your craft store. You never know what you might see that you can turn into something cool.
6. Go spend a couple of hours at a bookstore. Look in sections that you have never looked in before.
7. Take another look at your local community college list of evening classes. Sign up for something weird.
8. Cook a gourmet meal for your friends.
9. Go for a walk.
10. Look through your art supplies. Use something that hasn't yet been used.
11. Arm yourself with a canvas, brush and a few acrylics. Paint a face using the whole canvas and lots of colors.
12. Plan an imaginary dream trip to someplace exotic.
13. Make a travel journal about your imaginary trip.
14. Read a fiction book.
15. Go to the museum with your journal and sketch something.
16. Go hang out in a coffee shop with your journal. Meet someone new.
17. Buy a new pen. Doodle with it.
18. Get out your alphabet rubber stamp set and stamp out an entire page of text in your journal.
19. Pick a color and make something using only that color.
21. Make some wings out of wire. Glue a thin paper over the wire frame.
22. Make an artist book about your day, your family, your dog, your dreams, your town, your best friend, etc.
23. Go see a play or opera or a concert.
24. Decoupage a lunch pail. Cover it with a high gloss varnish like Golden's High gloss medium.
25. Find a nice, clean purse at a thrift store. Add collage, beads, trims, etc.
26. Plan a tea party.
27. Make a sheet of artist stamps. Commemorate something common or seemingly insignificant.
28. Look through your collection of books. Pull out ones you haven't looked through for a while. Re-visit your "old friends."
29. Find an object around your house. Embellish it. Use fabric, beads, charms, collage, rubber stamps, found objects.
30. Go outside and find a bag of found objects. You might want to do this in the city. Now make something using your items.
31. Go listen to new music at your music store. Find an exciting new cd and buy it.
32. Design a fantastical costume in your journal with a pencil. Add little scraps of fabric to show what you have in mind.
33. Make color copies of your favorite things. Frame them and fill a wall.
34. Find a cheap, thrift store chandelier, paint it, and add strings of beads and dangles. Hang it even if it doesn't work.
35. Find an old window pane with glass still in it. Collage onto the back side of the glass. Hang it.
36. Make some tiny pillows. Embellish with beads and fringe. Put a bowl of them out. Add lavender to the stuffing.
37. Make a basket out of wire with curlicues. Fill it with rolled-up white washcloths and put next to your sink.
38. Plan out a tiny garden. Get started working the soil. Make little markers to add charm.
39. Start a collaborate project with a groups of friends.
40. Make a list of things that inspire you.
41. Plan a fun party fro your kids just for the fun of it. Go through with it.
42. Get a bulletin board and decorate it with all sorts of fun stuff that makes you happy.
43. Take a roll of pictures of odd things. Print them at a one-hour lab and then use them in your collage.
44. Gold leaf something. It can be as simple as some old dried leaves.
45. Re-arrange your furniture.
46. Make some paper dolls. Make copies and give to your friends.
47. Take a stained glass class to learn how to cut glass and solder pieces together. Put found text between two pieces of glass.
48. Take a dance class. Learn belly dancing.
49. Make a cloth art doll. No rules. Just make something...anything.
50. Melt beeswax. Dip things in it, like fabric or paper. Use your dipped pieces in something.
51. Make a shrine using up a bunch of art stuff you don't want anymore.
52. Take a free form ceramics class. Make a funky teapot.
53. Make giant outdoor figures using pieces of wood from old barns, metal scraps, thrift store finds, and paint.
54. Go for an hour drive out in the country. Driving works the right side of your brain and gets you thinking creatively.
55. Find a piece of unfinished wood furniture. Stamp on it using Colorbox black. Color in with colored pencil. Spray seal it.
56. Make something that has the feel of an old circus, or old Paris flea market, or eastern India, or Imperial China.
57. Try something that you have been wanting to try for a long time. Just do it.
58. Make an articulated figure. Use something for the body and limbs and join the parts together somehow. Make large or small.
59. Organize your desk. Clean it off, so you will actually feel like using it.
60. Make a special desk just for journaling at. Put in a corner and have all your supplies on it.
61. Go away for the weekend. Get some fresh air and a change of pace.
62. Go out to dinner with a friend and brainstorm ideas.
63. Go through old artwork, make copies of the stuff you like and play around with it. Adding more to it.
64. Try painting with water colors. Just make sheets of color. Later collage on these.
65. Take an old thrift store chair and paint it with lots of colors. Use paint pens to add words.
66. Find some interesting kids books in yard sales. Cut these up and use in your journal.
67. Play with papier-mâché. Make forms out of chicken wire.
68. Make a bunch of those "handmade" greeting cards that you see in high end gift shops for 10.00 a piece. Create a stash to send out.
69. Collage onto a piece of 1/4" wood. String a ribbon through the top, tie in a bow and hang.
70. Using lacquer thinner (found in auto store), transfer xerox's onto fabric, journal pages, etc. Wet back of copy face down on fabric. Rub with the back of a spoon. Lift paper.
71. Glue a box to the back of an old frame. Fill with a mini theater for a shadow box effect.
72. Make yourself some little calling cards. Put several on a sheet and copy onto card stock.
73. Make a bunch of tiny little books. Use as many different materials as you can think of.
74. Look in the yellow pages under the categories you like. You will be surprised to learn of places you didn't know about.
75. Go through your old photo albums. Use your family photos in fun collages. Make copies first.
76. Spend a day at the library. Bring your journal. Sketch things you find.
77. Plan a weekend of art for 3 of your friends. Create non-stop. Collaborate.
78. Take a piece of art that you are tired of and incorporate it into something new.
79. Go through all your stamp pads, pens, tubes of paint, etc. and throw out anything dried up.
80. Read through a quote book. Stencil a quote on your wall. Write some in your journal.
81. Mount up thos unmounted rubber stamps you bought a long time ago.
82. Buy some crackle glaze. Try it out. Rub brown paint into the cracks.
83. Go on a hunt for old costume jewelry. Make something out of it.
84. Buy a small-drawer organizer from a home improvement store. Organize your beads and small found objects.
85. Make a weather vane using an old bicycle wheel and attach old tea cups around the edge to catch the wind. Install outside.
86. Paint your address in huge numbers on your house. Make it funky. Do not do this if you live in one of those condominiums. (Ha)
87. Make a "bead" curtain using a copy of a face that is perfectly round (about 2"). Print face on front and back, laminate a bunch of them, punch holes in the top and bottom and attach to each other with jump rings.
88. Gather twigs outside and make something with them using twine. A picture frame, basket, sculptural piece, etc.
89. Look back through all your old issues of "The Studio".
90. Make your own zine. Everyone seems to be doing it these days.
91. Make your own game. Fashion it after a commercial one but make your own game board and pieces.
92. Paint faces onto fabric, make into pillows and hang from your ceiling with fishing line. These appear as if they are floating.
93. Explore your dollar store for cheap ceramics to use in your next mosaic.
94. Re-cover your dining room seat cushions with something wild (pink and black zebra stripe). This looks great with stuffy old classic designs.
95. Take a class at a bead store. Learning how to make jewelry provides invaluable techniques for lots of things.
96. Make a mobile using black foam core pieces, collage, paint along the edges, attach to each other using string. Add beads.
97. Go buy some inexpensive colorful goblets and arrange all your brushes, pens, pencils, scissors, and rulers in them.
98. Go into your Chinatown and see what you can find.
99. Cover something with a ton of silk roses and a hot glue gun. A lamp shade, pillow, around the edge of a mirror, etc.
100. Go buy yourself some fine chocolates and champagne. Draw a hot bath, light candles, add bubbles, use homemade soap. Lean head back with mouth full of chocolate and dream. (Oh my. Teesha wrote that she really needed tip #100 after thinking up the previous 99, but I think it sounds kind of good at any time.)

Notes for Caregivers #7 - Did you know...?

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 22:25:00 +0000

"Not Alone" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper.

There is an excellent video from the University of California TV, "It Takes a Village: Caring for the Caregiver," in which Dr. Michael Rabow not only explored the burdens experienced by caregivers, but had many resources and suggestions to make navigating this difficult journey a little easier.

Did you know that a 25% of the US population is working as family caregivers? (I had no idea) And the odd thing is almost each one of these 44 million individuals feels quite alone on this care giving journey, usually struggling to re-invent the care giving wheel. (How is that possible, 44 million people feeling isolated.) Did you know that most of these care givers feel "on duty" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? About half of the caregivers struggle with depression, at much higher levels than the patients. About a third suffer from PTSD after a patient's stay in ICU. Dr. Rabow feels that it is much easier to be the patient with the horrible diagnosis, than it is to be the caregiver. As an example he pointed out that in the half hour he spends with the patient, the focus is entirely on how the patient is doing and what can be done to make the patient more comfortable. At the very end of the appointment he may turn to the caregiver and ask “why didn't you do such and such?” (Hardly what you might call caring for the caregiver.)

Did you know that caregivers will put the needs of the patient ahead of their own needs, often ignoring their own deteriorating health, caused by the intense stress of the job. It has been show to lead to declining immune function, increased inflammation, heart issues, stroke, and even cancer (Bengt Zöller, 2012). (Yikes) And of course the patient and the caregiver both depend on the good health and resilience of the caregiver.

Thankfully, Dr. Rabow pointed out that there are proven interventions that are of help for the caregiver, like day care, home care, and palliative care. He suggests caregivers need to build daily respite into their lives, support groups, social workers, psychologists, and caregiver education (so the wheel doesn't have to be continually reinvented).

His resource list is excellent.
Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center https://www.alz.org/help-support/resources/care-training-resources
AARP's Care Guide to Caring for those with Dementia https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/care-guides/dementia/#
Caregiver Action Network https://caregiveraction.org/
Care Giving Cafe http://www.caregivingcafe.com/
Family Care Giver Alliance https://www.caregiver.org/pilotIntegration/indexPersistent.html?uri=%2F
National Alliance of Caregiving https://www.caregiving.org/
NIH Caregiving Resources https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving

And here are his 10 Tips for Caregivers:
1. Seek support from other caregivers. You are not alone. (Remember 44 million in the US alone)
2. Take care of your health so you can be strong enough to take care of your loved one.
3. Accept offers of help and suggest specific things people can do to help.
4. Learn how to communicate effectively with doctors. (Hmmm, interesting idea)
5. Caregiving is hard work so take respite breaks often.
6. Watch out for signs of depression and don't hesitate to get professional help when you need it.
7. Be open to new technologies that can help you care for your loved one. (Hmmm, another interesting idea!)
8. Organize medical information so it's up to date and easy to find.
9. Make sure legal documents are in order.
10. Give yourself credit for doing the best you can in one of the toughest jobs there is!

Thank you Dr. Michael Rabow.

Notes for Caregivers #6 - Coping With Caregiver Depression and Grief

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 15:24:00 +0000

"Small Joys" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper.

I was scrolling through YouTube and found this very clear video for caregivers on coping with depression and grief. It's an easy to watch, helpful video of a difficult topic.

Notes for Caregivers #5 - Caregiving Essentials

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 15:57:00 +0000

"A Story Within" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper.

I've started an educational endeavor with McMaster University. They are offering a free online course in Caregiving Essentials, teaching us to navigate with confidence issues like becoming a caregiver (including legal and financial information), how to deal with the health care system and get the supports we need, how to take care of ourselves so we can care for someone else and finally we will have access to health and medical information.

Our first task is to own the caregiver role in part by identifying our strengths. We can sometimes feel like we have been handed a difficult and thankless job. Does it take a special kind of person to take on this role? I tend to doubt that but clearly if we can harness our strengths we can reap the rewards that come with caregiving. I am learning that successful caregivers display many of these positive traits: patience, resilience, confidence and compassion. We need to keep ourselves from falling into a pit of despair by regularly identifying our strengths and drawing on them as much as we can while we are "giving care."

The course suggests we ask ourselves these questions to help us identify our strengths:

1. What gives you energy? Activities that draw on your strengths typically make you feel more energized (whereas activities that take you out of your comfort zone might make you feel drained).
I think being an art therapist has been great training for this life. Creative work and problem solving along with serious listening are things that make me feel more energized, skills that worked well in art therapy and now as a caregiver.

2. What are your best character traits? Think back to job reviews, compliments and your own self-reflections. What are you most proud of?
Same as above, although additionally I have been told I am patient. Not sure, but I think that one could use a bit of development.

3. What strengths do you bring to the table when faced with challenges or adversity? How do you overcome challenges?
As I learned from Kelly McGonigal I can use compassion and altruism to overcome challenges and adversity.

4. Now that you have a list of your strengths, how will you leverage them?
I suspect reminding myself to employ my strengths daily would be a very good start.

Notes for Caregivers #4 - The Long Goodbye: Grief and Caregiver Stress

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 20:46:00 +0000

"Angels 2" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper.

The path of the caregiver is not an easy one. There's a helpful webinar on the topic of Grief and Caregiver Stress which can help. It explores the topic of sudden death with the emotional turmoil and loss that accompanies it, but the main focus is on the long goodbyes following years of coping with issues like dementia, complex medical illness, and cancer, that carry with them unique forms of grief and caregiver burden. This webinar is presented by Dr. Carilyn Ellis, a psychology fellow at the Boise VA Medical Center, specializing in oncology, palliative care and primary care mental health integration. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at George Fox University in Newberg, OR. She has much to offer the caregiver in need of understanding, solace, and comfort.

Notes for Caregivers #3 - Create Courage and Resilience with Compassion and Altruism

noreply@blogger.com (Lani Gerity) — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 21:06:00 +0000

"Most Magical" collage by Lani, textures by FlyPaper.

One of the most interesting and most difficult aspects of being a caregiver is that at some point you realize life has changed your identity whether you are ready for it or not. Stories for Caregivers has a wonderful short video on this particular challenge and why we may be reluctant to let go of our old identity. If we aren't mindful about this change, we can find ourselves in difficulty, feeling a bit lost.

Kelly McGonigal has a hope filled, wonderful talk given at Stanford University, “How Compassion and Altruism Create Resilience.” She explores new research into how cultivating compassion and practicing altruism can increase our well-being during times of stress, as in suddenly finding ourselves in a new, perhaps uncomfortable identity. She talks about how we were able to survive and thrive as a species because during times of stress our "tend and befriend" response kicks in (Shelly Taylor's concept), that by reaching out to others and forming human connection, brain chemistry (oxytocin) comes to our assistance.

According to Taylor (2000), affiliative behaviors reduce stress responses, thereby reducing stress-related health threats."Befriending" is shown to lead to mental and physical health benefits in times of stress, whereas social isolation is associated with significantly enhanced risk of mortality. So social support is tied to positive health outcomes. (This is pretty key for caregivers to understand! And implement.) Kelly believes that we can encourage our positive brain chemistry and health benefits when we choose to have a social response to stress.

This talk may be the perfect answer for caregivers who is feeling overwhelmed, and stressed.