A new year, a new you…of that’s what you desire. The one thing I know about creativity is its incredible ability to transform our lives. It allows us to tell our story creating the pieces to the human quilt. Creative energy provides us with the momentum we need to create a life that evolves and can be crafted with deeper understanding and meaning.
I’ve been fortunate to enroll in a graduate certificate program in Health Humanities and Bioethics. The class is a mix of health and allied health professionals all focused on one goal; how to incorporate the humanities in medicine. I’ve been a huge proponent of art and medicine for years. I’ve utilized my own artistic practices to reflect my own health challenges and the stories of those I’ve interviewed.
The professor for the class I just finished allowed us to do something creative for our final project. I created four new art pieces and combined that with eight pieces in my personal collection and paired those twelve pieces with poetry reflecting the sentiments of the art. I curated the show in a round room so classmates could stand in the center of the work and absorb the gravity of the subjects I tackled in the art.
The experience was overwhelming. The work had an even greater impact than I expected. As health professionals, each class member related stories from their own professional lives punctuating the exhibition. If that weren’t enough, one of my classmates wrote a song for her final project. The song debuted while everyone was standing in the middle of my art. The synergy of our two projects was spectacular.
When we combine our creative energies, we can build upon each other’s stories. The songwriter approached me after the presentation about doing a collaboration in the future. The idea of combining visual art, poetry, and music speaks to the impact art can have in healthcare.
My hope this year is to take you on a journey giving you the opportunity to explore your creative side and meaning making. Our creative storytelling can deepen our connection to one another easing tensions inter-personally and in society. Let’s take this journey together and see how we can transform the world.
Time to Live Creatively 