heal thyself
The International Art Therapy Organization started a gallery, asking for art as a response to the following questions:
Does art therapy impact peace and sustainability on the planet?
How do art, peace, and sustainability intersect?
Does the creative process of art making resolve conflicts?
Does art therapy build and sustain community?
Is art therapy a "green" practice?
Which made me start thinking about the meaning of the word peace. It could be the opposite of war, like not killing each other, not fighting, agreeing to set our guns down for a minute. But I have a more immediate, visceral response. Inner peace. Peacefulness. Sitting on the front porch on a summer night when the air is finally cool. Holding my coffee mug looking out the window on pristine snowy wonderland. Or me, thouroughly immersed in the art-making process.
So what does art have to do with peace? Can they even be separated? Peace is an aesthetic experience. It is flow. It is timeless. It is something we may touch for a moment, depart from, find again--over and over again. It is there waiting for me to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and remember...
But then these harder questions. How does it impact the larger community?
Ritual from the beginning of human civilization, whenever that was, surrounds art-making. Costumes, painting, dancing, music, moving together, decorating, celabrating. Again, how can you even separate the two?
Does it resolve conflicts? I don't know. Depends on if you like my art or not. Is it green? Can it be recycled? Are some things worth leaving a "footprint" for? No matter how many pictures I make, I can always make another. Ultimate renewable energy source!
All I know is that if I want to go out there and try to help people resolve conflicts, I had better be finding and holding peace within myself first.
