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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Gracie2 on January 19, 2002, at 22:31:18
Before my, uh, breakdown, I was a semi-professional artist. I sold acrylics on canvas and did murals for freinds and in my own house. I was also hired to do murals at a children's hospital and a high school. After starting high doses of psychiatric drugs, however, I lost every creative urge. I replaced the time I had previously spent painting by sitting in front of the television and watching mindless shows like Jenny Jones, Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer (definately the worst). It amused me to see that there were people out there who were even more screwed up than myself.In the meantime, a good friend of mine in Pennsylvania
has opened her own store in the Poconos to sell the painted ceramics she makes. The store is a success and she is now working on her own website to sell more ceramics. The interesting thing about this is, my friend never showed an iota of artistic talent during the first 40 years of her life. Her story is worth telling in full, I believe.My friend, who is known as Cleo, does not act particularly macho or anything, but she's a tough cookie. We met when we were both stationed in a MASH
(field) unit in Germany. She became famous on post during a drinking contest when we were stationed out in the field with our German sister unit. She out-drank all the Germans in the contest, a thing unheard of for the German soldiers. They were appalled to be beaten by - not only an American (beer is much stronger there than it is in the US) -but a female as well.Born and raised in Yonkers, she got out of the Army and returned to New York City. She worked as a city paramedic while she finished her RN training. She eventually worked as the charge nurse at the ER in Bellevue hospital, which is not a job for the weak or faint of heart. One night after work, she was unlocking her car when a mugger ran up and tried to snatch her purse. She returned with a round-house that broke the guy's nose and a bone in her own hand. They were able to catch the mugger by following the trail of blood to an alley where he was hiding.
The fracture in her hand was severely displaced and had to be reduced (pushed back into alignment). Because of the physical demands of her job, she was taken off work for weeks. Not used to being at home and bored and somewhat disabled, she went wild with boredom. One day, her husband brought home an unfinished ceramic piece and some paints, just to give her something to do. And an artist was born.
The going was hard at first with a cast on her hand and no real interest on her part. But her talent evolved with her interest, and she continued to paint ceramics after she returned to work. Eventually she became more interested in painting than nursing, and she cut down her work at the hospital to devote more time to her hobby. After a few years, she teamed up with another local artist and they opened a small shop, which does especially well with the tourists there in the Poconos.
So I got to thinking. I was no longer capable of producing whole works of art on canvas, but I thought I could handle something small that didn't require the thought and talent necessary for painting freehand. So I bought a little wooden box at the crafts store and some acrylic paints, and...very slowly...I became devoted to painting these little boxes. I paint and sand and paint and sand and cover these boxes with all kinds of designs and patterns, and they're very good quality. They are my art therapy, and I've had two offers to sell them at stores.
I can't say that they are my reason for living, but they certainly supply a purpose that I didn't have before. Finishing and selling a box provides satisfaction and a goal, which has been quite therapeutic for me. It is necessary for me to leave the house for supplies, research and sketch drawings, organize myself, learn new painting techniques, interact with strangers (something I normally shy away from)and might even prove profitable in the long run,
although that was never a consideration at first.I recommend art therapy to anyone whether it's painting, knitting, pottery, woodwork, glass, photograpy, music, gardening, etc...even if you don't feel that you're normally creatively inclined, like my friend Cleo. The most important aspect of concentrating on your artwork is that is can derail the destructive train of thought normally occupying your mind, at least for awhile. And that's a blessing.
-Gracie
Posted by Augusta on January 21, 2002, at 9:48:47
In reply to Art therapy, posted by Gracie2 on January 19, 2002, at 22:31:18
Great post, Gracie. I am going to print it out and study it because I know that it contains information I have needed for some time.
We should all, I think, be involved in some form of creative activity.
Again, thank you for posting these two inspiring stories. (And now to turn on the printer!)
Posted by kid_A on January 21, 2002, at 12:23:30
In reply to Art therapy, posted by Gracie2 on January 19, 2002, at 22:31:18
I am the exact opposite.... between the time of 1992 and 2000 i had been writing in small surges the work of which i grouped by the year(s) in which they were written...Probably in 1996 or so, I had a breakthrough for myself in writing and wrote a great deal than I had before, but after this period my writing became more and more sporadic until eventually I was just re-editing the same poem over and over...
A few months after I started my meds I was writing again, although this time my writing had improved a great deal, due to external influences and the idea that somehow, through the personalisation of my work, I could manage the things that haunted me most. Writing about it somehow places it in a space that I can grasp, and the more I write the more that I expose my true self, at least as far as my writing is concerned...
I havent seen my shrink in a good few months, and if I didn't write, I don't know where I would put all these emotions, other than of course this board... Writing I think is one of the things that keeps me alive...
E.M. Cioran said that every book is a postponed suicide; having written a book dealing with his own despair and eventual triumph of sorts over it... I don't know if every poem is a postponed suicide, but I know that each one brings me closer and closer to understanding myself, and for me, thats what matters most.
Posted by Gracie2 on January 23, 2002, at 19:29:45
In reply to Re: Art therapy, posted by Augusta on January 21, 2002, at 9:48:47
Thank you, Augusta. I'm always so pleased if there's a possibility that I really might have helped someone. If you try something that doesn't "grab" you, go on to something else...making candles, soaps, gift baskets, stained glass. I have a friend that taught herself to make the most fabulous wedding cakes, and she also arranges flowers for wedding bouquets. Probably my favorite hobby, when my son was very young, was to make him an advent calender for the month of December. Every day until Christmas he got to open the door of one tiny box for his present. It was just little stuff - a piece of candy or stickers or a teeny matchbox car or something, but he always got SO EXCITED that I had a lot of fun making them, and he still remembers them as a real pleasure of his childhood.
Go to your studio and make stuff!!
-Gracie
Posted by Gracie2 on January 23, 2002, at 21:45:24
In reply to Re: Art therapy - Augusta, posted by Gracie2 on January 23, 2002, at 19:29:45
I must be in a talkative mood tonight. I wanted to suggest other stuff like jewelry-making, constructing and/or painting dolls, dollhouses or dollhouse furniture, sculpture, fabric painting on pillow covers or clothing (Britnney Spears wannabes love painted blue jeans), mosaics, painting ceramic tiles, and refinishing flea market finds, ala Shabby Chic.
Mostly I wanted to say that while learning new skills like typing or web design is admirable, I think it's most helpful to find a hobby that involves a three-dimensional object that you can hold in your hands and admire as your own creation.
I pick up my painted boxes from time to time and I think...this is a hell of a box. I don't know if it's therapeutic, but it's satisfying.
-Gracie
Posted by IsoM on January 24, 2002, at 2:00:10
In reply to Re: Art therapy - Augusta - Part II, posted by Gracie2 on January 23, 2002, at 21:45:24
I'm definitely not an arts/crafts sort of person - I hate too many knic-knacs that collect dust but also think it's important to do something physical with your hands. It's satisfying to hold a finished work & know you did it.
I enjoy origami - the Japanese art of paper folding. It can start out simple & remain such if one wishes. Or it can be taken to a real art form. Decorative origami paper can be very expensive if one wants the best quality, but ordinary origami paper is quite cheap & very pretty still. It has a special crispness that's meant for multi-folding but doesn't tear easily. They make unique little gifts, once you become skilled at it. It really intrigues people as we Westerners never do such things normally.
I also enjoy making my own jewellery & gardening. Even bread baking is very satisfying.
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> I must be in a talkative mood tonight. I wanted to suggest other stuff like jewelry-making, constructing and/or painting dolls, dollhouses or dollhouse furniture, sculpture, fabric painting on pillow covers or clothing (Britnney Spears wannabes love painted blue jeans), mosaics, painting ceramic tiles, and refinishing flea market finds, ala Shabby Chic.
> Mostly I wanted to say that while learning new skills like typing or web design is admirable, I think it's most helpful to find a hobby that involves a three-dimensional object that you can hold in your hands and admire as your own creation.
> I pick up my painted boxes from time to time and I think...this is a hell of a box. I don't know if it's therapeutic, but it's satisfying.
> -Gracie
Posted by sid on January 25, 2002, at 9:13:15
In reply to Inexpensive Art Therapy Idea » Gracie2, posted by IsoM on January 24, 2002, at 2:00:10
Hi IsoM,
I'm back... will write to you soon, this weekend perhaps. Need time to get stuff back in order.I enjoy doing things with my hands too. I did origami over the hollidays as I gave a book about it to my niece. Even spent an entire night doing it!
I personally enjoy drawing and painting. Drawing is very inexpensive. Painting is more expensive and requires some space to leave things to dry, away fromthe kids, etc... But drawing simply requires a pad and pencils. Perhaps a drawing class if one does not know where to start, and most people can do it, even those who think thay can't draw. A few techniques will prove them wrong.
This is the end of the thread.
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