For this past couple of weeks, I have been working incredibly hard to pull myself back together again and get this module back on track after experiencing an incredibly tough year of mental hardship. I finally got Tami back home after 7 months apart on March 22nd, with my heart aching every second without her, and my mental health built from strength to strength in that first week together again. My confidence grew so much once we were a pair again and I could start having my freedom outside.
I was able to start researching starting the first week of April and really forming the foundation and framework of this project through a variety of sources. Now I can finally reflect and give a much better "reflective report 2" than back in November.
Back in October I started my project rather openly, focusing on the very wide subject matter of art and mental health. It's such a huge field which is very easy to get lost in and is so difficult to navigate. Where do you start? I got very overwhelmed back then and, paired with all of my experiences - much worse to come, gave up. After experiencing so much trauma this year through separation from my Guide Dog, cyberbullying, the third year anniversary of my mum's severe stroke and reliving that day on February 5th, and my mum revealing to me that she was finding it difficult to cope in lockdown as a stroke survivor - developing some unhealthy and dangerous coping mechanisms - I decided to narrow down that scope and zoom in on art therapy and PTSD / trauma. That's very much been my lived experience this year and creating art, through my canvas paintings, is the one thing that has kept me going.
The research I have undertaken so far includes taking notes from podcasts, TEDx Talks on YouTube from real art therapists, conversing with a professional art therapist, note taking from a book on art therapy and PTSD, compiling case studies from practitioners and peers, unpicking what art therapy is and isn't, learning the science behind why our brain behaves the way it does because of trauma, and learning about stress hormones abd reducing them through mindfulness. I've found all of this to be fulfilling work and very beneficial to my growth as a person and an artist.
Since my last reflective report, the practical direction has strengthened even further - developing from my experiences with cyberbullying and commemorating the anniversary of my mum's stroke. I consider these to be "final pieces" that really pushed the boundaries of the type of work I could produce, through a series of monoprints, an audio poem collaborating with a musician, and a circular canvas painting.
The final steps now are to continue with the essay plan I have, to build the meat on the skeleton and to start writing. I need to Harvard Reference my sources into a bibliography and to also evidence my to-do lists that I make each and every single day to motivate myself. I'm so close to getting this completed!
I'm aiming for submission around mid-June.
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