Artist Biography
On April 2, 2019 at Mercy Hospital I underwent a surgical process that rerouted my internal organs and left a six-inch scar on the core of my navel. The doctors felt it was not safe enough to untangle the knot in my stomach, and still today I walk with a “spiral inside” my intestine. Through engagement in spiritual and intuitive art-making, I recognize and reflect on the ways in which I was put back together by the hands of surgeons and spirits; I strive daily to recreate, reconnect, and reignite the beauty in the mundane, and often the damaged or broken. I actively honor and celebrate the gift of life found in each day, and this notion of gratitude was my inspiration and driving force of energy. In recognition of this source, I hand crafted one-hundred forty-seven small gifts and twenty-one reflections that were created for the series titled Spiral Inside. Each of the gifts correlates with one of the seven chakras (root, sacral plexus, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown), while the reflections all serve to symbolize the creative connections and safe holding spaces inherent within a positive therapeutic alliance. The gifts I brought to life included 21 hand sculpted and glazed worry stones (root), 21 bottles of essential oil sprays (sacral), 21 hand stitched fabric squares (solar), 21 hand sculpted clay hearts (heart), 21 hand stitched journals (throat), 21 dream catchers (third eye), and 21 tissue paper paintings made using rain water on watercolor paper (crown). Seven miniature quilts, seven dynamic vessels, and seven fabric collages all make up the 21 reflections that serve in honor of my 21 years of life Earthside. Ultimately, this collection of artwork seeks to provide glory to the people, places, and experiences who have all carried my life forward, while simultaneously celebrating and understanding my inner child while transitioning from childhood into adulthood.
Thesis Abstract
Spiral Inside, Spirit Guide: Transforming Trauma Through Transpersonal Art Therapy
This thesis embraces a transpersonal approach to art-making, in order to demonstrate that healing is inherent if we place self-love at the center. Through engagement in intuitive art, the goal of creating with intention was to answer the following questions: How does spirituality influence creativity? 2) Why is a person-centered care approach a key focus of trauma recovery? 3) How are notions of unity and connection reflected within art or spiritual traditions––both ancient and also modern? And 4) What concepts and values should be considered by practicing or future therapists to ensure that individuals are positively supported? To answer these questions and demonstrate how interdisciplinary art facilitates the transpersonal perspective necessary for healing, a variety of materials and methods were incorporated into the creative practice; these strategies were all approached through a similar lens of love and non-judgment. In an attempt to communicate joy and gratitude for life that continues to flourish daily, the artist worked in collaboration with their inner child to develop a body of work that took form across 123 daily journal entries, 147 sacral gifts, and 21 visual reflections.