Workbook backstory, ink landscapes & Shogun
How the “Making It Easy To Make Art” workbook came into being.
I’m fascinated by humans, their emotions, thoughts, behaviour, relationships and what makes them tick. Everybody is unique and when I worked with patients and clients I always consciously noted what worked well for them and what didn’t. When I make my own art I do exactly the same thing, not just in terms of making an image but the whole thinking/feeling process too. I actually wrote those little memos down so I could refer to them and not waste time or energy making the same mistakes over and over again. These notes became very dog eared so I decided to type them up and put them on my phone.
Then last year I was working with a client who had dementia. The client’s daughter had read about the benefits of music for people with dementia and suggested that I go with her mother to a local singing group. My client said, “I can’t sing. The nuns told me to shut up when we sang hymns.” However, she and I would hum together while doing other activities and we’d often move and jig around (not exactly dancing) to the music on the radio. My client and I talked about her concerns and over a period of time agreed on a plan to make it as safe as possible for her to try the singing group.
It was a huge success. My client sang every song, was in rhythm and tune, followed all the words, we sang looking at each other, she clapped and stomped her feet in time to the music and chatted with the other singers in the break. On the way home I asked her what she thought of it. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and a big smile and said, “It was wonderful! I’ve always wanted something like that!”. And we carried on going!
It was a moving, joyful and very special experience but I felt sad that it had taken 70+ for her to do something that she had always wanted to do. It’s a good example of how damaging critical comments can be, especially at an early age, but also proof that it’s never too late.
I’ve heard so many people tell me, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body” or “I’d love to draw but I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler” or “I’d love to paint but I’ve no talent” and I thought to myself, “What if those notes I wrote for me could help somebody else?”
So I carried on typing and it grew into a workbook incorporating lots of things I’ve learned personally and professionally. I created artwork, designed the layout and proofread countless times until my brain was numb (I bet there’s still an error somewhere!) and sent it off to a printer. Now it’s ready to go out into the world and do what it was designed to do!
Nature notes:
Sunrise.
The sun before it emerged over the hill one misty morning.
What I’ve been reading:
“Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe. I’ve not read this before and it’s great. It was first published in 1719!
What I’ve been watching:
“Shogun”. The most recent TV adaptation of James Clavell’s novel, airing on Hulu, FX and Disney +. It’s sumptuous to look at. The fabrics, armour, architecture… wow!
