If it is therapy, is it art?

I’m thinking that it is safe to assume that we have all seen the inside of a hospital. Have you ever paid any attention the interior design of a hospital? Probably not, but our brains have. The walls are usually completely white leaving no trace of creativeness anywhere. A children’s hospital is usually plastered in creativity, Doernbecher's hospital has animal or sun signs to direct people in the right direction. They have colored walls and more pictures on the walls. Why don’t adult hospitals do this? The question, “Are the paintings and artworks that hang in our hospitals as allopathic means of therapeutic healthcare?” has increasingly sprung within the last decade. Are the sculptures and detailed fountains that we see around our college campuses, hospitals, cities, etc. useful? These are all questions that the arts-in-healthcare-movement are trying to prove.

After 911 happened the New York Times suggested that everyone that was in the least bit involved of the attack should take on some form of therapeutic approach to help with the healing process. A large amount of galleries and museums opened their doors for no cost to citizens who were trying to seek recovery.  Local artists and citizens responded to 911 in an artistic approach.  They placed memorials all around the city that were tremendous impromptu creative outpourings that were created on paper, in wire, in wax, as sculpture, collage, in drawing, in painting, origami, and impressive flower techniques. Writers had even emailed poems and scriptures all around the world. They created new and exciting works of visual and poetic works of art. The horrific tragedy is believed to have brought an importance to the art world and art was far more appreciated after the event.

This focus is what I believe has brought art into a more serious manner in the last 10-15 years. Art has been used in more events big or small and has shown an important characteristic to the communities we live in. 

A part of having a healthy community is having healthy citizens. We stereo-type our neighborhoods that we live in by the income of the people that live in them. "Poor neighborhoods are where all the gangs are", which in most cases is correct. Instead of trying to prevent gangs from forming or breaking down the law for them, we affect the good citizens by raising the mortgage on all the homes within the community. That is why all of the gangs left North Portland and moved up to Gresham. Which didn't change anything, the gangs are still dangerous on our streets. What if we treated these gangs? We could put them in rehabilitation care or jail and get them the help that they need. The only problem that we would have is people complaining about their tax dollars being spent on these criminals. What most people don't realize is that the cost to move and the dramatic increase in mortgage rates can rather be spent on treating the individual instead of stressing them out, thus resulting in a healthier community. 

Gangs are afflicted with violence and drugs usage. Violence is mostly treated with anger management, but drug usage works best with art therapy.  Drugs also can cause the person to be more violent. If we can conquer the drug usage in gangs, wouldn't it be a nicer community to live in? We wouldn't have as many paranoia's or fears on the daily basis. 

The first step to becoming clean is admitting the certain intake of drugs that we take. The reason that the patient needs to be honest about the substances that (s)he is addicted too, is because of the constant need for prescribed medications.The survey that I conducted asked people about the medicines that they may take, I asked if people knew what was in their medications or if they were even self-cautious about their intake. I was pleased with the results. People either knew what ingredients their prescriptions consisted of, or they were self-cautious about them.  I for one don't like putting any unnecessary chemicals into my immune system. I am willing to pay extra for natural medications and rarely will take an ibuprofen. If the client is referred to a psychiatrist and they prescribe them with a pill that contains meta-morphine  and the client is addicted to meta-morphine--that results in a stronger addiction for the substance as well as the pill. Same concludes with other substances as well. 

Although art therapy has been proven to be the most effective way of therapeutic care, it is not effective on everyone. Some people disagree with the topic of art being therapy and that is perfectly fine. I believe that everyone should find a form of self-expression and pursue it. If we can find a way to release our struggles through a form of art that makes us happy, I believe that we can become happier individuals. Art can conquer any disability, depression, addiction, and struggle that we may have, and that is why I am so fond of it. I really enjoyed my topic and now I am certain that this is what I want to do with my career! I plan on continuing my research through my college experience as well as on my own time. Art therapy has become an outlet for so many individuals with their own experiences and stories. I can't wait until I become a licensed art therapist and I can start meeting people and hearing their stories through my own ears. I loved this class, and this project has definitely taught me a TON.  - Sarah Califf 

"Creativity is an act of defiance" 

                                          -Twyla Tharpe

Cozolino, Louis J. The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment and the Developing Social Brain. New York: Norton, 2006. Print.This book was really helpful on researching about the brain itself. I maintained a lot information on therapy as well as learning about disorders in the brain. Very helpful and was surprisingly fun to read

Hanes, Michael J. "'Face-to-Face' with Addiction: The Spontaneous Production of Self-Portraits in Art   Therapy." Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association (2007). Fine Arts and Music Collection. Web. 28 July 2013. This article showed the usage of substances and how art therapy was used in the cure of becoming clean. It displayed a couple examples of how drawing a self portrait and looking at different angles can result in therapy.

Horay, Brian J. "Moving Towards Gray: Art Therapy and Ambivalence in Substance Abuse Treatment." Journal of the American Art . This article looked as therapy as art, and created a different approach to art therapy with substance abused clientele. 

vanMeen, Karen. "Editorial: Media Art AS/IN Therapy. (News)." Afterimage Nov.-Dec. 2001:3. Academic OneFile. Web. 28 July 2013