Overview

We all have an inner artist who needs to come out and play! Through the modalities of visual arts, creative movement, music, expressive writing, media arts and social justice arts, participants will have the opportunity to engage in creative play to awaken and ignite their inner artist, contributing to physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Justification

In communities large and small, the arts are used daily to reduce the experience of pain, help patients express needs and emotions, and create a welcoming and uplifting environment – a path to joy for those who may feel disheartened. Such moments are made possible by a diverse group of professions providing an ever-expanding array of initiatives that engage the arts, humanities, and design in the service of health and well-being. Integrative Wellness introduces these inspiring areas of practice and lays a foundation to connect, unify, and elevate the full arena of the arts, health, and well-being.

It is well known that engaging in creative experiences is vital to human health and well-being, to bridging the life experiences that divide people and society, and to helping people understand the human condition (Clift & Camic, 2016; Hanna, Rollins, & Lewis, 2017; Lambert, 2016; State of the Field Committee, 2009). 

Throughout the United States, the arts – visual arts, creative movement, music, expressive writing, media arts and social justice arts, are being used to enhance personal healing, promote public health, and support community well-being, including relieving stress, decreasing feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety, encouraging creative thinking and increasing greater life satisfaction. The marriage of the arts and wellness practices is a natural example of how creativity connects, in this case, with the science of recovery, resilience and longevity. The array of settings from medical and natural health schools and wellness centers, to extended living facilities, companies, and public schools. (2017, Janet Chu, Ph.D.)

Learning Objectives

• learn nonverbal means of communication through visual, auditory, and movement pathways that are still available to us when stress, trauma, language, ability, or culture interfere with speech

• engage the brain so much that it quite literally crowds out stress and enables the upper brain functions, necessary for learning, to come back online

• enhance positive emotions and not just reducing negative ones

• build agency and resilience in the discovery of something we can do to feel better

• cultivate and grow character and leadership development skills

• build social connection

• share creative experiences to offer an organic way to be truly seen, heard, and connected

Registration

• To register, go to BaumanWellness.co and follow the three simple registration steps below the home page image.

• After you have received the approval email, go to the PROGRAMS link on the left-side vertical navigation bar and select the applicable programs you want to register for.

Program Structure

The Artist Within is integrated with our BaumanWellness.co Mighty Networks online community learning site that allows self-paced learners to engage with other TAW learners with the following:

• Events — monthly Zoom gatherings

• Chats — private online chat room with fellow learners

• Topics — discussion groups around nutrition, culinary and lifestyles

LESSON ONE — Visual Arts

LESSON TWO — Creative Movement and Music

LESSON THREE — Expressive Writing

LESSON FOUR — Media Arts

LESSON FIVE: Social Justice Arts

Class Outline 

1. Introduction  

2. Lecture

3. Activity

4. Group Discussion

5. Commitments & Close

To Do Following Lesson  

• Write down 1-3 commitments for the week and share them with your buddy. 

• Review & Self Reflection Worksheets