Painting Through Grief with Joy Simon
Dearest Wonderful, Creative You:
Today is the final day in the Creative Self-Care interview series, and in a way, I've saved the nigh powerful story for last.
Joy Simon is an artist who I've known through the Mindful Fine art Studio community for a few years now. She is a educatee of Art Journaling 101 and the Starting Your Art Journal e-book. What has spoken to me over the years nearly Joy is how she has been able to utilise art to talk most and process one of the most painful and most taboo topics – child loss.
I want to share her inspiring words and art with yous hither considering I think she shows a mode for us all to talk about actually difficult things in really beautiful and transforming ways. I'm moved past her piece of work and I recollect yous will be also.
If you are interested in reading the other amazing interviews, you can notice them here:
Creatively Yours,
Amy
AMY: What are your earliest memories of art making, and creating every bit a kid? What's the kickoff time you remember feeling inspired?
JOY: I mostly remember the constant availability of a saucepan of crayons, markers, pencils, and newspaper. Nosotros never had to enquire permission for annihilation to be taken out to draw with, it was simply There. One Christmas, I really wanted to give gifts to family members. Being viii, I had no coin. So I drew anybody pictures.
I remember getting real, genuine, sincere praise from one uncle in particular. He has always encouraged me to only go for it when it comes to art, and not permit anyone tell me I tin't create and I'm not an artist.
I also have an aunt who had the nearly amazing onetime cupboard Full of anything and everything a little heart could possibly desire to paint with, describe with, or mucilage together. It was amazing. And over again, at a very young age, she would just open information technology up and let me create annihilation I wanted. My grandmother was much the same, but with sewing and knitting. I had a bunch of teachers and encouragers in a lot of areas!
In full general, I think my babyhood inventiveness was fueled past people who but asked what I wanted to create, how I wanted to practise information technology, and permit me exercise it. There was a lot of encouragement to create and play with and then many unlike things. It wasn't an "extra" affair, or a messy affair that needed to be cleaned upward, it was just part of life.
AMY: What are your favorite means to limited yourself creatively? What kind of art do you lot make?
JOY: I love to paint. I love to play with it, smear information technology around, or just sit down and stare, waiting to run into what will happen. I LOVE texture correct now. I dear seeing brush strokes and paint drips and layers layers layers! I'm in the heart of finding my style, I call up. Working with more than intuitive art, where I used to practice much more typical impressionistic landscapes and animals (which I loved doing). But I'm finding something a chip more me – a bit more expressive and emotive.
AMY: If y'all've ever gone through a menses of feeling blocked or that y'all don't accept "permission" to make art, how did you find the courage to create once more?
Sometimes, I just demand to accept a break. So I do. Other times, I just keep plugging abroad even when I hate how what I'm working on is turning out and I'thou feeling remarkably uninspired. Most of the time when that happens, the art works itself out.
If neither of those tactics work and I'm nevertheless feeling creatively blocked, I'll zone out on Pinterest or my diverse art groups on Facebook looking for inspiration. At that place's always bound to be something I'll meet that but makes me want to MAKE again.
You can discover acrylic paints similar to the ones Joy uses, and the white gel pen she uses to create those lovely designs here.
[bctt tweet="There's something about artwork that helps intermission downwards barriers surrounding such a taboo subject similar pregnancy loss and the death of a child. Joy Simon #artheals" username="amymaricle"]
AMY: What role does art play in your life? How is art cocky-care for you? Does information technology assist you express, cope or sympathise your earth? Can you explain your process and how you lot use it?
Fine art has become my emotional release. Creating has go an essential part of my mental self-care.My son was stillborn in 2014, and I was encouraged to write and talk about it to aid in healing. While both of those helped, what has really been freeing and the most healing for me is creating. It is how I limited hurting, anxiety, hope, longing, acrimony, and a plethora of other emotions that I merely don't take words for. I proceed to apply creating and art as a mode to keep healing and to reach out to others who have experienced loss. There'southward something about artwork that helps break downwards barriers surrounding such a taboo subject field like pregnancy loss and the death of a child. Information technology seems to be more socially acceptable to be open almost that kind of hurting and loss through art than information technology is to talk publicly and openly about information technology.
AMY: What inspires your art? Who are some of the artists/places/situations that inspire you?
At that place'south this one episode of Doctor Who, "Vincent and the Physician." There'south a line that refers to Van Gogh'south work and says, "He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world – No one had e'er done it before. Peradventure no one ever will again."
This line electrocuted me.
I'd been painting and doodling for years at that point just for fun, only that… I heard it right after my son died and that has become my goal. Not that I could e'er be compared to a master like VanGough, but I absolutely desire to apply my hurting to create beauty. I want to show that, even in horrible loss and pain, you can find promise and beauty.
And you, Amy, seriously. I think you were the first person I constitute when I become more serious about using art as self-intendance who so wonderfully described and showed me how to focus on "process not production. It's inspiring and freeing to encounter the procedure of seemingly random colors, blobs, lines, dots and shapes plough into something beautiful and meaningful.At that place are a slew of artists I follow on Instagram for inspiration too.
Joy is a student in Art Journaling 101, which leads you step by stride through intuitive painting and drawing exercises that will help you develop your unique artistic voice and limited your feelings through art. Click here to larn more.
AMY: Practise you have creative person friends? Why is being in the Mindful Art Studio community of import for you?
I don't have many in-person artist friends, but plenty of over-seas "people I know in real life only live as well far abroad from now to interact with face up to face up" art friends. Which is why online groups like The Creative Self-Care group have get of import to me. It'due south a really encouraging and supportive grouping to share artwork and ideas in, without any stress of information technology being extraordinary. Whether y'all're a beginner or a professional artist, anybody in the group is wonderfully supportive, full of praise or tips and tricks on how to amend skills.
Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links. This means that, at no extra cost to you, y'all'll support the work of Mindful Art Studio to empower the artist in all of us with each purchase. Thank you!
Source: https://mindfulartstudio.com/creative-self-care-painting-through-grief-with-joy-simon/
0 Response to "Painting Through Grief with Joy Simon"
Post a Comment