Art Tree Healing

Hi friends, I realized I have not been sharing reels on here since April! If you want to, check out my instagram

Mental Health Reminder from Keanu Reeves

Living with the pain of having a loved one die is big and messy and comes with unpredictable bouts of feelings. It also comes with the desire to talk about our people, hear stories about them and speak to this pain of losing them. In a society that doesn’t generally deal well with grief or encourage talking about and living with grief...it can perpetuate the feelings of loss, loneliness, pain and isolation. Please listen in, share about and know that your people matter...in life and in death. The simplicity of what a person who is grieving can be...breathe, survive, repeat. Not fix, solve, “get over”.

It’s true. The way that you choose colours, draw lines, make marks, follow your intuition into art making….it reveals you, your story and how you see yourself and the world. I believe the art we make is all a self-portrait and tells about the uniqueness of who you are, where you have been and where you are in this present moment. Each art piece is rich with symbols that are meaningful to you, that you hold the key for. Our art represents our experiences in “feeling form”. We can choose to share the meaning or let the feeling of the piece speak for ourselves.

Making art through the Art Therapy process is a practice to uncover the meaning to our symbols/marks in relationship with what feels present, the heaviness we carry, the grief we companion, that which calls for witness and tending. This process allows us to express that which is held tightly, that which holds pain, beauty, wisdom and insight for our wellness path. Through expression we find ourselves. Our aliveness. Our life force.

Bullying is a deeply imbedded problem. It opens doors to harm, and makes violence a possibility for some to inflict on others. At its seemingly mild levels…the words of hate and meanness dig below the surface and threaten to disintegrate the armour we build around our heart and spirit. We build it stronger, thicker and withstand. We respond and resist as best we can.

There is an internal erosion that attacks our self-love, our worth, our dignity. It carries with us and is difficult to eradicate.

I recall walking into school in eighth grade and noticing some strangeness on the faces of people when they looked at me. Nothing overtly “out of the ordinary” but enough to notice. A teacher who knew me asked in a panicky way “have you seen your locker? I will clean it off don’t worry.” I found it to be covered in words of hate. Calling me names. Saying that I should die. “Leave it” I said. I preserved my dignity by attempting to outwardly show that it didn’t bother me. Of course it did. It went deeply into my bones and tissues and became an inner voice that caused harm to the way I felt about myself and how I felt that others think of me. It was a pivotal moment of learning what the whole world must think of me.

These actions are long lasting and steal our peace, our sense of belonging, and our worth. Bullying is never ok. There is no place for hate.

The medicine is in the love, the noticing, the responding, the compassion, the empathy, AND the collective outrage when people are acting with hate…these are sacred practices.

We need also to notice what we do, think and say…consistently identifying our internal biases and unlearn pieces of judgement, and internalized hate. We need to notice when we have been in the role of bully, of bystander and of victim/survivor. We have been in all these roles. Self reflection is key. When we have been harmed, sometimes we respond by harming others or ourselves. We deserve to heal in community and with the balance of sacred collective outrage and sacred collective peaceful compassion. We continue to care and be responsible. Repair, compassion and love.

💖☮️❤️‍🩹🫶

I went to an incredible workshop on grieving in community held in the Cowichan Valley.

An elder spoke and shared his clear wisdom and knowing about grieving. He said that to honour and feel and move with our grief we must do so via our heart. Let our heart lead us. That statement and the feeling and openness he shared with the group connected us through that human quality. Compassion, love. Collective feelings that we all share.

In my experience, making art (when I say art I mean ANYTHING that we do through our creative process) is always a heart forward, a heart led experience.

I believe art is the space where our hearts can speak. Where our feelings are expressed. Where our unique experiences are honoured and valued without judgment. It is a space that is both vulnerable and open as well as contained and safe.

WE the makers of the art know it’s true meaning. The story behind the symbols. The ache in the colors. The joy in the mark-making. The life in the motions. The real in the depths.

Making art and being creative opens our heart space. It honours who we are and offer broad space to stretch out and SEE, FEEL and KNOW ourselves and each other. It grows compassion for our sweet selves and empathy for others.

Making art is a practice of offering more love to yourself, more understanding…and that naturally puts more love, more compassion out towards others. The shared humanness that makes hurting ourselves and others less of an option.

Because we are all human. We all have worth and value. We are capable of love. And as with everything…it takes dedicated practice.

Love & Grief hold hands with one another
They are two pieces of the puzzle,
Two halves of a coin
Love is how we grieve and Grief is part of love

On a day about love,
There is also grief
Big and wide
Hidden tears behind smiles

For those of us who hold the grief of loved ones who passed, I see you. I am you. Those who feel deeply the grief and pain in the world. I am right beside you with this grief.

I beam out love to you all today. And the love we hold and held carries forward with us. love is a powerful force to heal, to bring peace, to honour sorrow, to combat hate.

I wish you the respectful space to feel what arises today and be wrapped in a big golden bubble of love. ❤️‍🩹🫧💗

Our grief is deserving of the dignity and holding of community.

It is not meant to be hidden, or lost, or invisibled.

You are not alone in this ache.

When we listen to our grief, it asks to be seen. 🎨
When we see our grief, it asks to be felt.
❤️‍🩹
When we feel our grief, our hearts lead us to community.
🫧

Your grief is sacred. 💜

There is no right or wrong way to make art. Allow yourself the space and freedom to dig into the process…rather than the product. What it is, what it is meant to say/hold/be will evolve. Trust yourself. You ARE an artist. 🙌🏽🫶

Nature’s artistry is very inspiring. 💜

On grief & love 💗

Iiiiiiittttttt’sssss workshop day!!!

Finding the right blend of nerves and excitement to talk about stuff I know some things about and co-create some space for our creative process and sharing! ✌️ 💜 🎨

Hey friends,

Jessica here. Just thought I would pop my face on your feed to say that I am beaming out warmth and compassion to you all. 💜

I wish for you to grow what fills your soul
I wish for some things to come with ease
I wish for the hard path to be chosen when it counts and when you know it to be the one
I wish for you to have the time to pause long enough to see the light in dark spaces
I wish for abundance of moments of joy so you feel your pockets overflowing when you need some nourishment
I wish for you to feel the breadth of your feelings and have them honoured, witnessed and met with compassion.
I wish for you to have many moments of creative blooming

#2024

Dear ones,

May your heart open to feel the love in you and around you.

May your hand be held when you want and need it.

May warm blankets cover your body and soothe what aches.

May a warm mug of tea or cocoa befriend you and warm you from the inside out.

May you find creative endeavors and thoughts in the everyday.

May light fall upon your face from twinkle lights and sun and moon.

May you feel golden pockets of joy and contentment.

May you have loving space and time for big wide feelings both of sorrow and of grace.

Much love,

💚💚Jessica

I will be taking rest and holiday for the next couple weeks. I will be booking clients and groups in January. ☮️💜

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We are so happy to announce the Long List for the 2023 Literary Contests! Visit https://ow.ly/276N50QebX5 to see the results. Our Short List will be revealed on December 5th.