I have, many times in the past, told others that I have not one artistic bone in my body. At that time, I had a very black and white mindset about what an artist was. I knew that my drawings did not look like real life, and that was all I was going off of. In fact, I would always introduce my oldest daughter as the artist in the family. Even during my formal training I opted to get a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology because a Bachelor's of Art seemed too fluffy at the time. ( I did go on to accept a Master's of Art degree later!)
In hindsight, I was very artistic early on in my life, but I was stuck in a concrete world where art was something that was physically made. I was passionate about music (singing, dancing, and studying the piano,) nature, gardening/landscaping, and jewelry creation. Yet, I did not consider myself an artist. I then learned several other art forms such as herbalism, aromatherapy, and reiki but still had a disconnect.
Then something really interesting happened, I met with one of my now favorite healers for an initial session and she asked “Are you an artist?” and I answered "no" right away. I had not once considered this, and I was 37 at the time! She was not convinced, and clearly she knew something that I wasn’t aware of. As my understanding of the world began to shift, with the tearing down of rigid patterns, I came to understand that all those things I was passionate about were art forms (even psychology!)
I had been an artist this whole time!! Eventually, my love of making visual art came through, and I’ve been hooked since 2021.This was the blessing to come from the pandemic, as my oldest decided to leave a well respected art charter school to homeschool and I knew I needed to support her with an amazing art curriculum. I loved doing the projects alongside her and realized I actually can make art! No one was more surprised than me. Shortly after, I took this passion and volunteered to teach art-classes (at no charge) for a local homeschool cooperative that I helped start up over the summer of 2021. I knew not one thing about teaching art, and here I was teaching art to kids ages 7-15, many with neurodivergence. And it turned out that they loved the classes and I loved teaching and learning along with them. I’m now in my second year with the co-op!
And just now, in February of 2023, am I offering my mindful art classes to individual clients and the community. I love that I can bring the knowledge of what an artist is full circle, and I can reach those children who very much resemble the little me, and instill in them the belief that they are artists. The world needs more artists in it! Because with art comes healing, and there is much work to be done in that realm.
#RebeccaRughWebbPsychologist #RebeccaRughWebb #Psychologist #mentalhealth #TheIntuitiveArtologist #psych #wellness #BrighterDays #BrighterDaysPsychology #BrighterDaysWellness #art
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