I’ve just begun reading a book by Lucia Capacchione, PhD Recovery of Your Inner Child. Capacchione discusses how artwork and writing help people access their inner child—that vulnerable child part of us that had to go underground, for whatever reason, in order to survive. She includes lots of cool drawings in which an inner child is communicating to her adult. Drawings can be key in the process of reconnecting with our inner worlds, which can bring us more joy, excitement and happiness.
In a few weeks, I’ll be teaching a medical humanities section of basic composition class in which the students will be writing about a health issue. We will draw pictures as part of the exploration of the subject; hopefully, these exercises will aid them in creating essay topics. The students will be able to include their drawings in their essays if they want to. Perhaps pictures will inspire more experimentation and risk-taking.
Currently, I’m preparing two of my pastels for a show called The Images of Healing Art Show to be held in Placerville, California in late September through the end of October, 2010. I’ll be photographing these images and posting them on my blog next week, so please look for them; I’ll also include the narratives that will accompany the images in the show. For me, given that I underwent surgery before I learned to speak, words are not always the best medium for understanding and healing from trauma. Pictures are often the only words I have.