Zentangle

A friend of mine showed me the Zentangle about a year ago. I came across it again today online, and its really interesting. I made a couple of them in my journal, and it really is relaxing. It took my mind off the stress of graduate school for a little while. It reminds me of a less contained mandala drawing. In fact, I think I like this method more than the mandala because I get to make my own borders to the drawing instead of being confined in the circle form. Not that I'm saying a zentangle is better than a mandala. They both have good uses, and are appealing in different situations with different populations.



Try making your zentangle, especially if you're stressed right now. You'll love it :)

Temple Grandin- Thinking in Pictures

I am currently writing a research paper about Art Therapy for children with Asperger's Syndrome. One of my favorite resources has been Temple Grandin's book, Thinking In Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life With Autism. I have wanted to see the movie about her life for a while now, and came across a beautiful clip on youtube:



Ten Minutes with Temple
Great Interview with Temple about Asperger's Syndrome in the workplace, and building life skills and experiences.
"I'm very concerned how the schools are taking out the hand's on classes because that's where these kids can get turned on. If I hadn't had art when I was a young kid, I would've just gotten nowhere."

"Too often, there is too much emphasis on the deficit and not enough emphasis on building the area of strength."

If you're interested in learning about autism, I highly suggest reading Grandin's book. The movie looks amazing as well, from what I've seen. If you're interested in learning more about Art Therapy in the treatment of Autism, check out Nicole Martin's Art as an Early Intervention Tool for Children with Autism. Another great book about Autism and Art Therapy is Art Therapy with Children on the Autistic Spectrum: Beyond Words by Kathy Evans and Janek Dubowski. Both books are great resources for those who are interested in what art therapy has to offer to children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

Art Therapy for Eating Disorders

Art Therapy: Be the Change You Want to See

Make a Wish Doll :)

Interview with Art Therapists from the Netherlands

This video is so insightful for anyone who wants to become an art therapist or who is simply interested in art therapy :)

Its been a while.

Writing on this blog feels like catching up with an old friend.
It shouldn't have been this long since I've written, where has the time gone? lol

The end of the semester is approaching and so many things have changed in the course of a few months. Most of the changes are really good, exciting changes :)
First of all, I recently found out that I have the opportunity to become a "studio assistant" at my university. This is basically a glamorous way of saying that in exchange for a studio space, I get to clean up the drawing and ceramics studios. I'm thrilled just to have a place to go and work on art after I graduate. Plus, I'll get to keep in touch with all of my friends who are graduating next semester.
I'm still looking for volunteer work; that search will get a bit more serious once the semester officially ends.
Monday is my peer review, where I'll discuss my artistic development from my first undergraduate studio class to my last. I have to submit an image CD, which gave me the opportunity to take updated photos of my work. I'm going to post some of the images on this blog since I said that I would share my artwork on here at some point lol

I can't believe that my undergraduate career is coming to an end. The last 3 and a half years have gone by so fast. This school has truly become a second home to me. I feel so lucky that I won't have to pack up right away and that I'll get the chance to continue my work. I have so many ideas for sculptures and paintings and prints- I can't wait to get started :D