7. The Process

As I began this assignment I talked about how this is the ‘colour within the work’ - the real point of it all. The process can be about learning understanding skills with the sphere of art, internal and personal skills as well as life skills that can be used within the everyday.

Artistic Behaviour

Dissanayake (1988) discusses how there is a deep, primal and ‘evolutionary need’ in us all to create art and express ourselves. This can be through the opportunity to experience ‘Artistic Behaviour’ where no label of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is inferred on an end product. The important part is the journey of creating it.

This is one of my personal guiding principles in my approach to community arts. I have experienced and ‘bared’ witness to this many times and although it is difficult to capture, like so many other community artists I know it exists.

About Art

This is about exploring the meaning of art –through physically creating work and experimenting with materials, to the more thematic and conceptual such as the appreciation and integrity of the image or qualities and traits of art.

Identifiable Qualities and Meaning

The Art work created can have qualities that the creator can appreciate –either thematically, techniques or through impaired senses (Aspell, 1976). Or, perhaps merely identify – artwork doesn’t just have to be ‘liked’. Goulding (2012) discusses the use of contemporary art specifically to spark debate and critical thinking towards their own lives.

In my experience of going to exhibitions with other groups, such as to the John Moore’s exhibition (Oct 2012), there were many pieces there that members had something to say about.

Through using an external stimulus, this again enhances group interactions by providing a ‘safer’ focal point for discussion. Art can be used to explore difficult issues, such as health and cancer (Barrett, 2011).

Meaning can also be about something unique to the individual and that “will change their lives”, rather than based on academic views (Barrett, 2011: 92).

About the Person

Various studies have shown that being involved in regular activities can result in health promotion and stabilisation, disease prevention and reducing the risks factors for long-term care, better health, fewer doctor visits, more positive responses to mental health measures and more involvement in overall activities (Cohen, 2006) and maintaining independence and reducing dependency.

These activities can help build participants confidence, self-esteem, fulfilment towards self-actualisation and feeling valued as a contributing member of society.

With older people and their memories and experiences, they have ability to pass on their “Wisdom, vitality and the cultural legacy of older people” (Larson & Perlstein, 2003: 149). Goulding (2012) also talks about contributing to society through creative writing and story-telling; a feeling shared by many arts organisations such as Elders Share the Arts in New York, USA.

Life Skills

Life skills can include Creative Thinking which can help people problem-solve, be flexible and adaptable in their thinking. This can assist in coping with change.

Making Decisions

Making decisions can be a difficult goal for some people and through creating artwork, decisions have to be made. This process doesn’t always have to be easy. Challenge is needed for the mind to maintain itself. Through their experiences of running Elders Share the Arts in New York, USA, Larson and Perlstein (2003) writes “Arts programs provide such challenge: older adults learn new skills and modes of expression, discover new aspects of themselves, and find new ways to perceive the world.” (p.146)

Reminiscence and Life Review

Larson & Perlstein (2003) discuss the positive outcomes and use of reminiscence within art. We all reminisce regardless of age and use ‘sense memories’ to interact with our past (p148). This can be through story-telling or creating visual imagery. Goulding (2012) discusses the links between reminiscence and mental health, suggesting that research into this field has found that reminiscence and “life review” can help people come to terms with unresolved conflicts, find meaning and purpose in their lives particularly towards the end of their life (p.218)

Although this may not always be a predominant aim of each project, through general group discussion “general” reminiscence work can occur (Gibson, 2006; 21).

Specifically discussing visually impaired people, but relevant to everyone are qualities such as flexibility to new problems (Aspell, 1976) and adapting to change.

Greater Than the Sum

The process within the project has been rewarding to experience. Members have developed their individual thinking and the group dynamic in order to achieve and celebrate their exhibition. Decisions were made, sometimes reluctantly, but a group language and process was shared in order to as Lawson describes a “a natural unselfconscious action-based approach” (2006: 19)

Next...Conclusion and References