My Final - Deanna Currington

 

Myyyy Final!!!

My project is called Safe space poetry. My goal is to show MST (military sexual trauma) victims or anybody for that matter how to practice mindfulness by creating poetry. Not just regular poetry but Black out poetry. The way I do Blackout poetry is by getting a chapter book and pulling the pages from the book. Get a sharpie or any marker and on one side of the page you mark out any words you DO NOT want. Only leaving the words or phrases you want to keep. This is how you create the poem. It doesn’t need to rhythm or anything. You are just finding and collecting words that you resonate with. This is an intervention I would want to take place on military bases, and as a big goal I would love to see this build into everyone’s self-care routine. If I had to pick places though where I would like to see this is military institutions, schools, poetry events, community center This is a safe place. This project fits the profession I want because I want to be an art therapist I want to be able to guide people to better ways to understand and cope with their emotions We are so often focused on the negatives during therapy because we need to release right? But once you release, you need to be affirmed that you're safe. Art therapy is a recognized therapeutic and art intervention. It uses structured artmaking to address mental, emotional, and behavioral health needs. The message I want to get across is we need to take the time to listen to ourselves in the moment. WE NEED TO STOP PUTTING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS FROM THE PAST INTO OUR NOW. WE NEED TO STOP BRINGING OUR ANXIETIES OF THE FUTURE AFFECT OUR NOW. We need to heal that mind and body connection. Calming the nervous system and with that we may be able to anchor ourselves in the present moment because we all know how past trauma, stress, depression or uncertainty can weigh us down. So this is about the art of noticing! But instead, we will be noticing the positive.  Noticing our breathing. Noticing your feet planted on the ground. Noticing that your safe right here and now. And with a calm heart I want you to create this poetry. Don’t overthink this poem. Yes I would like you to feel that calm at heart but if you don’t use that and use this as a release. Some artist that I chose are: 

1. Langston Hughes I look at the world | The Poetry Foundation
2. Maya Angelou Still I Rise
3. Lucille Clifton Won’t you celebrate with me

Maya Angelou “Still I Rise” poem has gotten me through a lot of low times. She reminds me to be resilient and confident in every way. 

~Resources~

1.     1. “Often Kept Secret: Military Sexual Trauma Leaves Lasting Scars”

Military Sexual Assault (MST) is very often underreported. 1 in 3 females and 1 in 50 males have experience MST. What can come with MST is PTSD, Depression, anxiety, guilt, substance abuse disorders and relationship difficulties. One big reason MST is often kept secret is because of how military culture emphasizes being resilient. Yes, being resilience can be a good trait to have but not when you’re drowning with poor mental health.

2. We Are Not Invisible Project.

I Am Not Invisible

This is a project called “We Are Not Invisible”, it began in February 2017. It was created to make women veterans more visible. They wanted to be able to increase awareness and dialogue about women veterans. They also launched a 2.0 campaign in December 2020.

“I Am Not Invisible” – Captain Linda Maloney

3. Military Sexual Trauma and The Monster Inside of Me: Ron Carter (Part 1) The Silenced Voices of MST | iHeart

This is about Ron Carter an army vet that shares his journey and the impact to his mental health after an attack that resulted in military sexual trauma. For some reason this video is hard to find. Every link I find is broken but I was able to find this one.

4. The Relative Impact of Different Types of Military Sexual Trauma on Long-Term PTSD, Depression, and Suicidality - Tara E. Galovski, Lauren B. McSweeney, Mercedes G. Woolley, Elizabeth Alpert, Yael I. Nillni, 2023

This article talks about the long-term outcome of military sexual assault. It also discusses the different types of MST experiences (Harrassment only, Assault only, or Both) while comparing it to a person with no MST. 

~QUOTES~

"We need to treat ourselves well by living full and complete lives, taking breaks, eating well, going on vacations, and doing whatever makes us happy and joyful. our work needs to come out of love."

 

This are the quotes I chose because they match so well with the concept of my performance art. We have gotten so used to the negatives that we have forgotten how to fall in love with life. We don't rest ourselves or find joy in simple things. We need to love ourselves and live with love. We spend too much time judging ourselves and feeling like we aren't good enough, so we forget what it means to be human.

 

"Creative people are born observers."

 

I like this quote because right now it is time to observer the present moment. I feel like we can almost all agree that we no longer live in the moment. We are all so worried about the future or in deep thought about the past, but we don't stop to observe what or who is around us now. When was the last time you looked at yourself slowly? Do you notice any new beauty marks? Cuts? Gray hairs? Do you notice any similarities in your face to your mom or grandma? How beautiful are all of these things when we stop and notice them.

 

What is art intervention? How can artists create messages for an audience that inspire change in a community? How can we use processes/habits to help design an art intervention strategy?

 

Art invention meets the people where they are, which could be street art or memes online. Artists can inspire community change when they create their own lived experiences. That creates a connection to a specific community, and it becomes something that they can all share because they will all be able to see themselves in the work. The processes and habits help create a strategy because it helps us think specifically rather than reacting spontaneously. It allows us to think and ask ourselves who is this for? Where? What am I hoping for out of this? And how?

 

"Where we have been shapes who we are now, as well as what we can imagine for the future."

 

This quote shows the connection between past, present, and future. This makes me see history and my past as a source of strength, resilience, and inspiration. Since art activism pulls from our personal and collective stories, it makes the experience more real to others. Being able to reflect on the past is a way we can push toward change.