"I need the solitary and dreamy joy of an artist to be satisfied in life, or rather, to be able to bear with life." (Hermann Hesse ) I’ve always had a special relationship with art. People have different constants in life, things that are there to stay. For me one of these few constants is art. Many things come and go as I change destination. I change my mind often and I’m always curious to explore new roads, but art seems to stick with me. Each branch of art that I practice reveals a new side of me, maybe unknown. Many moments and feelings that I don’t find the ways to describe in an usual conversation are grasped in song lyrics, notes, writings and handcrafts. Over the past few years especially, I’ve been reflecting a lot about the therapeutic function of art, something that goes beyond beauty. I experienced profound feelings of liberation while creating. Catharsis – defined as the purification or purgation of the emotions (such as pity and fear) primarily through art – is the closest term to what I felt. It seems like when we give emotions another shape, it’s easy for us to process them and find resilience. In this article I want to share with you some personal reflections about different forms of art and how they contributed to my self-development and healing. Writing songs I’ve been singing ever since the age of 4, but only roughly 1 year ago did I start to write songs. Expressing through song writing helped me cope with strong emotions. When transformed in lyrics and put on some easy chords, sadness was easier to accept and understand. So was grief. So was confusion. So was anger. Joy was celebrated. Melancholy found home in jazz chords. Reflections about the world stuck in my brain for yet too long were finally expressed when I started to write songs. Playing an instrument (the ukulele) helped me connect with the sound and rhythm and awakened in me the innocent explorer (sometimes I like to find new chords simply by trying out, without knowing the chord in advance, just like children). Writing songs also allowed me to face my inner critic, always telling me that my songs are too simple, too raw, too repetitive, that my recordings were too bad, that the strumming was lame. But listening to my songs brought me peace, even if maybe they were not perfect, even if when I wrote the first song I only knew 5 chords. The songs hold a glimpse of my joy or my pain, a story taking shape through a mixture of sounds and words in different languages. And then randomly one day I sent my inner critic for a long walk and I decided to share my songs with the world. My idea was to share raw recording made mainly with my phone, unedited, unsophisticated, simple but emotional. Although it might seem like a tiny thing, for me it was a milestone. Sharing my songs and their stories with the world brings me profound joy. I’ll leave here a link to my Youtube Channel, in case you wanna take a look. Handcrafts When I immerse myself in creating something with the hands it seems like the annoying mental dialogues are slowly fading, being replaced by contemplation. Giving shape to something and seeing it in front of my eyes gives me motivation. I feel productive, connect things in my mind with more ease and see everything from a more resilient perspective. Repeating the same movement clears the mind. At the same time I feel free to try out new shapes, to put together different materials. Painting, knitting, wraping wire, bulding things with natural materials (seeds, tree bark, seedpods, cinnamon), carving, clay work, each practice gives new insights. There’s something raw, ancient, tribal that comes together with handcrafts. Which is not surprising, considering our ancestors used to build everything with their hands, from their food and clothes to their shelters. When I look at my creations from over the years, I can trace the path of my personal journey. It’s incredible how much we can actually express through the way we make things. Journaling
My journal is an old friend, I write journals since I was about 11. This tiny notebook that captures glimpses of my journey has been a silent refuge for years. Keeping a diary helps track and understand emotional processes. There are various ways of journaling out there. You can narrate what happens each day; you can keep a bullet journal to organize your tasks and thoughts and keep yourself motivated; or you can try out flow of consciousness - writing down all the thoughts that come to mind without interruption, consistence or judgement. These are some examples; there are so many ways of journaling. Lately I enjoy this last thing I mentioned, the flow of consciousness. I like to start the day clearing my mind of thoughts. I once read this book “The Artist’s way” by Julia Cameron. The author suggests that writing 3 full pages of whatever nonsense that comes to our mind as first thing in the morning helps us unleash our creative potential and become less self-judgemental. For me it works, I feel so relieved after this practice. Fluid dancing and embodiment Free fluid movement on music helps us embody our emotional state and become conscious of our bodily sensations. Tension is released when we allow the body to express. Just the simple act of changing our posture or our way of walking can give us a different perspective. Dancing helps me access different states: calm, liberation, trance, bliss, joy, sensuality, self-appreciation. Many internal blockages are released as I move. During the global lockdown, dancing was essential to me. It was the moment when I could move freely, even if I had to stay indoors. It felt nice to move, to experience this fluidity regardless of the circumstances. Well, it got late and I wrote so many words already. I get so inspired when talking about art and how it heals. I am curious to know about your journey. What kind of creative endeavours bring you healing? Do you create the space for yourself where you can experience them? Feel free to share your thoughts with me at [email protected] or on Instagram (@kara_hanami)
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