Craft For Health

Art Has Helped Me Heal my Childhood Wounds by Sue Zipkin

 
 

I have Dyslexia,  I am a child of an alcoholic, and I was one of those kids who was picked on and bullied.   I have dealt with all kinds of self-esteem issues over the years. As I experienced much pain growing up I also found pleasure and ways to escape and connect through my art. Ever since I was five years old I knew that I wanted to be an artist. For me being an artist isn't just a career, it is who I am, it is how I function, and it is how I survive and enjoy the world.

 

 Thinking back I recall feeling I was not good at much, but my artwork was always something I knew I was good at and could turn to while I was experiencing a lot of pain. My mother was under a lot of stress due to the alcoholism; she was unhappy and dealt with that by yelling and screaming, being impatient and critical of me. Still there is a lot about our relationship I am grateful for. She passed away when I was 18 and it took me a few years but I was able to forgive her for the anger towards me and I was able to embrace the goodness that she left with me.  My dad also passed away about 20 years ago. They both gave me a gift  by paying for me to go to art school and they shared kind words about my artwork all the time.  My mom bought me craft kits, I always looked forward to those kits and if it was not for that encouragement I got about my artwork from my parents, I have no idea what I would be doing today. Just a little seed of support can heal so much pain.

 

 

 I still struggle with dyslexia. Luckily, though, I have been able to compensate  with my artwork and build  a businesses  for myself.   I think I was extremely fortunate that I was so driven with my artwork and have always been so passionate about it; I just keep on going in a very challenging market.   Currently I have a blog and I still struggle with the written word.  I mostly use that to feature my artwork and share things that inspire me such as photographs I take.  I type with two fingers or I use my Dragon  dictation program for the Mac .  Currently I juggle doing artwork and handling the business end of my work.  

 

Everyone tells me that my artwork is very happy and playful. When I was in art school, right after I lost my mom, I created some heavy duty surrealistic fantasy artwork. At the time it was definitely something I needed to do. I would  escape into a little details  and create strange creatures; it helped me cope with  losing my mother when I was so young, and living with my father who was still drinking  heavily. At some point i learned that in order to earn a living from my art I would need to paint  happy things actually it was natural for me to do and I started really enjoying it. 

 

 At this time in my life I cannot even imagine painting anything else but happy artwork. One of the things that makes my career so rewarding is hearing how my artwork has brought joy to other people and has been therapy for them. I have designed dinnerware over the years and people become very attached to their designs and some have shared really touching stories with me about their dinnerware.  

 

I am so grateful to everyone who connects with and buys my artwork, they also have helped me heal the little sad girl who always wanted to be liked. I am blessed to be able to earn a living

from what has helped heal me. 

 

This is a thought for everyone and especially those who might not be doing art for a living, if you are afraid to create out of fear that what you create will not be good enough,  I want to share that most of the artists I know have dealt with all kinds of rejection in there careers.  I have learned it is important to find balance in creating what I think the market might want and what I enjoy creating.   No matter if your trying to do this to earn a living or just for your own inner healing, I think it is important your artwork comes from your HEART and you find your own unique voice.

Everyone has one...it is already inside you, play and have fun....creativity is for all of us to enjoy. 

 

My art can be found on many products including greeting cards, stationery, home décor, paper party goods, scrapbook pages, fabric, and more,  I am most recognized for my top selling dinnerware and fabric designs.   You can find more of my artwork at  http://suezipkin.typepad.com/

Sadness and Depression Overcome with Craft Therapy by Sandy Mastroni

I grew up with loving parents but ours was a house of sadness and depression .

My brother suffered with a mental illness and each day we walked on eggshells wondering what would happen next .

 

Colored pencils , ink, fabric , paper and clay were my salvation . Later in life Jesus became my salvation . He gave me art to get through the hard times and then when I was older I understood His loving kindness toward me I still create something everyday .  

Dolls , paintings , illustrations or pillows .  I don't feel alone and scared now . Now , because of His promises to me I can create something each day with joy .  [ My first name is actually Sandra Joy ]

You can see my work on my blog and there you will find links to my etsy shop , Flickr pages and the galleries that carry my work .

http://smastroni.blogspot.com

http://sandymastroni.etsy.com 

Insecure and Critical of Myself From my Job Burn by Susan Vernicek

My two driving forces in life from a young age were to run my own business and have a positive influence on others. Like many fine women I know, I’ve always had to work hard for what I wanted. I’m a native New Jersey girl from Wharton, where I still reside, and have always had a creative spirit. After graduating with a Fine Arts degree and a dual focus in Graphic Design and Photography from Frostburg State University, I had a tough time finding a job.  I decided to spread my wings and spend a summer in London with a friend.  When I came back, I had a renewed sense of purpose, and found a job in the graphics department of a medical company. While I learned quite a bit with many unique experiences, I found my inspiration from my bad experiences within the company.

 

I spent five years working closely with pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and others in the medical field.  I would work on rating scales for doctors. The scales looked like a poster with a number of images. The scales show progressive improvement from ‘before’ to ‘after' for Botox injections, plastic surgery, etc. The images are altered to match a grading system that the doctors validate. The grading would range from zero to five, for example, with five showing a severe case of improvement. There was such an intense process that these scales went through to be approved, but the process made me feel insecure and very critical on my skin and body. I always judged men and women's features based on my current project and ended up comparing myself to others. It was mentally exhausting!

 

For example, I would take my photo; they used my face model for a few scales.  So here I am, working on my face for hours, removing and adding wrinkles according to the scale. I would have to create the scale in stages of wrinkles from none to severe. Every day at home I would critique my face! I couldn’t get the imperfections out of my head and couldn’t get away from the mirror fast enough. I was always dissecting my face and my features. It was a vicious cycle that I am happy to be out of, yet thankful for at the same time because the end result was Identity.

 

Being a woman with many interests, and all the same concerns as my female counterparts, I relied on the media for information that could help improve and inspire my life. Through my own discontentment with all the in-your-face ads and useless information about diet fads, fashion trends, and celebrity gossip found in other magazines - Identity was born. I believe our role models should be in our everyday lives; not photo-touched fashion plates on a page. Identity is my gift to every woman, for being who she is, and the best that she can be. I hope you check it out and enjoy it.