The Artist of Life
The concept of Recovery has been introduced into service in 2010 by New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association and this year, it has entered its 10th anniversary. One of the elements of the concept of Recovery is "Strength-based". In recent years, the Association has proactively nurtured and enhanced the personal advantages of people in recovery through various aspects of work, including art.
Art as Nutrition in Life
As the four seasons alternate, the vividness of mother nature and human beings would be reflected in different strength of light, coloration and silhouettes. Expression of art could be noble, as well as specific. As long as a person live out his or her style and characteristic, anyone can be an artist of life.
To a people in recovery (PIR), art is an indispensable component of nutrition in life. Through art therapy, a rehabilitee may, rapidly or slowly, catch up with the pace of normal and better life by bringing out the unique ability of his/her own. As indicated by Carmen, who has been working as the manager of New Life Sheltered Workshop in Art Therapy for more than a decade, to a mental illness rehabilitee, art is more than just talent and accomplishment. It could be divided into two streams, to create great art pieces for the talented, and to simply ameliorate the current situation of life for the ordinaries.
‘They had suffered enough pain and deserve much more colorful life. In the world of art, there is no right or wrong, as the definition of beauty varies enormously from person to person. My students may indulge their imagination and talent in creation with no limitation, the outcome could be surprising.’ said Carmen.
Carmen discovered that, for the majority of PIR the meaning of art is more like a channel to connect with people and the outside world, making life better; whilst few talented students would have created impressive pieces of artwork.
Recovery and Art
Five years ago, Carmen decided to open drawing class at New Life Building Sheltered Workshop for PIR to learn knowledge and skills of art, and to put them in practice. As time went by, she had witnessed development of many students as well as the curative effect of art therapy, ‘They had not only created a lot of outstanding art pieces, but more excitingly gained enjoyment during the process. The classes had taught them to be sensitive to the instant pleasure and to take good care of their body, mind and spirit.’
New Life has successfully applied for the Arts Development Fund for Persons with Disabilities under Social Welfare Department to implement the program, namely "藝術330—藝術培訓發展計劃” for a period of 18 months. The program aims to promote the popularization of art, develop systematic art courses, and provide special art training to enhance the confidence of PIR / service users and let their talents shine.
Meanwhile, a brand new project, namely "Gift330” is about to be launched by New Life so as to integrate the art achievements of PIR into the daily life of the public. The project will be launched in the second quarter of this year, please stay tuned.