Creativity has been central to just about everything I've done in my life. My work as a pediatric occupational therapist pushed me to find creative ways to reach my clients so that they could achieve and reach their goals. As part of that work, I coached parents to guide their little ones, encouraging them to find their own solutions to their child's developmental challenges. I homeschooled my two daughters through middle school. This really pushed me to find ways to make learning both fun and integrated. Was it too beautiful outside to do school in the house? We'd grab the kayaks, get some exercise while paddling (PE), observe the plants and animals around us (nature/biology), and pick up trash around the lake (community service). When we got home, the girls would write a few paragraphs about our adventure (English/writing) and would draw or paint what we saw on the lake (art). Creative integration of learning was my goal.
Animals are a big part of my life. I trained my dog Cassidy to be a certified therapy dog, and as children in the library program read to her, they gained confidence in their reading skills. For many years, I offered occupational therapy services with the help of a horse. Many miraculous things happened in those therapy sessions. The wonders of the generous horse, coupled with creative and fun exercises I developed during the therapy sessions, helped many children and adults with developmental or physical challenges gain skills and confidence.
One of a group of eleven mural birds Patty painted at the Yoga Center of Columbia, 2020
The natural world has always calmed and inspired me. I'm a nature girl through and through! Hiking, kayaking, and soaking in a great swimming hole with friends and family all fill my cup. I love to observe the natural world and photograph what I see on my outings. My close observations of nature help me to be a better artist and deepen my love for creation. Nature provides the raw materials for many artistic endeavors. I love using flowers, for example, to make mandalas or rocks to make sculptures. Feathers, leaves, sticks and cones make fun marks on paintings. I am very dedicated to developing my awareness of the resources I use in my life, and teach that awarenss to all my students during my classes so we can all be a little kinder to Mother Earth.
Recently, I learned that certain nature words -- words like dandelion, heron, raven, and goldfinch -- were being removed from the Oxford Children's Dictionary in favor of words like "upload" and "cut-and-paste". This saddened me because it suggests that children are losing touch with the natural world. After all, what children don't know and love, they won't grow up to protect. Preserving the natural world is so important to me. In response, when I was commissioned to paint birds on the walls of our local yoga center, I made it my mission to create realistic renderings of local birds, labeling them so that people will know them when they see them outdoors. Essentially, I created a wall bird guide!
INTENTIONAL CREATIVITY®, A MINDFUL ART PRACTICE
How did I become interested in a mindful painting practice? In 2018, I stumbled across Intentional Creativity® at a difficult time when loss seemed like my closest companion. Important relationships and activities that had taken up so much of my time suddenly and sadly evaporated, leaving a gaping hole in my life. How did I want to spend my time meaningfully? Looking for a way of deeply expressing myself that felt meaningful and healing, I took an Intentional Creativity® painting class. The process of setting an intention, journaling, and painting layers of colors and images that reflected my feelings fit my needs and nourished me at a time when I felt so depleted. Next, I painted the healed life I wanted to be living. The painting steps are organized so even complete beginners who do not feel they have artistic talent can be successful. I had almost no painting experience at the time. It is a perfect way to mindfully examine what is going on in our lives, asking ourselves questions, listening for answers, all while engaging in color and brush strokes, much like a moving meditation. It can be satisfying, challenging, and healing. I find it transformational.
I painted symbols of all my losses onto the canvas along with the image of a woman with a broken heart mended with gold, a Japanese kintsugi heart. Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer mixed with gold powder. The result is the broken pot is more beautiful and stronger than it was before the repair. This was my intention throughout the painting process: to express my grief and mend my sad heart in order to make it stronger, resilient, and more beautiful. It is through our brokenness that our hearts open wider and we become more compassionate. We see that the challenges others face are much like our own. I found my own heart was much lighter by the end of painting. I felt stronger and better equipped to face the world. Each time I looked at my painting, "She Mends Her Heart with Gold," I felt the healing that it represented. I was hooked!
I use my mindful art practice for whatever I am working on in my life. If I need courage to take a scary step in business, to calm down my inner critic, to act with discernment in a tricky situation, or to figure out how to plan a fun-filled event, it can all be done by creating art with intention. In each step of the creative process, there is a personal inquiry, such as, “What is the old limiting story I keep telling myself that prevents me from moving forward?” Then I paint and listen for what the answer may be. When I receive an answer, the next inquiry is made, for example “What is one courageous action I can take toward fulfilling my dream?” The process of painting is sort of a call and response, with the creator asking, painting, listening for information while creating, and repeating until feeling complete. This is how we can access our own unique inner wisdom and move forward. The image of the divine feminine often is part of the process, with the woman in the painting representing our best selves. This is not a self-portrait, just a symbol of us at that time. Each of my paintings hold personal symbols and messages. When I look at my paintings, I’m reminded of the wisdom and messages gained through the painting experience and to remain true to my highest self.
In 2019, I completed the Color of Woman Teacher Training with Shiloh Sophia. This was a deep dive using Intentional Creativity® in my life, learning that everything we do can be done with loving awareness and intentionality. I'm certified to be teaching and coaching others. Guiding others to access their inner voice while creating is so very joyful and rewarding for me.
I want to acknowledge my wonderful family. They mean so much to me and have supported me through thick and thin. My creativew and wise daughter, Cyndi, has helped me so much with new technology so that I can bring this work to you. My dear husband, Randy, is always supporting me to follow my dreams. He is a wonderful editor since he writes for his work as a climate scientist, and writes creatively as well. I'm very lucky to have such loving support from my family! I also want to acknowledge the community of women who have supported me. I can't imagine a world without my women friends!
