Healing Through Art-Making: How Collage Helped Reverse a Serious Diagnosis
We all know there is art therapy, but how many of us artists (creatives) have used it for its healing potential. Because we make art, design, illustrations, write books, etc for a living sometimes we don’t think to tap into art for its ability to heal.
This week we are talking to Ann Ford a longtime guest of the show. She is an associate professor of graphic design at Virginia State University and has written many books on packaging design among running her own design firm. Ann is going to open up about how her art practice (collage both digital and physical) has helped her in her diagnosis and treatment of a rare disease.
Her practice of making collages is a huge part of her healing and reversing the effects of this dangerous disease.
I hope you will join us LIVE for Episode 488 LIVE on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 7:30pm GMT / 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT / 9:30am in Hawaii. Sign up here to get the link delivered to your inbox. https://creativesignite.com/signup
Don’t forget Imaginember has begun!!! Do you want to get in the habit of exercising your imagination with less than 15 minutes a day during the month of November? Then join me and sign up! https://creativesignite.com/imaginember-2024/
Listen here
Questions
Ann, can you give everybody a little background about you and why you started doing collage?
Ann can you share your creation process for these? Do you start with an idea or look at your ephemera?
Since you work both analog and digitally, when do you start on paper and use traditional analog materials or when do you start digitally?
How often are you sitting down to make these?
How did you carve out time when your schedule was so tight?
You have changed your space recently, how did you organize your space to allow you to be able to make space for collage making?
Since this was really a part of healing for you, the goal was not to share them or sell them. What about new pieces, will you sell your work? How will you share your work?
How often are you making new pieces?
How did making and creating daily and in small pieces of time become so normal? I think we all feel like we don’t have time to do something like this. You HAD to make changes and your schedule was extremely tight and stressful. What would you tell someone who says they don’t have time? What materials or space do they need to create?
Your creation was really for you, the goal was not selling or sharing. You were making for yourself, creating for healing. How do you shift your mindset to this when so much of your life has been using your art to make money?
What has been your favorite collage you have created so far?
What’s next for you?
Connect with Ann
Website: http://chambers-design.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/annford6462
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chambersdesign/
Email: ann.ford@chambers-design.com
Transcript
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