WHATS IN MY TOOLBOX?

​Although relatively new to my various roles as a Creativity Coach / Facilitator, Therapeutic Arts Practitioner and Arts and Wellness Consultants, I have a toolbox that I have been building and developing over not just years, but decades. This toolbox is an interdisciplinary mashup of education and practices that are not always utilized at the same time and in the same way. First of all, I am a practicing artist working in the mediums of photography and drawing. I have exhibited my work locally, regionally and nationally. Along with my practice as an artist I have also worked for a number of years in the commercial photographic industry. Ironically, my formal studies in fine arts was both an interruption and provided real growth to my practice as an artist. In many ways the Bachelor of Fine Arts I received was more of a study in project management than learning to make images or being creative.

​Another important component found in my toolbox is my practice as a community - based educator. My first experiences as an educator was as a continuing education instructor of Introductory Photography courses. Admittedly I started teaching these courses years before I had received any formal training in Art Education and Adult Education. Both of these academic trajectories had me traveling down different very different paths. After completing the Bachelor of Education (Visual Arts Specialist) program I knew that teaching in the formal education system was not going to be a good fit for me, although the knowledge gained from this program has been invaluable in my practice as a community based educator. It was, and continues to be my formal studies in Adult Education and some twenty five years of experiences, that has proven to be one of the most important tools in my present practices that I previously mentioned, In fact it was in and through my adult education practice where I began to design, facilitate and manage so many arts based and arts infused learning programs for a diverse range of learners with diverse abilities. In reality I was actually engaged in the creativity coaching, therapeutic arts and arts and wellness practices without identifying them as such.

Today these new practices are very much interconnected. I initially engaged in formal studies to become a  Therapeutic Arts Practitioner to complement my practice as a Creativity Coach / Facilitator. Then I discovered that could be a separate practice. As a Therapeutic Arts Practitioner I am now facilitating therapeutic arts / creative wellness programs for groups and individuals who want to explore new ways to address such issues as self - expression, stress reduction, personal growth and mental wellbeing. Because of this new practice I found myself exploring and engaging in studies of positive psychology even completing an accredited program as a Certified Strengths Practitioner. These studies in positive psychology have also led to the professional coach training program leading to becoming a Certified Flourishing Creativity Coach, as well as the Arts and Wellness Consulting practice. 
Complimenting and informing these relatively new practices are an array of the other tools in my toolbox such as my studies in non – profit sector management, design thinking, community engagement and photo - based therapeutic processes. Interestingly, brining me back full circle to the camera where this all started.