I was lucky enough to be a part of a webinar this week, led by a graduate student at the University of Florida down in Gainesville, named Nicole Morgan. She is studying the growing relationship between Health- be it mental health, physical health challenges, and beyond- specifically within the field of sequential arts.
Basically what she is doing, is studying the relationship between the level of empathy that students in the health sector of her school exhibit for patients, and patient memoirs in the form of comics. These comics sequentially describe any medical trauma or difficulty that a patient experiences, in the form of a cartoon, drawn out so that the reader may understand feelings that may be invisible. The best example was a comic of a woman, that depicts her growing anxiety as black scribbles, floating and growing above her head, making it harder to live her daily life.
After her presentation, the floor was open for questions and discussion; a man inquired about the fact that memoirs could be alienating for others to read to try and explain certain aspects of medical conditions that people who are not suffering from, might have difficulty understanding.
Personally, I disagree with this man's opinion. I think the memoirs are a way for humans with differing conditions and ailments to be able to connect, understand each other, attempt to empathize. Normally, an intense personal account of a sensitive subject would not be appealing. Vulnerability can make people uncomfortable, but the comic style aspect makes it uniquely euphemistic to the reader. This allows these student-subjects in her study, to empathize with, sometimes tragic, stories at a safe enough distance so not to effect their own emotional wellbeing, judgement, or ability to work objectively with these patients.
Interestingly enough, she also spoke of bringing in a professional artist to help some of her subjects express themselves, their experiences, and emotions, in the form of a comic to be shared with others. To me, this reveals an interesting aspect of art therapy, in the sense that, it can be euphemistic -maybe even cathartic -for someone suffering from an ailment to share their struggles through this medium. More and more, the medical world is discovering ways that the arts reveal a calming path to communicating, and working through emotional distress and experiences in a way that other methods haven't been able to accomplish in the same way.
In my personal experience, art has always been a cathartic outlet for everything I may have bundled up inside without even realizing, and I look forward to my future in exploring this field and all of the ways it can open up individuals in any situation.
In other news, this is a piece I painted recently called, "Kristin"
My goal was to represent the attitude, demeanor, emotions, and character of this woman in the textures of her hair, her dress, and her surroundings. I painted this almost completely with acrylic pouring paint, and I tried to create some contrast between the environment she is in and the colors coming from her as a person. I also got some inspiration from the style of Gustav Klimt, specifically in the colors in "kristin"s dress compared to parts of the color scheme in "The Kiss".
Until Next Time,
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