OATA Virtual Art Hive 2022.

Art Therapists Connecting & Creating in Community.

Helping to develop a Virtual Art Hive has been a passion project and goal for me since joining the Ontario Art Therapy Association Board in 2021. I am so incredibly pleased to see it come to fruition in 2022. Through in-person trainings and connecting with others around the Art Hive model I could see the benefits of creating an online community of practice. One where therapists support therapists and engage in meaningful creativity for personal restoration (and SEUS - safe and effective use of self) sharing a special place to gather in these isolating times.

“The use of art making to access our inner awareness and wisdom helps us stay authentically connected to the experience of our clients in art therapy. It also helps us to develop and maintain a trusting relationship with our own artistic process, which is critical if we are to be authentic in our encouragement of clients to do the same.”

— Bruce Moon

Such gratitude to all those who have inspired and supported this creative journey .. from the amazing teachings of Janis Timm-Bottos and Rachel Chainey and all presenters during the Art Hive Winter Institute and Art Hive Symposium in 2019 (and all those in the trainings with me), Susan Beniston who founded Sheridan’s Art Hives Initiative, Pat Allen and her model for the open studio process, Barbara Fish and her ‘Art for Peace’ group that has been gathering for twenty years, Cynthia Morin for her wonderful Art Hive major project and practicum that introduced Art Hives as a potential practice model for the Toronto Art Therapy Institute, Patricia Ki for her support and guidance in making this into a sustainable practicum at TATI, and all of the student facilitators I have had the joy to supervise and experience their care and wisdom since 2021 when it began.

I am so pleased now in 2022 that we are going into cycle 5 of the TATI Online Art Hive as a vital community support. With the support from my fellow OATA board members (Melita, Hannah and Saba) and the active members participating each month OATA’s Art Hive Initiative has also begun to take root and blossom.

A New OATA Creative Initiative.

On Wednesday February 23rd we had our first OATA Virtual Art Hive for our membership facilitated by Cynthia Morin, and came together in community to create and share. Some of the closing reflections from our participants/OATA members included words like ‘powerful’, ‘nurturing’, ‘needed’….

Cynthia’s Invitation to Members.

All welcome to join us to create and connect in community with others.
No art making experience necessary.
Use any materials you have on hand for self-directed art making.
Put aside time for yourself for creativity and connections, with yourself and others.

A mid-week de-stress and play date:
Running the last Wednesday of every month.

**Sharing Creations from OATA’s February Art Hive.**

Cynthia gently guided us in the art hive space, providing a much needed time for all of us (as individuals, therapists and creative souls) to connect in community and to support our personal self-care through creative exploration gently witnessed and held by the other participants. Our first community gathering in the virtual space became supportive and engaging in so many ways as we shared our art, thoughts, ideas and resources.

From our initial group check-in and sharing of materials and creative exploration ideas, came discussion around therapeutic and spontaneous scribble drawings, the influences of Neurographic art, the spontaneous nature of drawing with one’s non-dominant hand, and the meditative nature of mark making through repetition.

“Every single line means something. ”

— Jean-Michel Basquiat

“It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.”Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”

— Brené Brown

“The wonderful thing about doodling is that it is a whole brain activity—spontaneous, at times unconscious, self-soothing, satisfying, exploratory, memory-enhancing, and mindful. In essence, doodling (and drawing and painting and making things in general) can be a self-regulating experience as well as a pleasurable road map of thoughts and ideas.”

— Cathy Malchiodi

“We drop like pebbles into the ponds of each other’s souls, and the orbit of our ripples continues to expand, intersecting with countless others ”

— JOAN Z. BORYSENKO

“Simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”

— Paulo Coelho

Read about the Benefits.

Doodling Your Way to a More Mindful Life • by Cathy Malchiodi • Psychology Today • 2014.
What does doodling do? • by Jackie Andrade • Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24 • 2010.
The “thinking” benefits of doodling • by Srini Pillay, MD, Contributor • Harvard Health Publishing • 2016.

Neurographic Art.

Neurographic Art Tutorial : Mindfulness In Art • Video by Bethany Thiele • 2020
Neurographic Art - Basic Techniques • Video by Alison Hazel Art • 2021

The OATA Art Hive will be running the last Wednesday of every month
You can find the form on our website under New and Events - Workshop.
Members can register for this event at: https://oata.ca/event/oata-art-hive/ and a zoom link will be sent the day of the event.
Consider these important self-care hours in our CRPO QA reflections and self assessments.

Follow OATA.

Website: www.oata.ca
Follow on Instagram: @ontarioarttherapyassociation

TATI Online Art Hive 2022.

Tuesday Evenings
May 10 - June 28, 2022.
6-8 pm EDT
Facilitated by student art therapists at The Toronto Art Therapy Institute.
To register and learn more about this virtual community art hive please visit https://tati.on.ca/online-art-hive/.

Note: Art shared with consent by the OATA art hive participants.

OATA Virtual Art Hive 2022.