Creating Community in Times of Uncertainty. Tania.
Tania and I met through the Toronto Art Therapy Institute in 2018. When Tania’s monumental relocation to Sioux Lookout and the Covid-19 Lockdown occurred simultaneously, we reached out to maintain our connection through virtual visits and the sharing of our creative experiences. In such isolating and transitional times connecting to others through art became a mutual goal. Tania included me in her art-exchange mailing of her miniature paintings, and I feel blessed to have “Dissolving into the Light” as a new addition to my art collection in 2020 (photo at bottom of post). Her paintings are incredibly rich in colour and form, with layers of imagery, symbols and content that connect the threads of thoughts and feelings. Tania understands the value of creative expression as a therapeutic intervention and outlet for health and wellness (being both an active artist herself and art therapy practitioner), and is passionate about providing the means for others’ self-expression and healing through the visual arts and psychotherapy modalities. Thanks for sharing your story Tania, and the beautiful art work that has emerged from your incredibly personal, and self-reflective creative journey. It is inspiring!. I imagine the creative and authentic lens that informs your writing about your pandemic experiences and expressive process will resonate with many who read this post.
Tania’s Story:
2020 was a year of upheaval, unpredictability, reflection and renewal. The emergence of a global pandemic brought a newfound focus and appreciation for what it meant to have a sense of community in times of uncertainty.
My world shifted into more instant messaging, emails, video calls at the touch of a screen, and yet I still felt disconnected from those around me. Despite the myriad of technological advances and high speed internet, this void couldn’t be filled. The ease of communicating digitally got me through the endless rotation of covid lockdowns, however, I still felt as though some aspect of our human-ness faded into the dull glow of our cell phones and computer screens.
I turned to painting as a way to reconnect to myself through the loneliness, uncertainty, and fatigue that became my covid world. Painting rooted me back into myself. With it’s endless creative possibilities and inherent meditative qualities, it gave me the spaciousness I needed to feel at home in myself and in a world that was no longer familiar to me.
My small creations began to accumulate around me; colourful little mirrors unapologetically reflecting parts of myself back. Inner landscapes became physical manifestations in the form of paintings, and at the same time of their inception, the very human need to connect on a deeper level with others began to bubble up inside of me.
I decided to reach out to friends and family to set up a creative art exchange through the archaic form of letter writing and post. Why did it feel strange to suggest receiving anything in the mail that wasn’t an amazon package or online purchase? To my surprise, this creative art exchange evolved to include many different forms of expression in return, including drawing, painting, poetry, original music, pen drawings, and fibre art.
The creative process demands us to slow down, sit at a table, and write and create with intention and deliberation. This new pace reminded me that despite its speed, instantaneous connection sometimes lacks the ability to reach the nuanced edges of our human experience; something I desperately craved in my covid bubble of one.
“Searching for the Familiar” • Tania Santer
Through this process, I began to value the connection to myself and others in new and exciting ways. Art, when shared, has the ability to bridge our experiences and create new connections. One of my favourite authors and myth tellers, Dr. Martin Shaw once stated that, “we make things holy by the quality of attention we give them.” Perhaps what is needed most in a world that can be reached at our fingertips is quality of attention, not only to ourselves, but those around us. Thankfully, art in all of it’s manifestations, is the vehicle that can get us there.
Go make something, and stay curious!
“Dissolving into the Light” • Tania Santer
Follow Tania.
Tania Santer DTATI, RP
www.taniasanter.com
Read Tania’s other posts:
“Bridging connection through isolation. An art therapist’s personal account of combating isolation with creativity” • AGO Blogpost • April 2020
”How art therapy could help your COVID-19 blues” • CBC Blogpost • August 2020