This is another quickly uploaded draft blog post for some professional development, creative learning and self-care opportunities. It will also be an ongoing living document as it is updated throughout the year.

“For more than five years Percy has had the job of professional love-giver. He’s a therapy dog.

Percy specializes in mental health and he’s ready to get back to work where he’s needed most when the Pandemic is over”.

Doodling Part 2… Just add more lines and fun colours!

Doodling like the ‘three-line’ doodle and this ‘stained-glass effect’ doodle are structured doodles that can aid with relaxation through straight forward prompts and repetition of line, form and colour.

Lisa kindly offered to contribute another story this month, sharing her interwoven process of personal journalling and response art…. “Art journaling continues to be part of my self-care practice. The photos show, again, the process of how I create my art journal pages. I started with a page of my favourite meditation…” - Lisa

Do you doodle? … Doodling is a way to relax and unwind and studies show that doodling can actually help you focus.

MAY 2021… “The Art Hive at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute is back for springtime art-making! An art hive is a community art studio and a welcoming place to talk, create, connect, share skills and build community”

Spring is here! Sharing a creative prompt and pandemic story. This is an invitation to engage with art, nature and a little line drawing. Flowers can generate ideas for playful drawing, especially when exploring lines, shapes and patterns.

A Book by Andrea Fray-Bowen

“This is a memoir of my personal and professional experiences working with seniors and their families. As a social worker I've worked with individuals with both physical and cognitive impairments in both the community and various long-term care settings. Although lots of supports exist for primary caregivers, little time is geared towards helping children make sense of what is happening”.

This is really open - your story to share….something about creativity, interests, art as therapy, the self-care piece, health, the role of art in the Pandemic, connecting with others with your art, connecting with nature, supporting the self etc. …A meaningful story to you!.

…Providing a current listing of blog stories and categories so you can select the creative prompts and topics of interest. This is a gentle and encouraging invitation to participate in the AP Connections Blog in various ways. You Decide. Share your Creativity. Engage. Make Your Mark. Connect with Others…

MAY 2021… Sharing CATA-ACAT news from their ‘Wisdom Wednesdays’ Series. The ‘May Works Festival of Working People & the Arts’ runs until May 31st, 2021.

”Creating art, being aware of the process, and observing the art upon completion are all different experiences. Each part of the overall process tells us something about our different selves. There is a growth that occurs within the artist from the beginning to the end of a painting.”

Sharing a current listing of blog stories so you can select the topics and stories of interest. Enjoy!

”It is a series of moments, a reflective visually expressive narrative of my Pandemic journey and the Legacy created from the everyday gems of joy, comfort and support of the lived experience.”

Throughout the pandemic I have created hope-themed art to share with others and reflect upon myself as an artist and art therapist. With this piece, I wanted to to show how hope surrounds and and rises above the chaos of the world, as we band together to get to the other side of the pandemic chaos and storm. We are all part of the mechanisms of change and hope.

I spend all of my photography time alone. I wander as I please. There are times I come home from a successful landscape therapy session with no images. It does not change the level of satisfaction I get from the time outside. These images have become souvenirs of a restful adventure.

As Creative Connections continues to develop (website coming soon!), we are thrilled to now have a beautiful logo to represent our collective. We look forward to future connections and collaborations with our community and are grateful to acknowledge Jenna Gregory as one of our first creative partners.

”My paintings begin outdoors. I grow and gather raw materials from my garden and neighbourhood. The paintings in the exhibition contain black walnuts, marigolds, and onion skins from plants that were grown and gathered up to three years ago. ”

… a small sampling of professional development opportunities for art therapists in 2021.

”We had always talked about having an art space, April and I. For me it was recreating the magic which I had found working in the special effects labs in Los Angeles. A place where great ideas can be brought to life, through experiment and comradery.”