16/03/2017
I was talking to a few of my students on the weekend about what I originally wanted to do as a career, and what I originally wanted to do was art therapy. When I graduated I wanted to go to university and for the rest of my life be able to help people through the power of art (yes it is a real job that you have to have a degree for). In the end the university that I was looking at didn't offer it anymore, so I went on to Art and Special Needs education and eventually I hoped to apply the principles of art therapy in my classes.
After six months I left university I found that I was not enjoying studying Art as I wasn't as interested in art history, rather I was interested in how art stimulated the brain. So I changed courses and stopped painting all together. Two years later I was working full-time and studying full-time and I was extremely stressed, then one day I had an accident at work which ended up damaging the nerves in and around my spine among other things. Not only was this painful but as a result I became even more stressed to the point where I was physically ill just about every day for about 2 months straight and occasionally I lost all sensation in my right leg. It wasn't until one day when my partner suggested that I paint that I realised that I hadn't painted in years. So I painted an elephant in ridiculously bright colours and even though in the end I didn't like the painting itself, I felt better. Its funny how things come full circle and I am not a hippy out there person, but I do believe that art is a wonderful form of therapy for everyone!
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