Power of One / Moč enega

Have you ever wondered where's your place in this World? What can we really do among so many other people doing 'their' things?
Ste se kdaj spraševali kje je vaše mesto na tem svetu? Ali res lahko kaj naredimo med toliko ljudmi, ki delajo po svoje?  

I like to imagine that I am like one of the cells in my body... I do my job every day, I do the things that I feel I need to do, I do them the best I can. If I wander away from my direction, the World will get sick, just as we get sick when our cells stop functioning the way they supposed to...
Rada si predstavljam, da smo kot celice v našem telesu... Vsak dan delam, delam tisto, kar čutim, da moram delati in delam to tako, kot najbolje znam. Če odtavam vstran, bo svet zbolel, ravno tako kot mi zbolimo, če naše celice nehajo delovati tako kot bi morale... 

So, I do believe every person on this planet is important. I count, you count, we count. I rely on you, you rely on me - in order to stay well and happy. I believe in the power of One.
Zato verjamem, da je vsaka oseba na tem planetu pomembna. Jaz štejem, ti šteješ, mi štejemo. Zanašam se nate in ti se zanašaš name - da ostanemo zdravi in srečni. Zato verjamem v moč enega.  

Because of my belief, my next question is: 'What I can do to help others follow their direction?' I can't tell them where to go or what to do. They need to follow their own path, their own inner map. So, I help them in many different ways. As you know, I help some with art therapy and phototherapy techniques. I help the others with my little books and illustrations. This year I started to help with my images, my photos - transformed into greeting cards, they have a special mission to help people follow their paths. Find out how we do it in our Vision & Verb Shoppe, where you can find and buy our images and help too.
Zaradi mojega prepričanja je moje naslednje vprašanje, ki si ga zastavim, sledeče: 'Kaj lahko jaz storim, da pomagam drugim slediti svoji smeri?' Ne morem jim povedati, kam naj grejo ali kaj naj delajo. Slediti morajo svoji poti, svojemu notranjemu zemljevidu. Zato jim pomagam na različne načine. Kot veste, nekaterim pomagam s tehnikami likovne ali fototerapije. Spet drugim pomagam s svojimi malimi knjižicami in ilustracijami. Letos pomagam tudi z mojimi slikami, fotografijami - spremenjene v voščilnice, imajo posebno nalogo pomagati določenim ljudem slediti njihovim potem. Obiščite našo Vision & Verb Shoppe stran, kjer boste izvedeli kako to delamo. Tam vas čakajo voščilnice z mojimi motivi in motivi drugih avtoric - veselimo se vaše pomoči!

We are helping people via non-profit organization Kiva. They do a great job and I'm really happy to know that the power of one makes such a wonderful change in the World. We want every cell of our bodies to stay healthy, and we can gain this doing what we can at this moment, on this day and every day! 
Ljudem pomagamo preko neprofitne organizacije Kiva. Svoje delo opravljajo odlično in res sem vesela, da lahko moč enega povzroči takšne čudovite spremembe na svetu. Vsi si želimo, da so vse naše celice v telesu zdrave, kar lahko dosežemo, če delamo tisto, kar zmoremo prav ta trenutek, danes in vsak dan!  

Do you believe in the power of One? How do you help, how can we help and how do you like our idea of helping the others? Is it worth it?
Ali verjamete v moč enega? Kako vi pomagate, kako naj še pomagamo in kako vam je všeč naša ideja pomoči drugim? Ima smisel? 

Someone / Nekdo

Sometimes you feel different. Sometimes you feel alone. Sometimes nobody understands you and sometimes you don't understand the rest of the world. 
Včasih se počutite drugačni. Včasih se počutite sami. Včasih vas nihče ne razume in včasih vi ne razumete ostalega sveta.

Sometimes people tell you who you are, but you're thinking: 'Where did they get this idea of me? This is not who I am!'
Včasih vam ljudje govorijo, kdo ste, toda vi se pri tem sprašujete: 'Od kod so vzeli to idejo o meni? To že nisem jaz!' 

Only you really know who you are. Maybe there is a shadow over your heart and you don't see the answer in your heart clearly, but it is there, waiting for you, anytime you're ready to dig deep.
Samo vi resnično veste, kdo ste. Morda leži nad vašim srcem senca in zato ne vidite dobro odgovora v svojem srcu, toda kljub temu je tam, čaka na vas, da se zakopljete ponj, ko ste pripravljeni. 

Some people can dig deep by themselves, some people need help. I'm lucky to help some people to get the answers via art therapy techniques. Digging deep can be like being born again, like a blooming tree or growing seeds. It is scary and exciting, painful and joyful. It is extraordinary!
Nekateri lahko globoko kopljejo sami, nekateri ljudje pa potrebujejo pomoč. Imam srečo, da lahko ljudem pomagam do odgovorov s pomočjo likovno-terapevtskih tehnik. Kopanje globoko je kot da bi se ponovno rodil, kot cvetenje drevesa ali kaljenje semen. Je zastrašujoče in vznemirljivo, boleče in radostno. Je izredno! 

Today, I'd like to remind you that you ARE somebody! You are extraordinary, unique, one of a kind person on this planet! Nobody should tell you you're not good enough! They don't know your path, they don't know who you are and why you are who you are. Only YOU can tell and only YOU can walk away from the people and places who are not aligned with you! You are YOU!
Danes vas želim spomniti na to, da STE nekdo! Ste izredni, originalni, ena in edina taka oseba na tem planetu! Nihče vam nima pravice reči, da niste dovolj dobri! Ne poznajo vaših poti, ne vejo, kdo pravzaprav ste in zakaj ste taki kot ste. Samo VI lahko to rečete in le VI lahko odkorakate vstran od ljudi in krajev, ki niso usklajeni z vami! Vi ste VI!

There are people out there who want you to be you! Give them a hand and you can dance together and jump high in the air with them. Isn't that a wonderful way to use your energy? I say it is!! 
So ljudje, ki si od vas želijo, da ste vi kot vi! Podajte jim roko in zaplešite ali skočite visoko v zrak z njimi. Mar ni to odličen način za uporabo vaše energije? Jaz pravim, da je!! 

So, today, I'm giving my hand to one of the soulful sisters Elizabeth Gonzales. She is spreading her love and inspiration with her smile and works, so she is a perfect 'someone' to hang out with and to jump in the air with her. What about yours - who is one of your 'someone'?
Zato danes podajam roko dragi prijateljici Elizabeth Gonzales. Svojo ljubezen in inspiracijo širi med ljudi s svojim nasmehom in svojimi deli, zato je ravno prava 'nekdo' za prijetno druženje in skakanje v zrak z njo. Kaj pa vi - kdo pa je eden od vaših 'nekdo'-jev?  

Before and After

Do you remember the picture as work in progress in the post  'Work in progress - or the healing power of creativity'? I was healing my hurt soul with the therapeutic art expression.

When you create, lots of processes are going on in you - the process of  purifying, self analyzing and deep thinking… That's what was going on with me as well.

And that's how this little picture with a special title was born: 'Be natural':

Hmmmm…

Are we ever natural? When? How we 'are', when we are natureal?…

When we are natural, we grow. When we are natural, we bloom. When we are natural, we are playful, curious, amazed… When we are natural, we are relaxed. When we are natural, we are the way we are.

How do you feel, when you are (or think you are) natural?

PS: the print of this inspirational painting can be found in CreatissimoLab e-shop :). Get inspired to Be natural every day!  

Work in progress – or the healing power of creativity

Surely you've heard of the healing power of creativity. Many studies have proved that. My field of work is mainly focused on art therapy and phototherapy, although sometimes the work also includes other forms of art, creative thinking. At the stage of getting to know the client I choose such tasks, which would show me which areas are best to work with a certain client.

Many mix up art therapy and phototherapy with therapeutic art expression and photography, which are healing as well, but in this case, we  'treat' ourselves, without a therapist or consultant. We try to heal our soul, the pain, or we put on our canvas the joy, enthusiasm, fascination. We do this ourselves.

(in progress…)

In distress, pain and worries, it's usually difficult for us to find the way out of our established, old, deep seated patterns, all by ourselves. Our artistic or other expressions are often only the temporary solution that helps us or put us in moments of comfort, but rarely help us out in a long-term - to change a pattern of behavior for good. We need a therapist, a consultant, a 'coach' who will work with us as long as we need to replace the old patterns with the new ones. And when we are free to go home, if the therapy was fruitful, we will not go back to the old pattern of our behaviour, but turn to a new pattern without any problems. This is true either you go to the fitness, are addicted to alcohol or drugs, at weight loss, learning, psychiatric problems, fractures of the legs, etc.. How long, you may ask, it takes (for one of the problems) to heal? Sometimes three months, six months, sometimes a year or two or three. Yes, you heard it right - in art therapy, the results of working on serious problems will usually show after a year or more!

I notice that, in Slovenia, we don't pay much attention to a long-term work with 'clients'. How many supervisors (those true supervisors, not those I've met and for which I don't know from where they've got the title 'supervisor') for teachers, educators, parents, staff in nursing homes, social workers, police officers… we have? All who work with people need them. They need professionals who will serve them for the support, stability, leadership... Sometimes we can find support among our colleagues, so with some kind of intervision, which is certainly better than nothing, but if we want good results, a supervision is recommended, as the counselor, therapist... comes from the external environment, and the problems can be viewed from outter perspective. However, nothing really helps, if we only have occasional meetings, only when they are needed and are not really organised.

(work in progress…)

Many supervisors use art in their work, especially with people who have difficulties to express themselves verbally. When we can't express our pain, blockages with words, we do it non-verbally. When art therapist monitors your process of expression, it is easier for him/her to determine what tasks will help you to progress or return your internal balance. Art therapists don't judge your art work and don't make diagnosing on the basis of your art work. Art therapist's task is to gently 'lead' you on your own path.

It is known that each person has within itself some sort of protective mechanism that prevents an internal change or cope with internal processes, unless we are mentally prepared. Therefore, in art therapy, nothing can happen, unless we're prepared mentally. However, the healing process in art therapy or any other therapy can be sometimes difficult and deep (depending on how deep you're willing to go).

Many would have thought that therapists, in the same manner as they are helping others, can help themselves, but it's not so easy. We need a therapist, supervisor when we find ourselves in the unsolvable situation...

These days I didn't have a supervisor or therapist at hand, with whom I would talk to about why I can't accept certain events as such, why can't I accept the fact that some people just do such and such things, etc., etc. So I did some therapeutic art (see the picture 'in progress' below). Just to lick the wound in my soul, though I know that I will have to work on my pattern of behavior that always pushes me in such and similar situations, will have to work with someone who will see out of my frames and opsticles. This solution to create art by myself is temporary, but the first on the list I will need to work with the specialist, supervisor.

(...a detail of my painting 'in progress')

Stephey from 'Marked by the Muse' reminded us to say thanks to Art.

With this post I want to say thanks for what we have: opportunity to express ourselves, to create (we have a choice of what we create), heal ourselves and others, hug ourselves, explore... We have Art that makes us rich in all areas of our lives and at each step of our life. Think about it: just where Art and Creativity are not present??

Therefore: thank you, the Art of Creating, for being here! Esp. thank you for being there for us in Art Therapy and PhotoTherapy – you are the key of creative process we work on…

Do what you Love – Love what you do

 'Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm…' (Charlie Chaplin)

What do you do in your Life, with your Life? Do you do what brings you joy and hapiness? Do you listen to your heart and dreams?

Years ago, when I was staying in America, it was my first time when I heard about Art Therapy. 'Hm', I said, 'that sounds interesting! Hm, that's something I would love to do!' But, I was young and oh-not-so-ready to study Jung, Freud and who-knows-who in English… I thought I had all my life ahead of me… and off I went back home and forgot all about that (but never forgot it deep in my heart).

15 years later, my life and my heart brought me back to Art Therapy again. This time I listened, this time I was ready. Luckily, I didn't have to study it in English or abroad as I signed for the post-graduate programme at our University in Ljubljana. And the studying has changed my Life. I would see people differently, I would listen to them differently, I would do things differently… I looked at my Life globally, universaly… Oh, how I loved Art Therapy with all my heart!!

During that time I also had a job I loved. I worked with the victims and eye-witnesses of 'bigger' crimes. I worked for the government, but that was not why I liked my job. I liked working with people who came to me. I was so thankful that those people trusted me the most secret stories of their lives – the sad stories, the pain, the loneliness, the silence… They've taught me so much about Life – what is really important, how to forgive, move on, stay strong… Sometimes I asked myself: 'Who am I to deserve this trust?' But my heart would always give me the same answer: 'You were born for that!'

However, something was missing in that great job. First, I couldn't really help the victims, I couldn't use Art Therapy to help them back to their inner balance and out of the silence and pain. Second, I didn't get much support or understanding from my bosses or colleagues. For them, the victims or the suspects were just statistics… It was painful to watch and be part of that environment.

But maybe that was just a reminder to get back to myself, to stop, to re-think about my life and listen to the whispers of my heart again. My heart said 'no more'! 'Do what you were born to do!' I knew what my heart was longing to do. I wanted to help the victims of crime and people in need with Art Therapy and Phototherapy techniques… I wanted to work with people who believed in me and I believed in them… I wanted to offer them the best of Me…

What to do?

I gathered my courage and jumped from my safe nest into the business world, all by myself, only me, my Self and my heart. Was I scared, was I unsure?? Yes, I was, but when I thought about the victims of crime, I said to myself: 'If they could do it, I can do it too. If they survived sexual abuse, rape, everyday beating, a robbery, a knife or a gun on their neck, the never-ending fear…, I can survive too.  I will follow my heart and its whispers and let myself go'…

When I create, I have those victims and people in need in my mind all the time. They inspire me, they guide me, they remind me to open my heart and spread Love.  My business is dedicated to teach people how to talk to each other, esp. children and people who were hurt, how to use creative process to learn to solve problems and heal ourselves, and to support people in need, esp. victims of crime. I'm not 100% doing everything what I really want as my business is young and our government is not very generous with the funds for social programmes, but I won't give up to walk towards my goal. It might take another 15 years to actually do what I want to do, but I now know the way and I know my direction. Even if I will loose my way, my heart will bring me back on the track. Now I know.

So, do what you Love to do and don't be affraid to fly – your heart will take you to the right place at the right time for sure! It might take you years, but you will always find yourself back at the place where you can do the things 'you were born for'. Everything in our lives has a reason and is inviting you to grow!

'As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything surrounded me was inviting me to grow.' (Charlie Chaplin)

 

Thank you for stopping by. It is wonderful to be one of the participants of The Courage to Fly Blog Hop (created esp. for You by the wonderful Muse Stephey Baker). Please, visit other inspiring stories by clicking the links here.

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Thank you and have an inspiring, fulfilling and courageous day!