WHERE LIVING IS A VACATION

I chose to do my final art piece on a social issue or current event that I feel passionate about and a way to utilize art therapy. The recent suicides in my home town of Lake Orion have really taken an emotional toll on me, my family, and my community. We have lost 9 Lake Orion students ages 15-22 in the past 4 years, 3 of which just in the last month.  This devastation makes me sick to my stomach.  Antidepressants, heroin, and other substance abuse have been the cause of this problem, but the biggest issue is that all of these young people felt ALONE. They had no one to talk to and no way to express their pain...which is why I would like to change that and let people suffering from depression and substance abuse know that there are other ways of releasing their emotions and healing their pain, instead of just ending it all.

This project was extremely therapeutic for me because it was the only way to help express the way I feel about this situation.  I want to also relay a message to everyone in our community, making them aware that there is a problem and people need to stick together and help one another to prevent more suicides from happening in the future.  I've posted an image of my project on a suicide prevention page on facebook in hopes to relay this message as well and would like to pursue working with depressed and suicidal individuals in the future through art therapy. I feel that many people think that no one understand them and there are no options to heal the emotions they are feeling, trapped inside of them, however, I know for a fact that art and the creative process of making art is healing.  Anyone can make art, anyone can release what they are feeling onto paper and it may not heal all of their pain, but it's better than just taking a drug that only makes you feel worse in the end anyway.  I will continue to spread the word about suicide prevention and the benefits of art therapy and together, our community can stand tall and make a difference!

Ports O' Call 2011

TAE's Ports O' Call auction was held on Sunday.  I was there for most of the event and was very pleased with the turnout.  The venue was wonderful, everything was nicely spaced out and had its own place including the art that was on display upstairs.  I was so surprised at the amount of items there were to auction off, but my favorite aspect was the treasure box auction.  I actually helped sell some tickets and the display was very well planned out, I was also very excited that both of mine were auctioned off!  I enjoyed being able to walk around, enjoy some of the yummy food, listen to the awesome entertainment, and look at the items, I even bid on earrings and won them!  I was also happy to see the signs that I had designed, they looked very nice on display next to the baskets....Here are some pictures from the event....

I was so glad that the so many members from the community turned out for this great cause to keep such a great program running.  
Throughout the semester, I have witnessed first hand how many people TAE has affected and helped express themselves through art.  It is such a great program and has been a wonderful and eye opening experience I will be visiting them in the future and telling friends and family about them in hopes that they will be able to benefit from TAE like so many already have!

Preparing

My last day at TAE was spent making signs and preparing for the auction on Sunday.  When I walked in, I was surprised to see how many baskets would be auctioned off containing all sorts of goodies for all ages.
Judy had me choose the colored board, paper, and other supplies in order to design the signs for the prizes that would be sitting on the tables so people could bid on them. I knew they had to be visually appealing.
I had a lot of fun matching the text and photos with the background of the signs, using all sorts of colors and special scissors to add to the edges and make the signs more appealing.  In less than two hours, I was able to complete 5 signs and was very happy with what I was able to accomplish. I was very excited for the auction and couldn't wait to see the turn out and how many supporters of the arts would show up to keep this great program running! I'm very glad I got to help and be a part or such an exciting event!