The entries for the No-Sugar Added Poetry book contest are starting to trickle in, which is very exciting! In talking about the contest and the guest post I did for DiabetesMine on Monday, it seems some people were inspired to do more than just make art for the contest though. My friend, Cherise, had the brilliant suggestion of an art day. I was a little wary because of concerns about participation, but Cherise’s excitement was infectious. Also, I recalled talking with Karen about how she was worried when she announced her idea for Diabetes Blog Week that no one would be interested in participating. As it turned out, she could barely stay on top of the participating blogs, and was overwhelmed in a good way by the response.

With these fine diabetes blog ladies as my muses, I am initiating the very first official Diabetes Art Day. If you would like to participate, between now and September 1st, I’m asking you to break out of your linguistic comfort zone, bust out some art materials, and make a piece of artwork – painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, an installation piece, a mixed media something or other, or whatever you can imagine. I’m sure most of you don’t consider yourselves artists, but I think that you are, and just haven’t discovered it yet. Then, once your masterpiece is complete, post it on September 1st. If you want to get your family involved, maybe each of you can create something, or you can even do a group art project. The possibilities are endless if you use your imagination!

When September 1st comes around, if you want to say something about it – what it was like to make it, if it turned out the way you expected, what it means to you – then go for it, but if you just want to post a picture of it, and let it speak for itself, the magic of art is that words are optional. If you don’t have a blog, and still want to participate, post it on one of the diabetes online communities. You can even send it to me if you want, and I can post it. I just don’t want anyone who doesn’t have a blog to feel like they can’t participate because the more people that jump into the art-making action, the better. Whatever you create, wherever you post it, just link back to me because you have no idea how much I am looking forward to seeing what you’ve made!

Here’s a badge to show you are participating and help spread the word. Then all that’s left is tuning out that inner-critic, tuning into your instincts, sense of adventure and playfulness, making something fantastic, and posting it on September 1st. This is a community art project like no other for a community like no other, so help me make it fabulous!

For additional information about how and where to post your art on September 1st, please check out: Where the Heck Do I Post My Art?

If you’re concerned about how to get started making art, what materials to use, or worried that you’re not “talented”, please check out: So You Say You’re Not an Artist?

A few more tips, inspiration, ideas, and information about a raffle for all Diabetes Art Day participants: Extra Inspiration

Today, I am so excited to point you over to DiabetesMine, where Amy Tenderich graciously gave me the opportunity to share a post about art therapy. People frequently ask me what art therapy is when I tell them I’m an art therapist because the combination of artist plus therapist might seem a little peculiar at first glance. Even more peculiar is what on earth art therapy has to do with diabetes, but in my guest post, I try to shine a little light on what I do. I hope you’ll head over to DiabetesMine to check it out.

No-Sugar Added: A Diabetes Poetry Book

Staying with the art theme today, I wanted to remind everyone that we are down to the final few days before the No-Sugar Added: A Diabetes Poetry Book give-away. This gorgeous book is filled with poems written by people from tudiabetes.org, all individuals who are diabetic, who are caregivers of diabetics, or who are healthcare providers of diabetics. While I didn’t write a poem for it, I did write the Introduction, and Dr. Polonsky from BDI wrote the Foreword, which is really cool. I know, it’s shameless self-promotion, but I think all of us who contributed to this project are pretty darn proud of the final product, and when you see how amazing it is, I think you’ll understand why.

The deadline for entering the drawing for the book is August 15th, this coming Sunday, so if you’d like to be entered into a raffle for a chance to win one of two copies of this super fabulous poetry book, get out your paints, markers, scissors and glue – or whatever art supplies you like to use and have handy. The task ahead of you is to make a piece of art about diabetes. It can represent anything you have to say about diabetes, any experience, any feeling, anything you want to express about being or caring for someone who is pancreatically challenged.

To enter, you must make an original piece of art, take a picture of it, preferably high resolution, and no less than 500 pixels on its shortest side, and send me that picture in an email. I want to post the pictures when I announce the winners next week, so please indicate to me whether or not I have your permission to post the image. I will not use the images for anything other than this contest. If I do not have your explicit permission, I won’t post the image, but you are still entered into the raffle.

It doesn’t matter if you are type 1, type 2, or type 3, shorthand for a caregiver or loved one, and there is no age restriction, so if your child or your parent or your spouse would like to make some diabetes art to enter, I hope they will do so. So far, I’ve only received 2 entries. That makes choosing 2 winners pretty easy, but kind of takes the fun out of having a raffle. If you would still like to submit an entry, there’s time, and obviously, your chances of winning are pretty good.

When I initially announced the contest, I had specified art submissions that relied more on visual imagery than language, but because participation has been lacking, as long as there’s some visual component, it’s OK if you incorporate words. I know very few people take time to make art because most people don’t think they’re “good at it”. I was motivated to encourage people to try making art, even if you haven’t made art since you were in grade school, because I believe everyone is capable of making art if they redefine what makes art “good”. To me, art is good if it’s created with sincerity and reflects a feeling or idea or experience, so basically, as long as you put some thought and effort into it, I’m impressed. You might think that means I’m easy to impress, but trust me, it seems that getting people to make art is gosh darn hard, so I’m not impressed as often as I’d like to be. It’s always made me so sad to hear one person after another tell me they aren’t good at art because no one ever told them they were good at it, or worse yet, they were discouraged when someone told them they weren’t good at it. I’m here to tell you are good at art!

So get your hands on some art materials, or turn your diabetes supplies into art, take a picture, send it to me between now and Sunday, and you might win a copy of No-Sugar Added: A Diabetes Poetry Book!

One of the things that most motivated me to start blogging was that I wanted to bring art therapy to the diabetes community, to let people know about its existence, show how it’s used, and suggest it as a treatment option to those seeking extra support beyond traditional diabetes care. Art therapy can be a powerfully effective means of addressing psychiatric diagnoses like depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, but it can be equally effective at helping people with less severe problems that are distressing and adversely affect quality of life – coming to terms with diagnosis, dealing with interpersonal conflict over diabetes management, struggling with motivational issues, or even dealing with diabetes on top of stress related to major life changes like starting or graduating school, getting married, having a baby, relocating. If you know me or keep up with the blog, so far I haven’t said anything you don’t already know, but stick with me here for a bit.

As far as therapy goes, I think most people could benefit from it in one way or another because we can all better ourselves, and therapy is a means to that end. That being said, I know the majority of people with diabetes don’t have so much stress, diabetes-related or not, that they necessarily need therapy, so besides writing about art therapy, I’m driven to get people engaged in creative activities. I feel like it can never be said enough times that every last one of us is an artist. We’re all capable of picking up a pencil, a paintbrush, a ball of clay and creating something that is reflective of what’s inside us, which is, by its very nature, beautiful. No one can say or do anything to convince me otherwise, and I can’t emphasize enough that it is simply part of my fundamental understanding about people. To be is to be creative.

I get that not everyone enjoys art-making, although I would suggest that at least some people who feel that way, might think differently about it if they altered their expectations. As an analogy, diabetes dragged me, my hopes, my expectations, my soul into an abysmal void when I was pissed that the cure I had been promised hadn’t materialized, and I was convinced I’d be dead by the time I was 30. Once I started to see diabetes as a part of my life, something that had made me who I am, and something that could enhance my life, not only did it stop dragging me down, it has lifted me up. I still have the same disease, but after re-framing it, it’s taken on new meaning, and I experience it differently. So I think whether or not some people enjoy art-making has a lot to do with what they expect from themselves, from the process of creating it, and from the end result.

No-Sugar Added Poetry

Not everyone wants to go soul-searching for their inner artist though, so I fully endorse engaging in creative activities of all kinds. If it’s not making art, maybe it’s making music, writing, woodworking, cooking, gardening, knitting, designing and administering websites… the list is long. Being creative comes in all sizes, shapes and forms, and since it’s an inherent part of human nature, we should all find the outlet that suits us.

Basically, that’s what I hope people will take from reading my blog, even if I don’t specifically write on those topics regularly. The blog is my primary vehicle for espousing those ideas, and that’s one thing that makes it personally valuable for me. While this is my home base, so to speak, when the opportunity to share my thoughts on diabetes and creativity arises, I’m all over it. So when Manny from Diabetes Hands Foundation, tudiabetes, and estudiabetes asked me to write the introduction for their poetry book project, I was all about participating. For anyone who has missed it, No-Sugar Added Poetry is a compilation of poems written by members of tudiabetes, people touched by diabetes, patients, caregivers, and even a healthcare provider. In addition to the Introduction that I wrote, Dr. Bill Polonsky from the Behavioral Diabetes Institute and author of Diabetes Burn-out wrote the Foreword.

I honestly don’t feel that my words can fully express what a wonderful book this is. The poems are heartfelt, genuine, and revealing. The book is well constructed and the layout and design are beautiful. Much like sampling a delicious food or traveling to an exotic destination, describing it only relays so much. You have to be there, you have to be with it in order to fully experience it, and having had a hand in its creation, along with so many other fabulous DOC folks, I want as many people to have it, read it, and enjoy it as possible.

I happen to have a couple of copies of the book that I want to give away, but this will be no ordinary raffle. In the spirit of all I’ve said today, I am asking something of anyone who is interested in participating. This is a bit of an experiment, and admittedly, I’m a little concerned that having to “work for it” might result in few entries, but I’m hoping that maybe I’ve said something in this post to inspire you, and if so, my fingers are crossed that you’ll run with it.

So, to be entered into a drawing for a copy of the book, you must submit a drawing… or a painting, sculpture or collage. Then, provided you give me consent, I will share photos of the submitted artwork in a post, and I will send a copy of the poetry book to each of two people whose names I will randomly draw from the people who submit entries. The artwork should reflect anything about diabetes that you’d like to express. The art should rely on imagery, although if words are incorporated to complement the overall piece, that’s allowed. Art can be recognizable imagery or it can be abstract. I’m asking that participants create a new piece of art for this giveaway, as opposed to submitting a photo of a previously created piece, since the point is to inspire people to either try making art, or make more art if they already like to do so. Participants can be any age, and have any type of diabetes, including type 3, so you, your kids, your spouse can all participate, no matter which one of you has diabetes. I don’t need the original art, as I’d much rather you keep it, enjoy it, and share it your friends, family, even your health care team (I would very much dig that, and would love to hear about their response). Please just send me a photo of the art. Deadline for submission is August 15th.

Yes, I know it would be way easier to just buy a book, and if this is too much effort, I really hope you’ll buy a copy since all proceeds benefit Diabetes Hands Foundation. This is meant to be a fun raffle, and even if you don’t win a copy, I hope you’ll feel like you benefited from creating something that you might not have done otherwise. I’d also like it to quite literally illustrate that everyone can make art, and that art, just like poetry, is a powerful way of relaying to others what life with diabetes means. To paraphrase a line from the No-Sugar Added Poetry Introduction, “From imagery emerges a shared experience and mutual understanding.”

On Sunday, Jason and I had a heart to heart. Mostly he listened, mostly I talked, or rambled as the case may be, and I got a little teary eyed too. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, like I’m trying to go in a hundred different directions, but since that’s not possible, I’m really just running in circles, although even that doesn’t quite describe it because at least if I were doing that, I would be going in some direction. Too many irons in the fire. Too many pots on the stove. You get the idea.

I do think part of my problem is related to my father’s death, but I don’t think I’m far enough away from it to really have enough perspective to grasp how it’s impacted me. Yesterday, I got papers in the mail from the lawyer, something about an inventory of assets since the estate was probated. I don’t know exactly because I glanced at it, and set it down with the distinct thought that I don’t want to be bothered with any of it anymore. I’m tired, all the work I’ve put into managing his estate has ultimately been thankless, and since he wasn’t particularly interested in me during his life, there’s not even a sense that he would have been appreciative of how I’ve stuck my neck way out for him through all of this…

Needless to say, I have some strong, unresolved feelings that I need more time to process. It’s this waiting and not knowing how to go about it that gets to me.

That’s probably the only truly bad thing that’s seeped into my spring, and although I can’t say I really knew what to expect as the initial turmoil of his death passed, it’s not a surprise that I’m feeling as I do about it now. Luckily, the rest of the chaos in my life hasn’t been morbid, and some of it has actually been good, although it’s what’s had me feeling like I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, although with a better outcome I hope.

Diabetes Robot

As April came to a close, I was the guest facilitator at our local hospital’s support group for teens with type 1. I brought my big plastic container filled with art supplies along with several boxes of diabetes trash, courtesy of many of you (thanks!!), and the kids went into a frenzy of creative goodness. Many of them collaborated to create a big diabetes robot, some of them did their own thing, but overall, it was a great success.

The CDE who runs the group relayed to the diabetes education department how well the group had gone, and as a result, I was invited to speak at a workshop for school nurses about eating disorders. A local clinician who is both a dietitian and a social worker was the headliner, followed by a CDE from the hospital who spoke about diabulimia. That nurse invited me to give the patient perspective, so I talked about my experience, recovery, and what I do now.

In addition to sharing how well the teen group had gone with the colleagues in her department, the nurse who runs that group also told another CDE who works at a local pediatric hospital about the art therapy group I did. That CDE invited me to participate in a summer camp program she’s starting for lower-income urban kids with type 1. As many of us know, diabetes camp can come with a high price tag, and although all of the camps with which I’m familiar do their best to offer financial aid and scholarships, that doesn’t mean all the families with kids who would benefit from such opportunities know to apply, or are in a position to buy things their kids would need for camp, or are even able to transport their kids to camp.

This new camp will be for 4 days in August, including a Saturday family day. The CDE is still trying to nail down a location, so this is in the very early stages of planning. She said my position will be a volunteer position, as the funding is bare bones, but it’s her hope that should it be successful this summer, that she’d be able to attain enough funding next year to pay me. Right now, the tentative plan is to have 3-4 art therapy groups per day, with one 1-day project, another more involved 2-day project, and then have the art on display for family day. Needless to say, I’m super excited to be a part of this. For several years, I’ve wanted to do something like this, but wasn’t really sure how to bring my vision to fruition. Of course, as with anything, I’d love to get a fat paycheck, or any paycheck for that matter, to go with it, but since I love what I do and I’m able to volunteer my services, committing to the project was only a matter of checking my schedule to make sure I was available. And I am, so I’m in!

In addition to that, Children’s Mental health Awareness Day was a couple of weeks ago. In honor of that, the Delaware Valley Art Therapy Association joined the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, a museum for children, to provide a day of art-making that was titled, “My Feelings Are a Work of Art”. I’m now on the board of DVATA as the newsletter chairperson (another project that’s had me quite busy), so I volunteered to help with that. The museum liked it so much that they’ve asked us to come back next year and do it again.

Of course, if you weren’t actually there, then you’ve likely already read other posts about the big D meet-up in NYC that was a little over a week ago. In honor of Cara’s yearly trek to see more musicals in the course of a few days than I’ve seen in my life, many diabetics in NYC and the surrounding areas gathered at a bakery-restaurant on the Upper West Side, just a block or so from Central Park. If the whole menu wasn’t organic, most of it was, so it was very environmentally-friendly, chemical-free food, which is good because I’ve been trying really hard to steer my diet more in that direction – although I was sad there was no diet soda. I have to say the bakery counter was filled with some beautiful treats, and had it not been for the long line as we were departing, I would have at least gotten some cookies. Also, as a side note, I had to chuckle because the original plan had been to meet at a little restaurant that specialized in pizza and mac & cheese, and I was totally prepared to arrive with a full cartridge of insulin, but Allison, our trusty organizer, discovered that restaurant had closed, so organic, sustainable plan B was quite the 180 degree turn!

The other biggish thing that’s happening is that I’ve decided to apply to a doctorate program. I have a lot of work to do to get my application together, so that’s taken precedence over blogging. Next week, I’m taking the Miller Analogy Test, which is a standardized exam that I need for my application. Honestly, I think my chances of getting accepted are a little skimpy. My qualifications are kind of marginal, but research to show that art therapy could be valuable for helping people with diabetes needs to be done, in my humble opinion, and although I might not have the best pedigree, I’d bet there aren’t too many people who are as motivated and invested as I am in doing that research. I debated sharing this here because I loathe the day when I might have to report that I wasn’t accepted, but I’ve posted about it on Facebook, so I figured I’d share it here too. Whatever ends up happening, you will be some of the first to know.

Finally, I’ve already blurted this all over the place, but my proposal to do a workshop at the American Art Therapy Conference in Sacramento this November was accepted. Before I go, I’ll be packing up the diabetes trash to ship to the conference site so the workshop participants can get their hands dirty in the discards of diabetes management for the purpose of creating something magnificent. I still have a good many leftovers from all that was sent to me in the fall, but if anyone has an inclination to send more, I do love offering the variety. Plus, I think it means a lot to tell people about the DOC and how the artistic creations made in my workshops are made possible by you.

So that’s the long and short of what’s been happening, or at least the highlights. It’s had me busy, it’s had blogging on the back burner, it’s had reading other blogs on the other back burner, and it’s had Twitter falling clear off the stove. Living life is about making priorities though, and with so much going on, there just hasn’t been time to sit and write a proper post. I think I’d be lost without my little home base here to vent the bad, share the good, and ponder the in-between. Just because I’m not writing as often doesn’t mean I’m not here. It just means I’m knee-deep in other projects that I hope will ultimately benefit the diabetes community, and you can be sure, as soon as I get time, I’ll always come here to share it with you.

Ask and thou shall receive.

I asked for people to send their diabetes trash, and the packages started to arrive, boxes wrapped with packing tape and big fat envelopes. Inside were the paper backs of all things adhesive, test strip bottles and boxes, tubing, cartridges, inserters, even several bottles of expired unused test strips, which delighted me so since I love to use my own test strips for art-making, but couldn’t offer anything that might be considered medically hazardous to others. My plan had been to sort through and get the materials organized the weekend of the 16th, but because of my family issues, my entire presentation was all but forgotten until last Friday, when I set aside my father’s papers, and tried to focus on putting something together.

Because most of the workshop would be spent making art, I didn’t have to worry too much about the actual presentation, other than to pick and choose the bare essentials of what I thought needed to be conveyed for the sake of putting the art task and the materials into context. I did want to give them something to take home to read in the event they wanted more information, so I spent most of my time getting that organized before Jason and I made a midnight visit to Fed-Ex Office, which I will probably forever call Kinko’s simply because that’s a catchier name. We made packets, returned home, and I went to bed at 2AM despite the fact that I had a 14-hour day ahead of me on Saturday. Naturally, I couldn’t sleep either just because sleeping is very hit or miss for me lately.

The conference went well overall. There were some parts of it that got to me, like the workshop on using fabric arts in art therapy groups. That reminded me of the quilts my father has that my great-grandmother made, and the many associations I have to both of them as they are intrinsically connected in my mind. It was good to get out of the house though. Putting on a happy face doesn’t always feel natural right now, but what’s that saying? Fake it till you make it? Or something to that effect. So I did a lot of faking, and towards the end of the afternoon, I was plenty distracted by my anxiety about giving the evening presentation that a little real estate cleared in my head for something other than my father.

I wasn’t delighted with my presentation only because my public speaking skills leave a little something to be desired, but everyone there seemed to enjoy it, and the artwork had me as close to giddy as I’ve been in a while. Everyone graciously allowed me to photograph their creations, and since many of you had a hand in this, I want to share the final products with you. The participants also encouraged me to submit a proposal to the national conference and for a daytime workshop slot at next year’s local conference. I needed something good, and I was grateful to get something good.