Show Up to Practice
Dear Friends,
I can’t help myself. When the “first day of school” photos start hitting my Facebook feed, I turn into Kathleen Kelly and start pining for a bouquet of sharpened pencils. Because I grew up in Georgia, I still have lots of friends who live there, and their kids went back to school a week ago. And though August is definitely too early (and too hot), the backpacks and little placards give me the fall tingles.
I think part of the appeal of back-to-school season is looking forward to something that’s routine rather than extraordinary. Anticipating a vacation or an event is Big Thrill, but also comes with Big Anxiety. I saw this cycle depicted on Instagram last week and felt so seen:
Add to that the mess that is the airline industry right now, and I’m having a hard time looking forward to anything that involves leaving my neighborhood, to be honest.
But routine can also be something to look forward to–comfort, stability, a series of moments in the week that bring their own smaller, more consistent pleasure.
This is a newsletter about creativity, but because Alexandria Art Therapy is an art therapy practice, I often end up thinking of creativity through a visual art filter. And there have been times (see: my Deep Pandemic 100 Day Project) when visual art was my primary avenue for creativity. You can do it in your house, alone, without being near other people. Sigh.
But as I prep my back-to-school routine for the fall, I’m realizing that the things I’m most excited about center around another creative outlet: music.
This fall, my daughter will continue with Music Together. I’ll be singing again with the Alexandria Choral Society. And I was thrilled to see the return of one of my all-time favorite experiences, the “Singing for the Stage and Beyond” class at the Alexandria Little Theatre.
The thing that feels different about all of these music extracurriculars is that I’m not really creating anything. Well, sure, in choir, we’re ultimately creating various concerts throughout the season. And it does feel exciting to work towards something big like that. But it’s not actually my favorite part of being involved. With visual art, I am usually trying to “make something,” but with music, I can more easily surrender to the idea of pure practice.
The class at the theatre doesn’t build to a performance, an audition, or a recording. It’s just practice. It’s just standing up, week after week, and seeing what your voice will do with a different piece of music. It’s giving and receiving feedback. It’s getting better. It’s the same with my kid’s music class. Is there a concert at the end of the season? There isn’t. It’s just kids showing up every week to vie for the castanets that look like a duck while they jump up and down to “Rig a Jig Jig and Away We Go.”
We forget that so much of any artistic endeavor is showing up to practice. With music, this is the way it’s structured, so it’s easier to comprehend. But if you’re trying to learn to be a better painter, a better writer, a better quilter, a better TikTok video creator–are you crafting your weekly routine to include this practice? Are you feeling pressure around your artistic work, or are you looking forward to the passive magic of just showing up?
Start thinking, now, about what you want September to feel like. Sit down with your calendar. Block off some evenings for the creative things you love. Commit to it. Monday night pottery class. Wednesday night solo photo walk around your neighborhood. Lunchtime Zentangles. Morning pages. Monthly weekend knitting circle. Embrace the back-to-school feelings by signing up for a “class,” even if that class is just you playing guitar in your basement every Thursday night.
Give yourself something to look forward to that won’t involve a q-tip up your nose or waiting on hold with airline customer service. Explore what anticipation can feel like when it’s directed towards routine. And get ready to show up to practice.
Take good care,
Dot
News & Updates
Matthew Brooks now has openings for adults looking for support around life transitions, anxiety, depression, and general wellness. Two openings now available for virtual sessions on Wednesday mornings (DC and VA residents only).
Have questions or want to get started? Email us at info@alexandriaarttherapy.com.
Are you a US-based art therapist looking to acquire ATR supervision hours? Alexandria Art Therapy is now forming a VIRTUAL clinical supervision group. Join Laura Miles, LPC, ATR-BC, ATCS for a virtual supervision group grounded in the El Duende process painting technique. El Duende, originated by Abbe Miller, is a one-canvas painting that uses many layers built up over the supervision experience to enhance clinical learning. Want to know more? Reply to this newsletter, or email us at info@alexandriaarttherapy.com.
Blog Posts
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of people taking medications for their mental health has risen sharply. If you struggle with anxiety or depression, you may be wondering if medications could work for you. In our latest blog, we’re talking with Associate Art Therapist Laura Miles and Clinical Director Adele Stuckey about medication stigma, questions we should be asking, and what we should expect if we want to explore medication.
Links We Like
Would you make a spreadsheet…for friendship?
Found objects always give me interesting ideas for artwork. The Oakland Library is cataloging all the items they find left in books.
I loved reading about this artist’s creative evolution–turns out she accidentally published the newsletter, and it’s such a treat.
Made me laugh (and then sob).
And another parenting lol, courtesy of the James Webb telescope.
Where has all the color gone? This is a messily-cropped Tumblr roundup on a meme IG, but got me thinking about the intersection of culture, color, and capitalism: “The problem is that we aren’t actually allowed to belong to the places we live. Houses and entire towns are shells meant to be as plain as possible for the next renter, buyer, or investor. The more generic it is, the more consumers it can be sold to.”
How to recover from work stress, according to science.
Showing up, even when you don’t fit in: La Mariée by Marc Chagall:
