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6 Degrees of Creativity
creative goodness through art-making, connection, & collaboration
6 Degrees of Creativity Workshops:
6 Degrees of Creativity is inspired by the "Six Degrees of Separation" concept that each of us, no matter where we live in the world are only about six relationships away from one another, as well as embraces the power of social networking, the arts, and interactive creativity to make a difference through art-making, creative goodness, and community.
6 Degrees of Creativity is an on-line workshop running until March 1, 2012 that includes 6 different workshops, offered by a group of 6 inspiring instructors from the art therapy community to explore hands-on concepts, techniques, and ideas related to themes about transformation, social change, collaboration, and using art for good.
Because 6 Degrees of Creativity will be offered in a virtual space, this workshop can be done at your own pace. You can participate from anywhere in the world, anytime, and on your schedule, whether it is on your laptop, tablet, desktop, or even on the go via your mobile device!
Because 6 Degrees of Creativity will be offered in a virtual space, this workshop can be done at your own pace. You can participate from anywhere in the world, anytime, and on your schedule, whether it is on your laptop, tablet, desktop, or even on the go via your mobile device!
Workshop content will include PDFs, video tutorials, written instruction, photos, art sharing, and on-line chats that will be available within the 6 Degrees of Creativity community. 6 Degrees of Creativity's social networking component will further enhance the sharing of creative goodness among participants, offer opportunities for discussion & idea exchanging, as well as deepen connection. Instructors will also be available to answer and follow up on questions and share comments.
Registration is now closed.
Registration is now closed
Questions? E-mail Gretchen Miller
6 Degrees of Creativity Organizer @
Examining the Everyday
What social issue have you encountered that you struggle to convey visually in a compelling way? This workshop will focus on making art about social/cultural/political topics and the power of using ubiquitous materials to reveal deeper meaning. Explore the everyday in relation to: maintaining an art practice, developing art work that addresses vital social issues, as well as discovering the possibilities in daily products you encounter as art materials and learning about contemporary artists who address social issues. Kristina will also reveal what drives her art making practice including how her work relates to contemporary social challenges, where she finds inspiration, how she develops her ideas into resolved final works, and the important art practice habits she maintains. This workshop’s goal is for you to experiment with using found objects as material, trying new techniques and pushing your concepts to express personally relevant social issues.
Instructor: Lani Gerity holds a doctorate from NYU in art therapy. She has been practicing art therapy since 1980, with an emphasis on dissociative identity disorder and puppet-making. Lani is the author of Creativity and the Dissociative Patient, and editor of Edith Kramer's collection of papers, Art as Therapy, along with various articles and chapters in other books. She writes, leads workshops, teaches and supervises art therapists in Canada and in the US. Her current research is in the fields of positive psychology, culture, and art therapy. Learn more about Lani here.
Altered by Art: The Transformative Media of Beeswax Collage
Distortion. Melting. Blurring. Layering. What other media besides beeswax collage offers the opportunity to alter text and content in so many ways? The fluidity and flexibility of this method allows for the transformation of image and word into distinctive dimensional assemblages. Participants will learn the basics of beeswax collage including equipment, setup and techniques and learn how to create powerful and personally transformative collages. Let Jenny guide you on a journey into the enchanting world of beeswax collage and into discovering how to live a more artful and art filled life.
Creating Gratitude and Affirmation
Did you know that just a little gratitude goes a long way? In fact, just practicing gratitude once a week for 10 weeks has a tremendously positive effect on your outlook, emotions and even your sense of well-being. And guess what? The creative process of art making makes the practice of gratitude even more powerful [and a lot of fun, too]. This workshop will challenge and empower you to practice gratitude and affirmation and offer several creative ways to explore these concepts. This workshop will focus on using collage, altered surfaces, color, and in particular, text that is found in print materials and Internet sources, alphabet stamp sets, favorite quotes [you know, the ones you have been saving in your journal] or original writing. We will explore the incorporation of words and text with images to develop an ongoing practice for gratitude and create visual affirmations for yourself and others. Get ready to experience the “art of the positive” through some simple, multi-media experiences!
6 Degrees of Creativity
What are your 6 Degrees of Creative Goodness? Celebrate the power of creative goodness in your life, work, relationships, & daily practice with creating & exchanging 6 Degrees of Creative Goodness Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). An exchange organized by Gretchen of ATCs created in this workshop will be offered with other class participants to make your own Creative Goodness miniature book inspired by the 6 Degrees of Creativity community.
Sock Monkey Therapy
Experience the healing power of sock monkey making. Kat will take you through every stage of creating this classic childhood toy. She will also share success stories about how sock monkey has helped at-risk youth and global projects like OPERATION SOCK MONKEY in South Africa. Only by making a sock monkey yourself can you truly experience the magic of these healing toys. You will never look at socks the same way again! No previous sewing skills needed and hand-sewing only.
Presented by:
Instructor: Cathy Malchiodi holds a BFA from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts, a master’s degree in art therapy, and a PhD in research psychology. This quirky educational journey has led to publishing 15 books,writing about the healing arts for Psychology Today, developing creative interventions for traumatized children and adults, teaching around the world, and becoming an international advocate and ambassador for the field of art therapy. She is currently the President of Art Therapy Without Borders, a non-profit organization dedicated to service and public education about the power of art to change lives and facilitates global dialogue via the International Art Therapy Organization on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Instructor: Gretchen Miller is a Registered Board Certified Art Therapist who practices in Cleveland, Ohio specializing in youth, women, and families impacted by trauma, domestic violence, and grief & loss. Gretchen is the Founder of The Art Therapy Alliance and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Art Therapy Without Borders. In her own art and creative process, Gretchen enjoys finding inspiration, creating energy, and discovering transformation through working with mixed media, painting, collage, altered art, and creating handmade books. Her blog Creativity in Motion frequently highlights her art , interests, and creative activity.
Instructor: Jenny Navarro is an art therapist in Boston, Massachusetts working with adults in an inpatient psychiatric setting, an adjunct faculty at Lesley University and maintains a private practice specializing in post-graduate supervision. Her blog, Altered Art Therapist centers on maintaining a personal commitment to art making. Jenny's favorite mediums are beeswax collage and altered books. She has presented nationally on the topic of utilizing altered books in art therapy supervision.
Instructor: Art therapist, visual artist, sock animal maker, and craftivist Katarina (Kat) Thorsen works with youth in Vancouver, Bristish Columbia with a variety of issues including behavioral challenges, learning disabilities, substance abuse and mental health. Though her main focus is at-risk youth, she is currently creating a workshop series that will facilitate creative expression and self-empowerment in adults through drawing and sock monkey creation. Kat’s own artwork includes drawing, painting, journaling, and sock animals. Learn more about Kat's interests and work via her art blog.
Instructor: Kristina Bell DiTullo is a full-time artist who has experience working and advocating as an art therapist. She earned a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Kristina uses a precise, controlled, repetitive visual language to examine themes such as trauma, relationships, and resilience. Her current projects include works on paper, installations and sculptural pieces from ubiquitous cultural objects. As an art therapist she has worked with chronically mentally ill adults, adolescents with eating disorders, medically ill children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Six Easy Lessons for a Happy Artist's Life
I believe the simplest and gentlest things really are the source of creativity and happiness. I'm sure of it. Those moments when you are actually in your own skin, feeling, being, enjoying your life, those are the deepest moments of happiness and they are free for us to access at any time. Have you ever felt that sense of possibility and excitement of a magical day unfolding like on the first day of a vacation, or on the first day in a new place when you have no idea what is around the next corner? For me that feeling is a clue to creating a happy artist's life. If you are interested in how to take the "least thing" and make up the "best happiness" check out "Six Easy Lessons for a Happy Artist's Life" where you will receive one lesson per month. Each lesson will have a positive psychology principal at its base, and will be easy to replicate in any art room or even in the privacy of your own art journal. What could be better? Come join us and start your happy artist's life today!
