Healing Through Art Hive

 
​“I can come to art group and they’re my family,
they know who I am, my struggles, my strengths, they know me. 
Being in a group of people that I feel genuinely care about me is
sometimes just what I need in my week, because
​sometimes that’s the only time when I feel I get that."
--Linzie Mark 

​Call them survivors. Linzie Mark, Dar Denis and Jenn Pridham are three members of Green Wood Art Hive who, finally this spring, returned to the weekly art sessions after two long years apart. In that time, all came to understand that the creativity and human connection the group nurtures are powerful forces in their lives they hope never to lose again. The women sat down to talk about what they missed, what returning means and how art heals. 

Green Wood: What one word best describes the impact of art in your life and why? 

Dar: LIFELINE. When I do my art it’s the only time I’m totally focused and the world goes away. There’s no problems, I’m focusing on my piece, it’s like a meditation to me. Art is my life on canvas. 
Linzie: MAP. I actually have PTSD, and years ago I was not functioning, wouldn’t even leave my bedroom to go the bathroom... when I look back at some of the pieces I did in that time period, they’re a map, a true map to taking that trauma and processing it through my brain. As you lay them out years later you can see, wow, this is how I was feeling and this is how I processed these emotions at this time in my life.  
Jenn: CELEBRATION. To me that’s the point and the purpose. Art becomes the celebration of what you’ve moved through, what you’ve gone through and, even if it’s for a moment, to come to the other side and be able to breathe some relief and have this piece to honour. Art is something to honour where you’ve come from and inspiration for where you’re going, because you’re leaving behind this trail of beauty.  ​

Green Wood: What did it feel like not to have the group over the past two years? 

Dar: I could see the difference in myself. Like the flow was gone. I started to do art during the pandemic because I knew it was going to help me, but I reached a point where I just stopped. I get stuck sometimes, and that’s not healthy for me. 
Jenn: During the pandemic when there was no art group, I could see there was this basic need that wasn’t met any longer, like a starvation almost, like a creative starvation. I’ll quote this book, Women who Run with the Wolves, that talks about the creative life being like a river, and how it can become a drought, contaminated, damned, blocked, so to take care of that creative life is like the care of a river. 
Linzie: When we don’t have art group it’s a barrier for sure. Some people in our group don’t have supplies, so especially during the pandemic when a lot of people where hurting financially, for them to have to reach out to find and buy supplies, it’s not a possibility for everybody.  

Green Wood: Would you explain art as healing? 

Linzie: For me art is about creativity, getting to understand different perspectives and different points of view and exploring within yourself -- do I like that in me, do I not like that in me? And maybe you have to disconnect from your own world, dive into your piece and really say goodbye to your world for that time you’re working on it, because you’re in a different world. 
Jenn: These little seeds of ideas or the beginning of projects start, for me, in the pain. The nuggets of creativity start with something that is very raw and wordless and unclear and complex, and then when your hands get involved and materials and something concrete is accessible, that’s when it becomes the story that’s visible or audible. There’s something sharable there, something that is food for connection, not even in the finished product, but in the process of art. 
Dar: Sometimes when I do art I feel angry, sometimes when I do art I cry, sometimes I just have to walk away and take a break, and say, okay, I’ll look at that later or tomorrow. To me it’s kind of like baring my soul, and I’m a very private person. I used to hide all my art, but that’s when I always hid myself.  

Green Wood: What is the role of Art Hive in your life?  

Linzie:  Art group is my family. I don’t have a traditional family, and I can come to art group and I can be me, not somebody I think they want me to be. They know who I am, my struggles, my strengths. I go because I need that support emotionally. People don’t necessarily know they’re giving it, but just being in a group of people that I feel genuinely care about me is sometimes just what I need in my week, because sometimes that’s the only time when I feel I get that. 
Dar:  Other than my home it’s the safest place. I don’t feel judgment, I don’t feel any negative emotions. Not everyone’s perfect, we all have our issues, we all have our stories, but it’s always been a safe place.  
Jenn: And then there’s the conversation within the group and the sharing between other members, other people who love art, do art... the conversations that occur encourage you that you’re not alone, and there’s this realizing that there are a lot of similarities, like experiences, common ground and connections. You come to realize it’s just this field of acceptance that’s possible.   

 “It’s kind of like a lifeline to me.
When I do my art it’s the only time that I’m
totally focused and the world goes away.”
-Dar Denis 

​Green Wood: What would you like to leave with people?  
​
Dar: Your art doesn’t have to be great, it doesn’t even have to be good because you’re putting stuff inside yourself out there. I think we’re all good at stuff, and if you enjoy...that’s the main thing, taking some time out for yourself and having fun doing it. 
Linzie: I hope people would feel comfortable enough to put aside any art ability they think they may or may not have. If there is somebody out there reading this who’s been struggling through the pandemic emotionally, mentally, physically, come be our friend. Even if it has nothing to do with the art, come see what we’re all about, get to know some of us, come be part of a community and, hey, if you learn an art skill along the way, perfect. If you make a new friend, even better. Because that, I think, is really what art group is all about.  
Jenn: I‘ve had to come to terms with the limitations of time and lifestyle and how it’s not always possible to sit down and create something on a canvas from start to finish. So the journey of art for me has become more of the observer of the art that’s everywhere, the art of one breath, the art of the sights of nature, simply. And so I’ve taken a lot of the pressure off to complete anything and rather just be grateful for each moment. It’s not about perfection. It’s about intention and being a part of something meaningful.