Supporting research for our collaborative.

An Artists’ Collaborative as a Means to Wellness

 

Erin Kerr

International Institute of Restorative Practices

RP 525:  Restorative Practices in Action

November 14, 2023

 

An Artists’ Collaborative as a Means to Wellness

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The Artists’ Wellness Collaborative is an action research project aimed at improving health outcomes for its members through restorative practices, communal creativity, and relational care. Together, these approaches could amplify the potential for enhancing individual wellness and bringing cultural care to the greater community.  

Creatives may be prone to loneliness and isolation.   Yet expressing their creativity within a supportive community can significantly improve their well-being, and that of their families and communities.  In her study entitled “Loneliness in Artistic Expression”, Marzanna Morozewicz writes that “loneliness during the creative process, and the isolation necessary to focus, with the lack of support and understanding by recipients, often gives the creator-artist…a strong feeling of isolation.” (2019)  Unfortunately, loneliness and isolation are not just artists' experiences, nor does one have to be an “artist” to benefit from communal creative expression.  A 2020 survey found that 3 out of 5 Americans are lonely, a 13% increase since 2018. (Donavan, B.)  The CDC shows strong evidence suggesting that large percentages of our population are socially isolated and lonely in “ways that put their health at risk.” However, in support of the possible benefits of this project, one meta-analysis encompassing more than 148 studies and 300,000 participants found that greater social connection is associated with a 50% lower risk of premature death.”. (Behavioral, C. B. O. 2020))

 The healthcare community is beginning to embrace the creative arts as therapy for alleviating loneliness and, as such, improving health outcomes.  The Unlonely Project (2023), CultureRx (2023), and the Arts and Mind Lab (Sima, 2021) are just a few of the many emerging organizations committed to improving health outcomes through creative activities ranging from visual arts, writing, music, dance, and more, to help bring people out of social isolation. Artists like Shephard Fairey increase awareness around social justice issues by creating public works. (Molnar, 2018). The front page of Fairey’s website states, “Manufacturing quality dissent since 1989.”  Fairey earns revenue from the sale of merchandise. 

Additionally, communities that operate through restorative practices and non-hierarchical, relational models are also beneficial, but can be harder to find.  Bailey illustrates some historical reasons for this when he writes, “...hyper-individualistic global capitalism…poses dangers to the experience of dignity as communal identities and entire layers of civil society are dissolved and commoditized to enable an ever-greater flow of international capital and labor”. However, he gives us some hope by showing that restorative practices increase a sense of belonging, dignity, inclusion, support, and care. (2020).  Frida Rundell also shows how intentionally relational communities can correct deficits in mental health, through her Relational Care Ladder. (2021) 

The article “Building A Relational Culture” (IIRP) gives a template for building our project as a relational organization from the ground up.  By doing so, in our small way, we may contribute to the essential movement of the human race to deconstruct the dehumanizing systems built through the colonization era.  

This project began with five women sharing in a circle around a fire to discuss their frustration about bringing their creative offerings to market by themselves.  They decided that night to join together in collaboration.  The author of this paper is one of those five women, and this paper explores what an organization might achieve by combining restorative practices, communal creativity, and relational care.  Although we have all committed to the relational model, it has been challenging to adopt to these ways of being.  We were not acculturated to them.  We’ve had to exercise patience and endure discomfort.  Thankfully, we have access to excellent resources for how to cope with change. (Bassot, 2016). Namely, Fullan’s list of the ten assumptions surrounding change will prepare us to embrace the discomfort of our new paradigm.  But the evidence suggests that it will be well worth it. (2001, as cited in Bassot, 2016)   

Our goals were described formally in my PLC as follows:  “As independent artists and wellness practitioners, we have decided to form a cooperative in order to share expenses and benefits through group synergy and accountability.  I and four others are founding a new business entity called Artists’ Wellness Collaborative, adopting ethical leadership and restorative practices as our procedural norms.  Now we must communicate to refine our group mission, care for our individual needs, and create structured processes to accomplish these goals.

I will share restorative practices, create buy-in for, and facilitate them, so this group may accomplish their mission.”

After the night by the fire, our small group began to experiment with communal creativity through a weekly gathering we call “Art Night”.  We simply listen to music while each of us works on our own project.  Conversation flows freely.  We notice a deep sense of satisfaction and connection from our Art Night experiences.  We began reading passages from the book, “Your Brain On Art” published in 2023, discovering that potent research validates our positive experiences.  Communal creative expression does enhance human wellness. (Magsamen, S., Ross, I. 2023).

Artists’ Wellness Collaborative became the subject of the PLC, our first actions were to share each other’s contact information, create a group text, and scheduled weekly meetings.  During the meetings many ideas were freely shared, as enthusiasm was high. Our group decided to host a relatively large event, and a flurry of ideas ensued.  

 It was chaotic, and the ideas were not being captured.  In my written reflection with my PLC, I shared this issue. Through their feedback, it was suggested that the group create a shared task list with due dates.  In keeping with our ethic of shared ownership, I did not want to “delegate”.  My student colleagues suggested creating a norm where individuals freely adopt tasks.  I created a “group norms” shared document, alleviating the problem.  It gave us peace knowing where all our tasks were written, available for us all to see at any time.  

The following week, I presented my PLC with a new problem.  Some members wanted to put in many hours of work.  Others did not adopt any tasks, and feelings were getting hurt as expectations were not clearly communicated.  The PLC again gave sage advice, reminding me that although we all started with the same enthusiasm, some people had many more outside commitments than others.  They suggested, and I adopted, a new norm stating that individuals could step back to handle other priorities and then step forward again without losing standing in the group.   The next question to emerge was how to create a fair distribution of revenue?  We created a shared time log.  The implementation of the PLC suggestions helped the group members to feel good about whatever level of involvement was possible for them, and those doing the “lion’s share” of work understood that they would be fairly compensated. Next, I asked the PLC about ideas to monetize our endeavor, receiving excellent suggestions regarding the sales of products, event admissions, and memberships.  Also, online access to webinars and training could take place.

We have sold approximately 20 tickets to our event, have opened our business bank account, and are covering all expenses with earned money! We are a registered entity with the IRS and the Secretary of State. We have created a website, social media pages and posts, original artwork, printed flyers, a vendor application and agreement, a member application, and an Eventbrite account. Our first event is fully staffed and scheduled for Saturday, November 18. We had our second in-person meeting, which lasted five hours. We had a tough ethical decision due to lower ticket sales than expected.  We used our group text effectively over three days, exploring options, weighing in, giving feedback, and finally agreeing to do a smaller version of our event without vendors.  Everyone felt heard, respected, and “on board”.  We truly utilized fair process. (Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. 2003). 

No one has had to compromise their personal responsibilities, but we realize that we need more members to accomplish more work.  A second event has been added to our calendar for March. Paid membership levels were discussed at the last meeting. Affective questions and statements are being used consistently, and the members say they feel a sense of care and wellness from their participation. 

The Central Blueprint was formally utilized when one member became disheartened and pessimistic about the slow progress we were making as a group.  The situation was remedied with a SWOT/SWAIN analysis, which is now considered a norm.  As suggested in the PLC, the Relational Care Ladder was introduced to build safety through structure, nurture, engagement, and challenge. At the last meeting, as RP facilitator, I presented it to be considered and adopted as a new “norm”. It was well-received. 

I have begun to share the basics of Internal Family Systems with the group formally, suggested that we use the book, You Are the One You’ve Been Looking For (Schwartz, 2009), as a foundational textbook for our intrapersonal and interpersonal care norms.  The group expressed a desire to learn more. I showed group members who had not experienced ‘Art Night” the gallery of work we have produced over the past 9 weeks.  All expressed a desire to participate. 

The readings from Bassot regarding experiential learning have transformed my perspective regarding setbacks from dismay to a steady expectation that with every revolution of the learning cycle, new setbacks will appear as a natural part of the process.  This has helped me emotionally. I slowly but deliberately incorporate, through modeling, explanation, and calling attention to when we are functioning restoratively, and practice micro changes by being conscious not to overwhelm the group with too much theory. I have created a list of titles of short videos I can create as teaching tools, to make our group norms easily digestible!  

The first and most foundational resource for this experiential learning project has been our assigned text, The Reflective Practice Guide: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Critical Reflection by Barbara Bassot (2016).  I realized that through professional reflective practice,  I can overcome any obstacle in this exciting business endeavor. 

The next impactful book, a gift from a friend, is Your Brain On Art. (Magsamen, S, Ross, I.)   Published in 2023, it is a collection of research data making the case for the positive, cultural, and historical benefits of “neuroaesthetics”.  The good feelings we all experienced during “Art Night” were powerfully validated from a neuroscientific perspective.  For this study, I focused on Chapter 7, “Creating Community”.  I felt enormous validation for this project when I read their powerful declaration on page 202:  “Art creates culture.  Culture creates community.  Community creates humanity.”.  

The literature review allowed me to fully dive into existing research covering the benefits of non-hierarchical communities of care, communal creativity, restorative, and intrapersonal/interpersonal healing modalities.  Each finding led to more questions, and more findings.

To build a relational organization, I sought out research on organizations that substantially improve the lives of their members.  I found compelling literature on the efficacy of Alcoholics Anonymous to improve quality of life. AA meets several criteria; it is non-hierarchical, self-supporting, a community of care, and structured on restorative practices.  Stanford School of Medicine researcher Keith Humphreys evaluated 35 studies, 145 scientists, and the outcomes of 10,080 participants.  The results showed that AA was “nearly always found to be more effective than psychotherapy in achieving abstinence and that it lowered health care costs.” (Erickson, M. 2020).   These findings concluded that AA works because it’s based on social interaction, noting that “members give one another emotional support and practical tips to refrain from drinking” (Erickson, M. 2020).  Could our Artists’ Wellness Collaborative partially be modeled after the AA structure? Another study found AA to be restorative on nine key principles, contributing to its widespread success.  (Fallon, 2017) Founded in 1935 by two men who discovered that social support for one another alleviated their desire to drink, this model grew into the movement that today enjoys a presence in 180 countries. AA is entirely self-supporting by its members alone, receiving no money from any outside organization or government.  As such, they are never beholden to outside interests.  I would like to incorporate this aspect of self-support into the AWC.

AA’s  Twelve Steps is an intrapersonal, life-long reflective process. Free, voluntarily attended, group-facilitated meetings and voluntary one-on-one, free mentorship make up the interpersonal sense of belonging and acceptance that AA offers.  If our organization is to be a community of care, as is AA, then how shall we approach intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community care through creativity and restorative practices?  A major weakness of AA is that it excludes many people from its beneficial support by making the criteria for membership the admission of being an “alcoholic”. AA, as such, may not be perceived as inviting or appropriate for many. However, AA’s literature admits that “our liquor was but a symptom. We had to get down to causes and conditions.”  (AA). This led to more questions.

Nathanson’s Compass of Shame (1992) elucidates many troubling responses to shame, namely “attack self”, “attack other”, “avoidance”, and “withdrawal”. Addiction falls under the category of “avoidance”.  Traumatic events can cause “intrinsic memories” or “triggers”. (Rundell, 2021). Could an organization reach more people if the stigma of alcoholism or addiction were appropriately replaced with the concept of trauma?   Could intrapersonal reflection and interpersonal support be instead accomplished through communal creative expression? 

At the time of AA’s inception, the field of trauma did not exist, other than references to “shell shock” after war.  In 1980, the term PTSD came into the literature, and by 1992, Complex PTSD.   Researchers like Peter Levine, Bessel Van der Kolk, Richard Schwartz, and the Adverse Childhood Experiences studies (Petrucelli, 2019), have since identified trauma as the root cause for many maladaptive behaviors, addiction being only one.  It is even suspected that repressed trauma may be involved in certain autoimmune diseases.  Schwartz’s method, known as Internal Family Systems, has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. (Shadick, N. et al.) Another study found IFS to be very effective in relieving the symptoms of PTSD. (Hodgdon, H. et al., 2022) .  In the IFS model, all people have subpersonalities.  Therefore, it is my opinion that IFS can be thought of as intrapersonal restorative justice; restoring safety, nurture, engagement, and challenge to exiled or maladaptive “parts”, removing shame and re-integrating all parts back into good standing within a single person. 

The Twelve Steps could also be partially emulated, as they are interpersonally restorative and reflective, encouraging admission of wrongdoing, amend-making, and long-term transformation.  However, that model stigmatizes “parts”, calling them “character defects”, and asking that they be removed, rather than “retrieved”, as in IFS. Could our organization somehow create norms for our members that offers the best of several of these evidence-based tools? 

Frida Rundell, in her IIRP Presidential Paper Number 4, entitled “Processing Trauma Using the Relational Care Ladder” (2021), cites Schwartz, within the framework of her user-friendly model, which could be used universally.  Each “rung” of the ladder represents a developmental necessity for wholeness.  Rundell describes common behaviors indicating possible deficits from lack of structure and safety, nurturance, engagement, or challenge.  Once identified, Rundell’s paper offers compensatory ways that groups may help their members fill these gaps.  Each member could do a self-study, and and also become aware of each other’s specific needs.   

Could these forms of healing somehow find expression through creativity and art?  One of many examples would suggest that the answer is “yes”. “The Young New Yorkers” is a restorative art program given to juvenile offenders as alternative sentencing.  These offenders were allowed to repair the harm they had done through community art projects, in exchange for dismissal of their charges.  One hundred percent of the inaugural participants completed the program successfully, and many turned toward art as a way of life. (Bernard, R. 2013). 

I have discovered a potential for purpose far beyond anything I could have dreamed of nine weeks ago.  I thought “reflective practice” meant that I was going to become a good listener.  Little could I have imagined that I would co-found a healing and wonderful young organization that aligns with my deepest values; engaging in creativity for the health of my brain, my body, my friends, family, and a network of creative people that I have yet to meet!  I discovered the best of many existing organizations and systems, and how we might emulate the elements at the heart of their success.  Art and creativity are fun and relaxing.  I’ve discovered perhaps that all things of value don’t necessarily need to be so “heavy” and such hard work.  I’m delighted to be part of something that honors our lives in a holistic way, not asking us to compromise our family and health priorities.   I have discovered evidence supporting what I felt intuitively; that talking circles, affective expressions of truth, and caring help me and others to feel supported enough to do great things with our precious days on Earth.  We have reflective tools to solve problems communally, while we heal intrapersonally.   I have seen how others have leveraged restorative practices, transforming the lives of millions. I have discovered that through reflective practices new discoveries can become normal, and that those discoveries can be made while feeling respected, heard, and cared for. 

The impact of this project has given hope and inspiration to those it has touched thus far. We have spent very little money and established a viable community asset.  They and their families now have access to sound, health-enhancing principles.  I will continue to document, expand, communicate, and model our group norms to include all that I have learned through the actions supported by this class. Perhaps our infant organization can relieve loneliness and support joy. We will keep circling the experiential wheel.

.   One recommendation would be to consolidate these many branches into one body of work, in order to make our norms more easily digestible; perhaps a book, or a series of videos so new members can learn a bit at a time.  Another would be to involve some form of personally defined spirituality and/or ritual.  Perhaps we could  incorporate nature somehow.  

Our small group is very racially and ethnically diverse. As such, we are “building personal practices, teams, and organizations that contribute to a larger movement that’s committed to liberation for all.” (IIRP). We realize the opportunity for healing when we read that “Each manifestation of relational culture contains some practices that can serve as “antidotes” to the corresponding manifestation of white supremacy culture.” (IIRP)  As whole, safe, nurtured, engaged, and challenged beings, we can come full circle into our creative community of care.

References

Alcoholics anonymous big book (4th ed.). (2002).        Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.

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Baile, J.  (2018) A Science of Human Dignity: Belonging, voice and agency as universal      human needs.

IIRP Presidential Paper Series, Number 1/Spring 2019

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Barnard, R.(2013) Young New Yorkers: Restorative Justice

Through Public Art. Urban Omnibus

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Behavioral, C. B. O., & Adults, L. I. O. (2020). Social isolation and loneliness in older adults. In National Academies Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663

Donovan, N. J., & Blazer, D. G. (2020).

 

Social isolation and loneliness in older adults: Review and commentary of a National Academies report. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 28(12), 1233–1244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2020.08.005

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Erickson, M. March 11, 2020. Stanford Medicine News AA best for alcohol abstinence, study finds Alcoholics Anonymous most effective path to alcohol abstinence

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Hogdon, H., Hodgedon, H., & Anderson, G. (2021). Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Survivors of Multiple Childhood Trauma: A Pilot Effectiveness Study  | Received 10 Mar 2020, Accepted 19 Nov 2021, Published online: Journal of Agression, Maltreatment & Trauma, Pages 22-43.

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IIRP Graduate School | Online Learning: Log in to the site. (n.d.).https://online.iirp.edu/pluginfile.php/58899/mod_forum/intro/RP-525_Building_a_Relational_Culture.pdf

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Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2003). Fair process: Managing in the knowledge economy. Harvard Business Review, 1–12.

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Loneliness and social isolation linked to serious health conditions(n.d.)https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html

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Molnár, V. (2018). The business of urban coolness: Emerging markets for street art. Poetics, 71, 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2018.09.006

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Petruccelli, K., Davis, J., & Berman, T. (2019). Adverse childhood experiences and associated health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 97, 104127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104127

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Research & Resources – Mass Cultural Council. (2023, September 7). Mass Cultural Council. https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/culturerx-initiative/social-prescription/research/

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Rundell, F.  (2021) “Processing Trauma Using the Relational Care Ladder” IIRP Presidential Paper Number 4, 

Shadick, N. A., Sowell, N. F., Frits, M., Hoffman, S. M., Hartz, S. A., Booth, F. D., Sweezy, M., Rogers, P. M., Dubin, R. L., Atkinson, J. C., Friedman, A. L., Augusto, F., Iannaccone, C., Fossel, A. H., Quinn, G., Cui, J., Losina, E., & Schwartz, R. C. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of an internal family systems-based psychotherapeutic intervention on outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: a Proof-of-Concept study. The Journal of Rheumatology, 40(11), 1831–1841. https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.121465

Sima, R. (2021, May 4).

 

Artists send a loud and clear message: Go vote. International Arts + Mind Lab: The Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics. https://www.artsandmindlab.org/artists-send-a-loud-and-clear-message-go-vote/

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So lonely I could die. (2017, July 27). https://www.newswise.com/articles/so-lonely-i-could-die

The UnLonely Project. (2023, November 1). The Foundation for Art & Healing | Project UnLonely - The Foundation for Art & Healing. The Foundation for Art & Healing. https://www.artandhealing.org/