FEBRUARY 2017 Featured Interview |
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Interview with
Diane Fried
Dance Teacher and Choreographer
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Kathy Coe
Award-Winning Artist & Teacher
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About Diane:
Diane earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA and has been a teacher and choreographer for the past 25 years. She is presently volunteering as the movement instructor at New Beginnings Family Academy which is a charter school in Bridgeport, CT. In addition to her dance pursuits, she has lead art journaling workshops for local charities, libraries, and senior living facilities. |
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About Kathy:
Kathy studied at DuCret School of Art in New Jersey, Pratt Institute and The National Academy of Fine Art and Design in New York, where she worked closely with Dr. Furman Finck, Ronald Sherr, Harvey Dinnerstein and Marybeth Mckenzie. She challenges the traditions of classical portraiture with a unique ability to portray her subjects’ personalities. Her work has captured the eyes of many collectors, including Joan Rivers, Gene Wilder and Charles, Prince of Wales. |
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Art Journaling:
Diane teamed up with Kathy to share art journaling with their communities. This form of creative expression is a spontaneous and imaginative way to combine words, visuals and textures in journals made from a variety of materials such as composition books, watercolor paper and recycled items. Diane and Kathy have conducted art journaling workshops at numerous public libraries, camps and senior centers. They continue to offer introductory workshops to local non-profits on a volunteer basis and are also available to be hired for group parties and classes as well as private, in-home sessions. |
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Nancy R. Burger, Director, Mindful Living & Outreach, sat down with Diane and Kathy to discuss the creative vision behind art journaling and how it has developed.
What is art journaling?
D: It is putting together words, visuals and textures as a way of expressing yourself. It's a lot of things, and really whatever you want it to be. You don't need any art experience, and it can start with simply writing down words or phrases that are significant to you, doodling on a page, or gluing pictures or bits of fabric that appeal to you. All you need is the willingness to play and see where it leads. It's also a way to work through ideas--maybe you're going through a new chapter in your life or starting a new project in your home. It can be a discovery process.
How and where did this creative vision begin?
D: It is putting together words, visuals and textures as a way of expressing yourself. It's a lot of things, and really whatever you want it to be. You don't need any art experience, and it can start with simply writing down words or phrases that are significant to you, doodling on a page, or gluing pictures or bits of fabric that appeal to you. All you need is the willingness to play and see where it leads. It's also a way to work through ideas--maybe you're going through a new chapter in your life or starting a new project in your home. It can be a discovery process.
How and where did this creative vision begin?
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D: I was going through a difficult time about six or seven years ago. Although I was taking an art class, I found that it was demanding a lot of energy - I couldn't approach a blank page. I needed to express my feelings while being creative. To me, art journaling was a form of meditation or prayer. For someone that's struggling or in pain, art journaling is a safe way to work through thoughts and feelings without putting yourself out there and feeling vulnerable. There's no judgement.
K: Diane showed me a magazine on art journaling. I was teaching children's art classes (third through sixth grade), and asked if she would come in and lead a class for kids. They get to an age when they become very judgmental of their drawing skills and start comparing themselves to each other. They think art is only for professional artists, and they stop enjoying it. I suppose it's not unlike a child's experience with music, academics, or even their sense of fashion. |
Diane and Kathy work with children
at a summer camp workshop |
D: Yes. Those feelings can come up everywhere. Kids can be perfectionistic and very self-critical, and it can stop them from being expressive. Maybe they got some negative feedback along the way - maybe even from a parent - that has stopped them in their tracks. Or they just judge themselves harshly for whatever reason. We started to see a real need.
Looking at your examples, I'm struck not only by how fun they are to look through but also how pleasing they are to touch. I love the weight of the pages and the different colors and textures.
D: That's the interesting thing. Today, so much isn't tactile. Everything is on the computer. It's nice to have something you can touch and experience in that way.
When did you start working with adults?
D: A couple of years ago, Kathy and I offered an adult art journaling workshop at Ridgefield Library. We brought composition books and lots of supplies to get people started, then offered a slide show of examples. It helps to undo those old, set patterns of "should" that we as adults have learned along the way. I think it's important to learn to be messy because life is messy. We started to observe a certain excitement in the room because people let go and started to get playful. As adults, we tend to lose that.
Do adults jump right in, or do some need help getting started?
K: Diane might give a list of ideas to help them get started, which can be really fun. We emphasize that there are no rules or frameworks. There is no right or wrong way to approach it.
D: It's an interesting thing to watch. Some people don't like the white page, the empty page. So, you give them a little bit of structure - a springboard. For example, I might suggest that they paint a page with colors that make them feel peaceful.
Looking at your examples, I'm struck not only by how fun they are to look through but also how pleasing they are to touch. I love the weight of the pages and the different colors and textures.
D: That's the interesting thing. Today, so much isn't tactile. Everything is on the computer. It's nice to have something you can touch and experience in that way.
When did you start working with adults?
D: A couple of years ago, Kathy and I offered an adult art journaling workshop at Ridgefield Library. We brought composition books and lots of supplies to get people started, then offered a slide show of examples. It helps to undo those old, set patterns of "should" that we as adults have learned along the way. I think it's important to learn to be messy because life is messy. We started to observe a certain excitement in the room because people let go and started to get playful. As adults, we tend to lose that.
Do adults jump right in, or do some need help getting started?
K: Diane might give a list of ideas to help them get started, which can be really fun. We emphasize that there are no rules or frameworks. There is no right or wrong way to approach it.
D: It's an interesting thing to watch. Some people don't like the white page, the empty page. So, you give them a little bit of structure - a springboard. For example, I might suggest that they paint a page with colors that make them feel peaceful.
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It seems that the beauty in this is that there's no formula, no goal.
K: Yes. I think, for someone like me, who has had to do commissions, there's a lot of stress around having to please [clients]. So, I started a journal where I would put sketches, colors, whatever, and then just turn the page. Done. It gave me a sense of completion and joy. Some of my [commissioned] paintings would go on for a year, so this was a way to have closure and enjoy what I was doing. D: It's important to play again, and this is a way to get back to the joy of that. It's also a safe place to express yourself if you're in pain or facing a challenge. We explain to people that some of your pages will never be finished, and that's okay. We have to be okay with the mystery…with things that can't be explained. And find acceptance. For me, it can also represent a type of gratitude journal. I'll try to put one thing each day in the journal—something I'm grateful for, or something good that happened that day. Then I can look back and immediately experience that memory. When you write in a journal and there are a lot of words on a page, you don't always want to have to read through it. I've heard many women say, "I have no hobbies and I don't even know how to choose one." D: For art journaling, all you need is a glue stick and scissors. K: And it's all for you. Nobody else. |
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