Creativity in times of chaos
It has been a year since the war in Ukraine started. It is impossible to be indifferent when the whole world is affected by destruction and pain. Each of us asks a question, how can we help, how can we make a difference? Even if it takes a small step, a grain of contribution – it counts.
A year ago I remember painting sunflowers in an art therapy studio as a way to bring solidarity with the Ukrainian people. One year later, I feel not only Ukrainian families, but the wider world needs encouragement and strength.
Art and creativity - lifelines in a world of chaos and disruption.
When we are scared, we either freeze or fight, and creative energies bring us back into consciousness and compassion. Art can reach people in a state of freeze and bring us back to motion, on the other side art can express the fight energies and calm us down.
Just last week I visited Brisbane Art Gallery. It was inspiring to see in the same room as if no breath was taken between two words, side-by-side, – aboriginal art and a triptych dedicated to the war in Ukraine by George Gittoes. We are all one. It is felt even in far and remote Australia. The chaos and destruction expressed in art connect us in sharing our fears, grief, and disbelief at the whole situation. George Gittoes visited Ukraine in 2020, and his art reflects the pathos of the era of selfies and the expression of true emotions and pain.
"Through the Looking Glass," the third panel in Gittoes's triptych "Victory," 186 x 300 cm (https://artistprofile.com.au/letters-from-ukraine-12-06-22-looking-glass/)
I work mostly with business owners who are struggling emotionally and are dealing with stress and anxiety. The nature of war magnifies the uncertainty of being self-employed. As entrepreneurs, we are always in a state of flux, for us being in chaos could be a familiar feeling. But even the most experienced business owners can feel the pain of grief and struggle of the disruption.