When we give someone a brush or pencil and ask them to paint they would usually say they can’t. Nowadays only a certain kind of perfection is considered art. I was recently part of an activity without these definitions or requirements. We gave people from age 18 to 50 a chance to reflect and rediscover their individual selves via the medium of painting.
I have been working with Innovators In Health (India) for the last 6 months. The organisation works in providing end to end care to persons with TB (PwTB).
Recently, our team organised a retreat workshop in Mirik, West Bengal. The aim was to reflect, recharge and learn from each other through various collaborative and team building activities. Self-portrait was one such activity that focused on individuals to explore and express their deepest desires.
Let’s look at how the activity evolved in three stages via pictures.
Shapes That Make Up the World
A Rainbow of Colours
Self-portrait: Painting the Language of my Dreams
These pictures don’t do justice to the sharing the people did. The sharing was a rollercoaster of emotions. Everyone involved in the process went through many emotions.
Colours define our lives but due to the demands of daily life we forget to stop and observe the world around us. It’s interesting that as adults we forget the colours and shapes that define our childhood. For the longest time I can remember I was and still continue to be fascinated with art.
The definition of art used to be perfection for me which makes sense and is an exact replica of something very real. It started to change a few years ago but somewhere I still strive for perfection. Recently it changed completely and now I have come to realise there is beauty in imperfection as long as it makes sense to the person.
Because imagination is vivid and unrestricted where sky can be pink and grass can be blue.
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