Day 9

Today was my first day at the official Host Ambassador in the AIM studio. I will be the Host Ambassador every Thursday morning. It was a very quiet day in the studio; only 10 people in and only two took part in any activity. One man just sat and listened to the music while waiting for his appointment. I find it interesting how it is usually children who bring in their parents. Kids just have a natural desire to create, play, imagine. Then we adults, stuff it deep inside of them telling them there are more important things to do which leads to adults that are afraid, or unsure how, to do something that is natural to every human being: create.

Day 8

I was the host ambassador for the AIM studio once again. There were about 20 people in, so the morning was busy. I helped people to make healing cranes for most of the time although some people did work on some string paintings. I am happy to be a volunteer in this program, but I'm wondering if only being in the studio for 1/2 of the day is allowing me to fully appreciate the healing effect on patients. I'm only in the studio for about 3.5 to 4 hours each week and I'm just not sure that's enough. I am yearning to really work with patients and experience the good feelings of helping someone in need. For now I will continue to do what I've been doing and hopefully an opportunity will open up.

Day 7

Only two people participated in the open studio on this day. They had been in before and new their way around so they had the freedom to move from one project area to the next. The woman was interested in making a healing crane from string art that was previously made by her husband in the studio. I helped her along and realized that if you aren't doing this repetitively, you can easily forget the steps involved. Her crane turned out beautifully and she was quite pleased. She then moved on to making milagros and her husband joined her. They spent a couple of hours enjoying this process. As for the staff, I think we had too many people. Two volunteers and one resident artist to take care of two studio participants. There was some busy work to be done, but I am hoping to discover a richer experience of how patients and caregivers are transformed through this process.

Day 6

Today was busier than the last couple of times I was in the AIM studio; in fact the entire clinic seemed busier than I had seen before on a Friday. The staff artist shared with me how we would be introducing patients to making healing images, but I prefer to call them milagros. We will be utilizing the empty paint pods from the watercolor sets and adding clay, paper and other baubles to them to create a meaningful symbol of small miracles. There were a few patients who came into the studio and we began this process. I'm not sure at this point if it will be as productive as the string paintings that everyone seems to enjoy creating, but it's a tactile experience that I enjoyed. An intern from employee health services came in asking if she could share some of the AIM information with the employees in an effort to get them to take better care of themselves. I think this is a great idea. It is only by discovering the benefits yourself that you can really promote the healing effects of AIM to others.

Day 5

Today I was a Host Ambassador at the Arts in Medicine program, which basically means I was the sole person running the studio for the first half of the day. There were 18 people in between 9:30 am and 1pm, but many were just curious about the program. Four people actually sat down and created some artwork or made healing cranes and three people planned on coming back in during the afternoon session. One of the women I spoke with had been in before. Her mother died of cancer and both she and her sister currently are fighting the disease. She really had come to terms with dying, stating that it is the most peaceful state to be in because it frees you from all pain. I admired her courage and the sense of peace she already had about her. Another woman commented on how peaceful the studio was and how it restored her spirit. I am always happy to hear those comments. It gives me a nice feeling knowing that I am helping someone to find their peace.

Day 4

It seems Fridays are quiet afternoons in the AIM studio and today was no exception. There were less than 10 people who came through today and only three took part in any art activity. All of today's participants spoke Spanish so there was a small language barrier since I do not speak the language. It might be a good idea for me to learn it if I plan to continue down this path. Even with the language barrier, their was no hinderance on helping the participants to create. Art has it's own language and that's a beautiful thing. Next week should be more interesting. I will be a guest ambassador, which means running the studio alone. I am looking forward to this.

Day 3

Not many people interested in getting creative in the arts studio today. One little girl, a regular visitor, did bring her sister and her sister's husband in to try their hand at string painting and creating beads of hope. Only one other person stopped in to create and I think the time really helped her. One gentleman stopped in to ask about the music, he was a former orchestra musician. I'm sure he'll be back. A rather quiet day.