Posts by Heidi Darr-Hope
Tibetan Inspired Community Art: Mandalas, Talismans and Prayer Flags
Tibetan Inspired Community Art For our 20th anniversary exhibition, Circles of Life: Making Art, Creating Communities of Hope, I wanted to pay tribute to the Tibetan Culture, as they had influenced the design of my creativity practices for at least 15 years. Curious why Tibet? Read our earlier post – Travel Inspiration: Stumbling Across the Tibetan Sacred…
Read MoreArt as Healing Communities of Hope – A 20th Anniversary Exhibit
A Tribute to Creating Hope To mark our 20th art as healing anniversary, I wanted to create something significant, something filled with celebratory hope. Lots of ideas floated around our board of directors meetings. It was a stressful time filled with the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth. First of all, we knew wanted…
Read MoreTravel Inspiration: Stumbling Upon the Tibetan Sacred Arts in India
Finding Inspiration Outside My Comfort Zone… One of the things I have learned from my love of travel is that you never know what profound inspiration awaits around the next corner. I love that feeling, that rush, that force of inspiration that breathes a palpable life-force into my spirit. To be infused with that spark of creative…
Read MoreMake Art: Creativity is Our Birthright
What is Art? In describing the work that we do at Healing Icons, many times I am fearful of using the word ART, as it can be intimidating. It conjures up images of hushed museums and galleries with stark white walls, where everyone is dressed in black, looking very pretentious and serious. Art has become more…
Read MoreOur Creativity Manifesto: Rules to Live By
“Care of the soul is quite different in scope from modern notions of psychology and psychotherapy. It isn’t about curing, fixing, changing, adjusting or making healthy, and it isn’t about some idea of perfection or even improvement. It doesn’t look to the future for an ideal, trouble-free existence. Rather it remains patiently in the present,…
Read MoreFear No Art: Trust & Blind Contour Drawing
Many times, it is plain, old-fashioned fear that keeps survivors from signing up for our offerings – not the fear that comes with a cancer diagnosis, but the terror associated with the words creativity and art: “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly. I do not have a single creative bone in my body.” We believe that everyone has creative bones;…
Read MoreTranquility Practice: Creating Radiant Mandalas
There is a wonderful strangeness about meeting in a classic business boardroom for our Lunch and Learn series. A very large, stately, dark mahogany table fills the room. Two of the four walls are almost floor-to-ceiling glass. It is an elegant space that holds us well. This boardroom is transformed when we meet the first…
Read MoreFinding a New Whole: Self-Portraits
Each spring, I like to dig a little bit deeper into who I am, face some fears, uncover a long-forgotten aspect of who I truly am and hopefully move one step closer towards my personal quest for wholeness. In Jungian psychology, this journey is referred to as the path of individuation, a process where we learn and…
Read MoreCultivating Optimism During Difficult Times
Nature is Magnificently Creative and Inspiring If you are not familiar with Bing, it’s a wonderful search engine that presents a different, stunning photograph on their landing page every day. The images are always wonderful, guaranteed to delight and inspire. Today’s image was the incredible photograph of Jersey tiger moths above. Talk about nature as an inspiration for visual…
Read MoreCalming Practice: Creating Mandalas
When I arrived last Wednesday to set up for our new Lunch and Learn Series, Mickey and Linda were already there, setting up the registration table. Our “greeters” Donna and Mae arrived soon thereafter, and Evelyn was not far behind. These five women are our ambassadors. They are experienced, seasoned participants who are well on the…
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