"The MetaWorld of Art, Dreams & Imagination"

New article published in DREAM NETWORK magazine. Vol 29 No. 3

An interview with Pamela Hayes - Art Therapist.

DREAMS IN THE NEWS

by

Russell Arthur Lockhart, Ph.D.

The natural topic was Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film, Inception. Or, a Sarah Kershaw article on dreams from the New York Times. Instead, a stack of unsorted stuff was knocked off my desk by my cat Samantha. In trying to stay the mess, I caught hold of a single piece, workshop announcement, three months earlier, on "Art Therapy for Grief and Loss," under the direction of Pamela Hayes.

Valuing the serendipitous, I could not ignore this. In exploring Pamela's website (http://www.hayesarttherapy.com), two things struck me: her "mother/daughter" collaborative art project and her comment on the difficulty of maintaining one's own creativity while watching others create. Interviewing Pamela would follow the lead of the serendipitous hint resulting from Samantha's stretching herself. Pamela graciously agreed to respond to my questions.

RL. Pamela, why art therapy?

PH. My high school art teacher brought us to a gallery of artwork done, not by artists, but by people suffering from migraine headaches. My artistic path took me to Parsons School of Design in NYC. After graduating with a BFA, I worked in galleries, even art restoration. Years later, I received a gift, a calendar of patient artwork from Napa State Hospitaldrawings, sculptures, paintings. This reignited my interest in art therapy. On the back of the calendar was a name and number. I called and said: "I want to do what you do. How do I do that?" Within a week, I quit my job, applied to Notre Dame de Namur University's art therapy program. Twenty years later, I’ve never been disappointed with that choice.

RL. A beautiful example of following "serendipitous hints"! You note it’s tough being an art therapist, always watching other people make art. Can you describe how you maintain your own passion for art without falling into the occupational hazard of not doing the work oneself?

PH. Watching my clients, I think about what I would create given the same directive and the same materials. Sometimes, not often enough, I stay at my office after clients are gone, stealing time alone with the art materials. I forget how balanced I feel after making art, have to remind myself to schedule creative time, just like exercise, hanging with friends or reading. What works is writing it in my calendar as an appointment. It is as important as a doctor’s visit or a yoga class. Another help: recruiting a friend to make art with me.

To Read the entire article/interview, please go to: http://www.understandthemeaningofmydreams.com/index.html