ART THERAPY- DISCOVER YOURSELF

“Mirror is a reflection of our faces and Art of our Souls”

Art has the ability to change and transform lives, in profound ways. When words fail, we turn to images and symbols to narrate our stories. Through art we can reach out to people with our stories and find a path towards transformation and healing.

As they say there is a lot between the heaven and earth than just dreams. Art therapy has a therapeutic way of rooting the idea of creative expression that fosters healing our soul and leading us towards mental well-being. For years art has been a very communicative way to express our feelings. When we were young we would instinctively use painting, drawing, sketching to communicate and express our emotions, but as we grow, and maturity hits us we often forget the beautiful impact art had on our lives.

Through Art Therapy patients are provided with a safe place where they can explore not very pleasant feelings like fear, anger, aggression, unfulfilled expectations. Feelings that they would otherwise avoid to talk about. Rightly said “Art speaks where words end.”  The field of Art and artistic people has always intrigued me. It feels like artistic people see life through a very different lens. They have immense waves of creativity within and so they life seems so sorted and calm. I wonder how various forms of art give them so much of peace. I guess the only reason why their life is so peaceful is that it’s not humans, but a form of art that is communicated as a Peacemaker and Healer adding the Art Therapy to experience the solace within.

Going back to Ancient history, art has been one of the oldest ways to communicate through wall carvings, sculptures, and paintings right from the Indus valley civilization. It is seen that when a person is unable to speak about his pain, they resort to expressing their feelings through Art.

Healing is totally an internal process which has a lot to do with a sense of positivity and inner strength. Ask an artist and they will enlighten you about the therapeutic impact Art has on them. Art Therapy is a type of expressive therapy that enhances a person’s emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being through the process of creativity. By art we mean everything that stirs our consciousness and inner strength to challenge our mind. This is the process where artistic expression helps lots of people to develop positive feelings, solve problems, change attitudes, boost their self-concept and be more content with themselves.

Art is like a life saving jacket in a world that’s growing crazy. Art keeps you grounded in your roots. It has a meditative impact to develop patience in life. We have to make a choice today either “let Art enter your world or you enter into the World of Art.” Choice is yours to discover the artist in you.

Remember friends Art is not a skill, but an expression and it really does not matter if you think you cannot draw or create. It’s an outlook towards life, which can be seen in the form of a new hobby, learning music, anything that keeps you occupied and for which you feel the desire to create time and it’s  so becoming a part of your life in spite of the busy schedules you have as it heals you from all the stress that you’ve been carrying  as a baggage of life.

It’s practically applicable and as a life skill trainer and therapist, I have seen my students experiencing the magic of art therapy in their lives.  A group of IILM students took this initiative to apply this therapy for the first two weeks and shared such positive results in their level of expression, understanding of situations. One common response was that they learnt to respond rather than react in stressful situations.

Art Therapy gives people medium to express their feelings and problems and tread a happier life that is real and serene in nature. Art as a therapy has proved to be a powerful weapon to combat illness and spread well-being. It allows you to be yourself with no Form and that’s the Beauty. So let’s join hands together to inhale positivity and exhale creativity.

To connect on knowing more about the profound value and benefits of art, colors and visualization therapy write to me on megha.kochhar@iilm.edu

How IILM keeps students motivated to learn

Motivation sooner or later fades away if it is not fed every day.

To keep one motivated requires an investment of time, effort, and energy. However, it is a worthwhile effort. In the case of students, motivation has a key role to play for achieving success in their academic goals. This is easier said than done. It is the responsibility of the teachers to ensure that the students are motivated in their academic pursuits. Teachers with great experience believe that the students are as motivated as is the teacher.

The teachers, who are passionate about their subjects, ensure that their passion rubs off their students as well. There are many ways by which the students can be kept motivated. We, here at IILM understand the importance of keeping students motivated to learn so that they enjoy the learning process.

Here are 7 key initiatives taken up by IILM to keep our students motivated are:

  • Increase involvement of students: We believe that effective learning happens when the students are involved in all the learning activities. The classes are conducted in a student-centric manner such that the teacher acts as a facilitator in the learning process.
  • Make learning enjoyable: IILM considers that learning will be effective only when it is enjoyed. Gone are the days when the students would memorize answers and score good marks in exams. We now focus on how well students interact with each other and solve real-life problems through group work. In this way, students have fun as well as learn at the same time.
  • Healthy competition: Healthy competition keeps the energy levels of the students high and they are motivated to perform better. At IILM we have noticed that students understand concepts better and retain them for a longer time when they compete with each other in classroom discussions.
  • Variations in teaching pedagogy: At IILM, the faculty members believe in using a combination of pedagogical methods like group activities, quizzes, simulation games, etc to keep the interest of the students in the various subjects. This helps them to excel in their academic pursuits.
  • Reward students: Rewards always motivate students to perform better. This holds good for students at all levels. The faculty at IILM keeps a constant track of the performance of the students from time to time and rewards them as deems
  • Give responsibility to students: Some students are motivated when they are given the responsibility of performing certain tasks. Such students are identified and handed over responsibilities like club activities, club boards, co-ordination jobs, etc.
  • Connect teaching with students’ interests: The bond between the teacher and the student has to be formed over the interest of the students. They connect over these areas of common interest. The areas of interest have also been made a part of the course curriculum in the form of content delivery. The classroom activities in IILM become more engaging and interesting for the students as they are related to the areas of students’ interest.

The motivation of the students to learn creates excitement for learning between the teachers as well as the students. It enriches the learning process and also enhances how the classroom discussions and activities take place. As times change, the ways to motivate students will undergo several changes. The mantra for motivating students, therefore, is ‘Make learning fun’.