Heritage Empowered Arts Legacy

HEALING ARTS IN ACTION FOR ARTIST

The goal of Healing Arts in Action is to provide
appropriate avenues of creative expression for
artist, who are experiencing a repressed energy
flow, which results in an interruption of productivity.
The techniques used in my expressive art therapy
are designed to address generalized anxiety and
situational depression. These two-life issues tend
to create communication blocks, lethargy, lack of
concentration and an inability to cope.
When untreated generalized anxiety and situational
depression interfere with an artist creativity, productivity and their life fulfillment.

Healing Arts in Action seeks to stimulate the artist ability to creatively problem-solve, by engaging the artist in one-on-one, as well as group, creative workshops. In the workshop, artist will address their inner critic. The inner critic is the internalized voice that has stymied ones ability to take chances and grow. This internalized critic generates an exaggerated need for perfection, which interrupts the artist creative energy output.

Healing Arts in Action uses expressive arts techniques to promote exploration. There can be no failure when one is merely exploring and exploring stimulates imagination.

The expressive arts techniques used in my workshops also incorporate transpersonal exploration to reunite the artist with their internal muse. Through the creative process artist will develop the ability to realign themselves with their true creative instincts..

Workshops are no larger than six people and generally last two hours. The studio provides materials, which are included in the program cost.

Groups will meet Monday 's and or Friday's.

WORKSHOP OUTLINE:

The workshops will utilize various expressive arts tools in a controlled exercise to unlock the repressed feelings, which block the artist creative output.

Healing Arts in Action will provide a series of exercises, aimed at unleashing the artist stymied energy. We will challenge perceptions and interpretations, by opening up a new creative front.

Healing Arts in Action will utilize the following arts as an investigative tools for the identification of Creative Block; Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Performing Arts.

Biography
Donna M. Woods

Donna Woods is a California artist whose career spans over thirty-years. She has participated in a number of individual and group shows; and has been involved in the community working with at risk youth and adults, who are challenged by internal and external conditions. Throughout her career; Ms. Woods has explored various forms of expressive arts and transpersonal forms of expression to stimulate her internal muse, which have carefully guided her through several career challenges.

Ms. Woods is currently a teaching fellow at Loyola Marymount University , her area of expertise is expressive art exploration to a group of graduate students. She is also an on-call art therapist for Alzheimer patients at Mission Lodge, which is celebrating its Centennial birthday in 2008.

In 2006 Donna moved to Nova Scotia , and opened Indigo Mood Expressive Arts Studio. As a registered Art and Marriage and Family Therapist. Donna recognizes the importance of nurturing hope; her studio was designed to provide a safe haven for individuals in the process of reconstructing a new self-image, while improving self-esteem through creativity. Donna's goal was to promote growth and health in the community through the expressive arts.

In 2005, Ms. Woods received a Master of Arts, with a MFT certificate specializing in Art Therapy, from Loyola Marymount University .

Ms. Woods is also a co-founder and a executive board member of H.E.A.L., Inc. (Heritage Empowered Arts Legacy), which is a 501 C3 federal tax-exempt corporation. Heal provides creative leadership to Los Angeles ethnically diverse urban community in the preservation and presentation of their historical, cultural, and artistic legacies. Donna is also the owner of Imagiovation, which is a multicultural arts consulting entity, which utilizes the arts as a tool to help heal humanity.

Ms. Woods was a co-founder (of) and curator for Backstreet Galleries for seven years (1999 to 2005). As BackStreeTs curator, she implemented multi – ethnic programming and hosted several international arts exhibits.

Donna was represented by the prestigious Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in its Sales and Rental Gallery, as an emerging artist. It was a successful five - year contract that ended in 1999.

In 1992 Los Angeles experienced civil unrest. Mayor Tom Bradley formed a task force to select artisans to help in the rebuilding of community spirit. Donna was awarded a Los Angeles Recovery Grant, to teach Graffiti Taggers, fine art techniques. During that same period, Ms. Woods was contracted by Saint Elmo Village to teach inner city children mural design and development, as well as fine art painting.

Ms. Woods professional art career began with a paid internship, in 1978, at Rosie Grier's graphics training program know as “Giant Step.”