Safety and Connection in Art Practice

“Earth will be safe when we feel in us enough safety.”

Thich Nhat Hahn

I first wrote the following words in a newsletter, but they got such a big response that I thought it would be important to put this out there as a blog post.

If you’re asking why, here’s the answer: Newsletters go to my newsletter subscribers only and into their private email inboxes only. Blog posts are out there on the world wide web for anyone to read after finding the post from a search.

These past weeks have been some of my happiest in a really long time. I've been spending a lot of time simply watercolor painting in an art journal while hanging out with my kids as they do their crafts (spinning, weaving, knitting/crochet and sewing) in the same room. It is a temporary bliss, because school is about to start, kids will be leaving again, and I'll be back to being by myself much of the time.

I've also been diving much deeper into a theory about the human nervous system called Polyvagal Theory by watching YouTube videos and listening to a book called Anchored by Deb Dana.

This theory is one explanation of how and why humans alternate between feeling regulated, ie calm, relaxed, happy, connected, safe, and dysregulated, ie anxious/fight or flight or shutdown/freeze. I am no scientist, so I cannot say whether or not this theory is 100% accurate, but it doesn't matter.

Just entertaining the ideas of Polyvagal theory are enough to reaffirm what I already know so deeply in my soul: making art and going into flow state is one of the healthiest things that I can do for my mental and physical health. Making art quickly and reliably brings me to my place of calm . . . and in that serene place in my mind and in my body, stress hormones do not course through my veins.

The other thing is social connection, which is fundamental to Polyvagal Theory. Being with my kids while they are home, getting out a lot more and connecting with friends, even re-engaging with a pre-pandemic idea that I had for local art meetups that I call ‘Cleveland Crafternoons’ has been an added soothing balm.

During these past few pandemic years I've identified that creating collage fodder, mixed media books and other mixed media projects is another reliable source of that flow state place of calm energy for me. I've spent countless days and nights tearing and gluing paper and it never fails me, ever. I'm simply a happier version of me because of mixed media collage art creation.

After sending that newsletter, a number of subscribers responded by email that they too had been learning about Polyvagal Theory. Perhaps it is the time for the theory to have it’s big moment where it becomes ubiquitous. But that doesn’t much matter.

What matters to me in the end is whether or not this theory does the following: improve my relationship with myself and with others. If it can do this consistently, I will continue to explore it and incorporate it into my life.

The themes of Polyvagal Theory center around human safety and connection. I’ve long been a fan of evolutionary psychology, so these ideas are not foreign to me. Basically, humans do what they do because survival is our biological imperative, therefore most if not all human behavior can be understood as an adaptation for our own survival or the survival of our genes.

Developed by world-renowned researcher Dr. Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory focuses on what is happening in the body and the nervous system, and explains how our sense of safety, or danger or threat, can impact our behavior. Along with Deb Dana, author of Anchored, Dr. Porges has formed The Polyvagal Institute (PVI) for research, education and application about his theory.

At this point, you might be asking, “Why is Wendy going on and on about this. Aren’t we here to read about arts and crafts?”

Well, if you haven’t been following me on Instagram for a long time or listening to my podcast, you may not know that something that I frequently talk about is my “big why” for making art.

I’ve also heard from countless people at this point in my art career that they just really struggle with making time for art because they don’t know how to sell (or even have the desire to sell) what they make and they don’t understand the useful purpose of a collage, art journal page or handmade book.

We live in a world where we are always asking ourselves, “what is the value of this thing or activity?” so I’m not at all surprised that this is on everyone’s minds. We constantly question what we should be investing our time in, how often we do things and what purpose is it serving ourselves and others.

Time and again, people express struggling with their art practice, even though they really want to make art! Questions like “am I good enough?” and “Is my art good enough?” or “why am I purchasing all of these supplies and not using them?” abound.

I think we could make a legitimate case that the answers to all of our questions about our art practices can be found inside of Polyvagal Theory. Just ask yourself, how does this issue that I’m having relate to my sense of safety in the world and connectedness with other people? What am I afraid of? How am I feeling in my body? Am I feeling anxious or afraid? What stories is my brain creating right now to explain how my body is feeling (spoiler alert: the stories are often false)? I think you will find some gold if you are willing to explore Polyvagal Theory.

Five years ago I came across an artist, Josie Lewis, who educated me about flow state and art and even The Mother Method of color mixing (although I use that method differently than she does and I make the mud!). I knew right away that I really connected with the idea of flow state as a healing thing for me, and that when I was painting or crafting, I almost always went into flow state.

Flow state is “that sense of fluidity between your body and mind, where you are totally absorbed by and deeply focused on something, beyond the point of distraction. Time feels like it has slowed down. Your senses are heightened. You are at one with the task at hand, as action and awareness sync to create an effortless momentum. Some people describe this feeling as being ‘in the zone.’ This is the flow state and it’s accessible to everyone, whether you’re engaged in a physical activity, a creative pursuit, or even a simple day-to-day task.” source Headspace

I know exactly why I love being in flow so darned much. When I am in flow, I’m not “in my head.” When I’m in flow, I’m not ruminating on negative thoughts and worries about the future.

When I am in flow, I am at peace, and being at peace is healing for my tired, highly sensitive, and oftentimes worn out psyche.

Once the connection between arting/crafting and the healing power of flow state had been cemented in my mind, there was no getting out of it. I now needed flow state daily. It wasn’t a matter of “if” I would spend my time creating, it was just going to be a part of my almost-daily life and that was that.

What Polyvagal Theory adds to the conversation about flow state, creating and healing is the explanation of how this is all physiologically happening inside of our body.

Polyvagal Theory explains the series of events that are going on all the time in our nervous system that create our feelings of regulation and dysregulation. And possibly the most interesting thing of all: how these things impact our experiences and relationships with other humans.

If we are feeling dysregulated, we are difficult to be around and probably creating chaos and fear for other people that we come in contact with.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather be the kind of person that brings peace into the world than one that creates chaos with my behavior. I’m definitely a work in progress, and happy to report that I’m feeling very optimistic right now as far as my own growth potential in this area.

Why do humans need so badly to feel this sense of calm? Obviously, most of us probably prefer the feeling of calmness and connectedness over the feeling of anxiety, fear, stress and disconnectedness. I think we are all creatures seeking safety and connection, and when we find the things and people that bring us more safety and more connection to ourselves and others, we’re naturally going to gravitate toward them.

If you are an artsy craftsy type, making art is our shelter in the storm.

Making art with people who make us feel safe is an even stronger shelter.

I would like to continue to explore these themes in my art making and in my professional life. It is very clear to me now that these are my passions, and also the things that so many of us struggle with. I’m never going to be a professional therapist, nor do I want to be, but I feel that I can spark conversations that will lead people to see things from a different perspective and possibly explore things for themselves.

So back to why I’ve been so happy lately. I’ve been spending a lot of my time in flow state, surrounded by people who I feel deeply connected to, in the safety and comfort of my home. For me, life just doesn’t get any better than this, and I recognize how temporary most things are, with this being no exception.

It is up to me to continually find other ways of creating this sense of safety and connectedness for myself and for others with the art and the experiences that I create.

Thank you to all of my friends and fellow artists for being on this path together. Whether we interact in real life, in the Willa Workshops classrooms, in the Conscious Creativity for Mixed Media Artists group on Facebook, or on Instagram, I’m really grateful for each and every one of you. We’ve been through a lot together and I appreciate your willingness to go deeper into the things that unite us all.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Please leave a comment.