I don’t know what the word is for these types of comments – is it ironic?
‘Don’t think that you are going to come in here and do finger painting and think that it’s going to help. Make sure you also cover the real content.’
Flippantly made when approving a wellbeing workshop with a team that have just been through a really tough time, and the impact is palpable.
The day before, I was at Adelaide Women’s Prison as part of a program with Puddle Jumpers Incorporated, and that finger paint was more than a bit of art and craft.
I want you to think about what it would look like to confront the reality of your situation and be faced with the impact that has had on your children how would you even have a conversation about that without losing it?
Now picture a room where there is laughter, connection and a playfulness, where something has been faced and shifted through the colour, movement and ‘mess’.
In my facilitation, that is the same room.
The ‘art’ is a place where things can be expressed without saying a word, because the words and the story can be retraumatising, full of anger, blame and shame, and have the brain in threat mode, which is not conducive to moving forward.
The paint held the big stuff and safely allowed feelings, acknowledgement, release, connection and hope toward a better future.
And this isn’t just about these women.
Moments like this are why I am determined not to let these types of comments get in the way of what a facilitated process can do.
From the outside, the ‘art and craft’ looks like a bit of fun. Yes, it can be, but it is more than that. The medium that is chosen is deliberate for how it interacts with what we are aiming to explore, and there is a lot happening that you can’t capture on a worksheet or PowerPoint presentation.
It doesn’t come in a neat black-and-white answer that is comfortable because it’s neat and known. Yes, it can be messy, chaotic, playful- it takes people out of the thinking and lets them explore, express and discover new possibilities. It’s about them relating through the experience, reflection and insights, which lands differently to being told what you ‘should’ do or having to get it ‘right’.
In today’s world, where the supposed answer is available at the click of a button, I think that we need to remember the human in us needs space to ponder, experience, connect and be curious.
I actually think that we need finger painting more than ever – oh, and all the other creative possibilities that get packed on the trolley and come into the boardroom, ready to explore and find the answers in the textures, shapes, lines, colours and the way that the pieces come together.
So while I won’t be doing finger painting with this group, I look forward to seeing what metaphoric scenes are created when the team describes how their team is functioning, and then what has to happen for them to connect, celebrate and move forward together.
Finger paint is more than arts and crafts
