You know those moments in life when you react but on reflection that change was one of the best things for you.
That was exactly what happened when this person came into my life.
Glenda Needs appeared unexpectedly as my art therapy lecturer and she her worked hard to demonstrate her credibility. I am glad she didn’t take my resistance to change as a final place and patiently shared, cared, connected and held space for the barriers to come down – just like any great therapist would!
I have been fortunate to have many teachers that have had a huge influence and Glenda is certainly one of those. We spontaneously caught up on Friday after too many years and had me reflecting on the people that help shape and guide you along the way.
She…
– saw something in me that I didn’t see yet
– showed me that something else was possible
– made the fact that I knew art, movement, texture, sound could say so much more than words make so much sense
– challenged the status quo
– would gently (or sometimes not so gently!!) nudge me to stop avoiding assignments as there was opportunities for the industry coming
– helped me to trust my instinct
– paved the way for doing things differently
– a reminder to persist, stand up, share and educate about our profession as it is a credible way to work with lots of evidence
– to think critically and creatively
The list goes on.
Glenda shone a light on a path that I was destined to walk and I am grateful that she shared her wisdom, humour, passion and didn’t give up on the grumpy, defensive student that sat in that lecture on the first day (and way too many days after).
We became colleagues and friends and even though I have added my own flavours to my practice what I learned from her will always be part of my core way of doing things.
I would love to hear, who are some of your teachers and mentors that have influenced your life? The ones that challenge, connect, mould and support your strengths.
This didn’t start well
