FSU Veteran Creative Arts Workshop 2014

A few weeks ago I went back to FSU to help with their annual creative arts workshop!!  Here are some photos from the first day when we were set up on the Union Green and had a make-and-take event where any student could stop by and learn about paper making and make some paper!

FSU Student Veteran Center's new logo ready for screen printing!

pressing water out of the paper with a Gator!

 And pictures from the workshop:

It was a lot of fun!  I went as an art therapist  - so I was there if anyone needed someone to talk to.  I helped with the workshop too.  I also made a few sheets of paper!!  Here are some photos:

Half Army - Half Navy Paper

Half Air Force - Half Marines

Some fabric that was dyed purple...and put a retro lady on it

I loved helping with this event!  I am super excited to be working with Peace Paper Project again in November when they are going to Texas Tech University.

Short Trip to Tallahassee

Hello friends!  I am going to Tallahassee for a few days.  The FSU Veterans Center is having its annual Creative Arts Workshop and I am going to help!  We will be doing a poetry therapy workshop and then paper making (out of military uniforms) and printmaking on top of the paper.  This is exciting because I get to go see a lot of people that I miss and I also get to earn some hours towards my art therapy registration!  I will be back on Saturday and hopefully back to posting here on Sunday!  Have a wonderful week!

Graduation!

Graduation day has finally come and gone.  It still doesn't feel quite real yet and I already miss my best friend terribly.  Today I wanted to share some of my graduation photos with you:

With my professors Dr. Dave Gussak and Dr. Marcia Rosal

Casting spells in the football stadium

Graduation Yoga

at the Student Veteran Cord and Coin Ceremony 

And here are some Masters Art Therapy Class of 2014 class photos:

It's over... I can't believe it.  I will truly miss all of the wonderful ladies that I had the pleasure of going to school with.

Student Veteran Mask Making

Hello friends!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Last Friday I did a mask making workshop with the student veterans at FSU.  It was a lot of fun and I have many pictures to share with you today!!

Several of the students outlined their masks on their face with lipstick (their own idea):

The next step is to cover the entire face in vaseline so that the plaster does not pull out any of the hairs on the face:

Then the partner builds the mask on the face:

After this the person with the mask waits until the mask is dry enough to remove.  After we removed them we used a heat gun to dry the masks faster and then the veterans decorated the masks however they wished:

It was a great day and I really love getting to spend time sharing my love of art and art therapy with these wonderful student veterans.

Why I was MIA for the past week...

I've been super busy this past week.  On the 10th I went to the Group Exercise Instructors Banquet.  They gave out paper plate awards; this was mine:

It's pretty applicable.  I did become a group exercise instructor due to my love of Step Aerobics and I do use it as therapy!

On the 11th I went to the SportsAbility banquet with some of the girls from my program.  Here we are with our professor Dave and his wife:

The 12th was the FSU Spring Game.  It was not that interesting though so we left early, made Doritos Taco Salad and watched movies!

The 13th I exercised, worked on cleaning my house and doing some homework, and went to hang out at the pool with Hillary.

The 14th was school.  The 15th was the University Leadership Awards Banquet.  I got an award!

On the 16th I had photo shoot for Vires Magazine - its the magazine of the FSU Alumni Association.  They are doing a story on three of us student veterans.  I think its pretty awesome that I get to be in the story!!

Hopefully I will be back to posting M-F again now...but the end of the semester is upon us, so we shall see!  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!

Volunteering at the Stand Down

So, I posted a few days about doing art therapy at the North Florida Homeless Veteran Stand Down.  That was on Friday and Saturday.  On Sunday I went out with the FSU Student Veterans and volunteered manual labor to help take apart the site after the event was over.  Here are some photos:

I'm doing real work! 

Taking apart a tent

Folding Cots

Group Photo (although some people left before this photo)

It was hard work!  I was exhausted after - I have not rolled camou or folded cots since 2009! I am glad we went though - they told me that they were really in need of some help!

Military Ball

Last Friday the FSU Collegiate Veterans Association had a military ball!  Here are some photos:

 We had a photo booth....

The ball was a lot of fun!  I took full advantage of the opportunity to network - and the chance to catch up with my fellow student vets that I have been missing due to all the homework I have had to do this semester that has caused me to miss so many events.  It was a wonderful night.

Veterans Day

Veterans day here in Tallahassee is jam packed with wonderful events that are veteran centered!  First, there is a 5K run in the morning.  I did not participate in it, but several of my friends did.  Next is the Veterans Day Parade!  I did participate in this.  Here are some photos from the parade:

CPT America was on our float! 

And after the parade is the Veteran Film Festival.  We watched "Which Way Is the Front Line From Here?" a documentary about the life of Tim Heatherington, one of the men who made Restrepo.  It was a great movie and in my opinion, a wonderful portrayal about what is it to experience war and return to normal life.  I did not take photos at the film festival.

Once I got home I worked in my right brain planner a bit.

Of course Veterans Day inspired some extra patriotism in me.  This was my Art Ever Day Month creative thing for the day because I was tired by that point and still had a paper to edit for the following day!!

What did you do on Veterans Day?