Month: October 2023

Social Impact of Patchworks:

• Making the key benefits of the Art and Creative Therapies more accessible
• Educating underserved communities on the benefits of the arts for wellbeing (neuro-arts)
• Empowering people to be more proactive regarding their personal wellbeing journey via considered engagement with the arts
• Encouraging reflection via facilitated, exploratory and supportive conversation (focused on logotherapy)
• Potential wider societal impact: relieved strain on NHS via increased engagement with the arts for well-being purposes • Increased and more mindful engagement with the arts

Zoom Calls with Arts for Health Professionals:

This week, I interviewed Zoe Savva (Art Psychotherapist), Hannah Williams (Dance Artist, Movement Facilitator) and Chet Bentley (Musician, Sound Healing Practitioner), asking preliminary questions around their practice. This is a key part of my primary research. I have gained new research recommendations, practical exercise suggestions to include in the potential future workshops and general encouragement.

Thoughts, Feelings and Emotions

I am feeling positive and excited about this project, following strong uptake in my survey at the Claremont Project and positive feedback from arts for health professionals. This is my first time writing a report, so I am feeling some anxiety, however, an Academic Support Session this week helped to resolve my queries.

My research so far indicates that Patchworks is a viable venture, with the key message being how great the arts can be at engendering greater well-being. However, It’s become clear that I should collate further secondary research on the ‘Neuroarts’ as a main element of Patchworks. These research sources are listed in the reference list below.

Reference List:

Brown, S. (2019). A Unifying Model of the Arts: The Narration/Coordination Model. Empirical Studies of the Arts, 37(2), 172-196. Available at https://www.neuroarts.org/pdf/NarrCoord.pdf or https://doi.org/10.1177/0276237419828213. (Accessed 17 October 2023)

Brown, S. (2021) The Unification of the Arts: A Framework for Understanding What the Arts Share and Why. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Brookshire, B. (2023) ‘How art, music and dance affect your brain and body: In their upcoming book, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross promote the new science of neuroaesthetics — how creative pursuits can promote physical and mental health’, The Washington Post, Thurs 2 March. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/03/02/music-dance-painting-brain-mental-health/. (Accessed 17 October 2023)

Magsamen, S. and Ross, I. (2023) Your brain on art: how the arts transform us. New York: Random House.

Mind (2021) Arts and creative therapies: Explains what arts and creative therapies are, the different types and how to access them. Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/talking-therapy-and-counselling/arts-and-creative-therapies/. (Accessed 17 October 2023).

Psychology Today (2022) Neuroarts: An Emerging Field with a Plan to Transform Health. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-art-effect/202202/neuroarts-emerging-field-plan-transform-health. (Accessed: 17 October 2023)

Siler T. (2015) Neuroart: picturing the neuroscience of intentional actions in art and science. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 9, 410. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00410

The Aspen Institute (2021) NeuroArts Blueprint: Advancing the Science of Arts, Health, and Wellbeing. Available at: https://neuroartsblueprint.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/NeuroArtsBlue_ExSumReport_FinalOnline_spreads_v32.pdf. (Accessed 17 October 2023)

The Aspen Institute: NeuroArts Blueprint: Advancing the Science of Arts, Health, and Wellbeing. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fRPRldiwkI. (Accessed 17 October 2023)

Your Brain On Art (2023) What Is NeuroArts. Available at: https://www.yourbrainonart.com/what-is-neuroarts. (Accessed 17 October 2023)

Contacts now approached for online interview:

Questions, Concerns, (Solutions)

• Will the ‘cherry-picking’ nature of Patchworks content, informed by their knowledge and practise, sit well with them?
(Explain Patchworks approach – holistic, Logotherapy-focused)

• Will they feel like Patchworks aims to compete with them?
(Explicitly state the opposite, share plans to signpost to art therapists)
(Explain how Patchworks aims to be preventative, delivered in community settings – different consumers)
(Explain how Patchworks will be led by non-clinical facilitators)

1 Information Sheet/Consent Form created for both Arts Therapists and potential future attendees of Patchworks (Members/Users of the Claremont Project):

Survey Creation (Claremont Members):

To avoid ‘middling’ responses, I’ve replaced interval rating scales with ordinal and ordinal Likert Scales, informed by the article “Evidence-Based Survey Design: The Use of a Midpoint on the Likert Scale”, from experts including Katherine Roberts – Senior Instructional Designer at WellMed, UnitedHealth Group, Texas (Chyung et. al, 2017).

Peer Work

Class Breakout Room:

• Mollie Pulte shared that the global health and wellness market size is predicted to reach close to 7 trillion USD by 2025 (Gough, 2023)
• Mollie shared her Investor deck for feedback:
-I suggested using branding to attract audience demographics (e.g. Vox music artist for Gen Z aligning with ‘witch movement’)
-I suggested middle-aged adults as another demographic (‘mid-life crisis’, divorce, children leaving home, lifestyle changes)
• Mollie suggested converting our Instagram accounts from personal – business to access Meta’s marketing insights

Zoom Call Discussion – Mackenzie Walchuk

• Troubleshooting Information and Customer Consent form creation
• Mutual feedback on primary research plans
• Sharing of report writing plans, discussing narrative focus and presentation of data

Suggesting my approach for Mackenzie’s project helped clarify my own plans.

Reference List:

Chyung, S.Y.(., Roberts, K., Swanson, I. and Hankinson, A. (2017) ‘Evidence-Based Survey Design: The Use of a Midpoint on the Likert Scale’, Performance Improvement, 56(10), pp. 15-23. doi: 10.1002/pfi.21727.

Gough, C. (2023) Wellness industry – Statistics & Facts. Available at: https://www.statista.com/topics/1336/wellness-and-spa/ (Accessed: Oct 5, 2023).

Mind (2013) We Still Need to Talk: A report on Access to Talking Therapies. Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/4248/we-still-need-to-talk_report.pdf (Accessed: Oct 5, 2023).

NHS Business Services Authority (2023) Prescription Cost Analysis
England 2022/23. Newcastle upon Tyne: Online: Available at: https://nhsbsa-opendata.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/pca/pca_summary_narrative_2022_23_v001.html (Accessed: Oct 5, 2023).