Drawing Calm

FOREWORD

by Mary Rockwood Lane

“I found I could say things with colors and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way—things I had no words for.”—Georgia O’Keeffe

Even before I began my career in nursing and teaching, I knew there were ways that we could help heal ourselves—and creativity was one of them. The focus and shedding of self-consciousness that goes into the creative process helps us step away from ourselves and untangle the everyday concerns that weigh us down. The pleasure that comes from making something with our hands, immersing ourselves in color, and creating something that wasn’t there before—that truly reflects ourselves—lifts us like almost nothing else can.

In the years that I’ve worked with patients and with the University ...