I used hand embroidery to embellish a cotton face mask with the words “self-care is community care” in mirror image. The burgundy fabric and golden-yellow thread both came from my fabric stash, which supported the overall theme and “abundance mindset” intention of this project. My idea was to support myself with this mantra as I move through the world and potentially enter public bathrooms to wash my hands. My project upended the concept of clothing being used to send a message out to the world by reversing the image. I meant to remind myself that, through a time of community trauma, my functioning and wellness are necessary to my goal of supporting others.
While working on this piece I considered how wearable fabric artworks could be used in clinical practice. Conversations with classmates and others illuminated for me how frequently pain, symptoms, and conditions that are very real go untended to in the medical community. I have seen body/pain mapping used in art therapy before, but I am interested in taking the concept a bit further and making it more visible.
Mantras can help regulate the self in times of stress, pain, and frustration, and fortunately tend to be short enough to embroider in a reasonable amount of time. For folks with whose psychological distress increases their experiences of pain, medical, and somatic symptoms, that self-regulation can be key in making it through the day. Turning the image around so that the client is the primary audience for it may support their sense of personal worth and importance.
While this specific technique of embroidery on cotton may not be accessible to all clients, fabric can be utilized without needing especially fine motor skills or in settings where restrictions on materials make traditional sewing untenable. Larger pieces of fabric could be arranged by the client or by an assistant and attached with fabric glues or heat-activated adhesives. Embellishment options are endless. Historical ways of working in groups, such as quilting and mending circles, can be revived to facilitate client social connection and peer supportiveness.
References
Burke, L. (2017). Prevalence and patterns of use of mantra, mindfulness and spiritual meditation among adults in the United States. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 17(1), 316–316. https://doi.org/10.1186/s1290
6-017-1827-8
Comentários