Artist Check-In

Artist Check-In Birthday Cake courtesty Tim Ellis

An artist check-in is a way of sharing how you are feeling. Sometimes words aren’t accurate enough. First we’ll look at a regular check-in.

Regular Check-In

How are you feeling? No really, how are you feeling? Right now…. this moment. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and think about how you are feeling. Happy? Sad? Tired? Frustrated? Sometimes it’s hard to come up with one word. You might need a phrase. I’m feeling a bit tired with a speck of anticipation.

Now, think about how that feels in your body. Does tired sit between your shoulder blades and run down your back? Is frustrated at the bottom of your ribs, squeezing them together? Is happy bubbly in your stomach?

For me, tired sits just below my shoulder blades and pulls downward. Anticipation is this small fluffy ball at the top of my stomach.

Artist Check-In

Now lets do an artist check in. I am in the Art and Healing certificate program at Ringling College in Sarasota, Fl. For each class, we meet once a week for 10 weeks. At the beginning of each class we do an artist check-in. Many times, words just don’t accurately convey exactly how we are feeling. And it would take a long time for everyone to share what went on for them over the last week.

This week’s artist check-in was food. If you were food, how are you feeling? No really, how are you feeling? Right now…. this moment. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and think about how you are feeling. Focus on your body. Where in your body does your feeling sit? I am a piece of left over birthday cake. Right? Do you get it? It shares exactly that I might be a little tired with a smidge of anticipation or excitement.

But using an artist check-in, I don’t have to go into details of how I am feeling. An artist check-in is way to communicate my feelings with a visual. No words required.

So how are you feeling today, if you were food? Leave it in the comments.