The goal of this workshop was to explore the healing power of collaging on stretched canvas, working with inspiring images, text, craft materials and acrylic paints. Residents and staff crafted personal works of art to express themselves, in partnership with Cultivate Hell's Kitchen and the Clinton Housing Development Company.
My interview on Independent Sources, a CUNY TV show, is online!
I discuss Rose's Summer of Arts & Dreams and why empowerment through art and self-love is so personal and important to me.
Thanks for watching! Your support of Arts & Dreams made this possible.
Mirrors reveal a lot about the way we think about ourselves.
We tend to have so much negative chatter in our heads that often we don't recognize self-love over the same stream of thoughts happening, especially when we're looking in the mirror.
Looking into our own eyes and saying something loving is important. In this video we show you how to do it.
Oh, and if you can't bring yourself to say "I love you," just say "I'm willing to love you," or "Hi," with a smile.
Taking a second just once a day to say something loving into your own eyes in a mirror will help you to form a new habit of kindness and respect.
The better we feel about ourselves, the more our lives improve.
In our brand new book Rose's Summer of Arts & Dreams, Aunt Olive introduces this concept to her 9-year-old niece Rose, who has been struggling with the way she thinks about herself.
To celebrate our book launch, Rose's Summer of Arts & Dreams is available now on the Arts & Dreams website for only $10!
When you order now through August 10th, you'll save $3.95 from the list price of $13.95.
Enter the promo code "summer" at check out
In the comments section, let us know if you practice saying loving words into your own eyes in a mirror.
Big hugs,
Laura & Patricia
An easy, fun way to make your life more hopeful using creativity is to use a gratitude journal.
When we make gratitude journals with children and teens in Arts & Dreams workshops they take to it right away. Young people instantly get the importance of being thankful.
In this video, we show you how to create a gratitude journal for yourself using acrylic paints.
There's always something to be grateful for. Take a few moments to stop and write them down.
Small, big, and everything in between. The practice of gratitude is transformational.
Gratitude journaling is an art project we share in Arts & Dreams workshops and it's also featured in our new book for children, Rose's Summer of Arts & Dreams.
The book is about Rose, a 9 year old Brooklynite who has lost hope in her dreams, and learns how to feel better using art.
Buy a copy for only $10 now through 8/10 (down from $13.95) using the code "summer" at check out.
Leave a comment below and share with us --
Happy gratitude journaling!
Thank you for being you,
Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia
Co-Founders, Arts & Dreams
and Co-Authors, Rose's Summer of Arts & Dreams
We are thrilled to announce that our brand new book for children is here!
Rose's Summer of Arts & Dreams tells the story of a nine year old Brooklynite named Rose who hasn't been feeling so good about herself or her dreams.
Rose's Aunt Olive comes to visit, bringing art projects and tools to show Rose how to begin practicing self love.
One of those art projects is a making an affirmation painting.
In this video, we walk you through how to make your own!
(Be sure to scroll down for a special offer!)
Making an affirmation painting is its own gift. The act of creating is calming. And when we make something beautiful with a positive statement on it, it lifts us up every time we see it.
To celebrate the launch of our brand new book, we're making Rose's Summer of Arts & Dreams available on our website for only $10!
When you order now through August 10th, you'll save $3.95 from the list price of $13.95.
Use promo code "summer"
Enter the promo code "summer" at check out!
Do you use positive affirmations? Have you ever created an affirmation painting?
Please share your story. Leave a comment below!
With gratitude and love,
Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia
Co-Founders of Arts & Dreams
and Co-Authors!
Like many of you, Patricia and I felt stunned and anxious following the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut. It can be easy to slip into fear and helplessness.
While we live in challenging times, there are things we can do in each moment to balance the anxiety response to world events.
We want to share some of our favorite antidotes for world event anxiety with you. Our hope is that you do what works best to love yourself as you feel any emotions that come up, and know we are thinking of you.
It can be 10 minutes in the morning in your favorite chair, breathing and allowing thoughts to come and go, or 5 seconds on a crowded train or while sitting in traffic. Closing your eyes and pay attention to your breath. It's calming.
In times of stress, try making extra sleep time a priority. Powering down 30 minutes earlier than you usually do can lead to a healthier morning.
Take a few minutes to jot down 10 things for which you feel grateful. Gratitude shifts the focus from tragedy and worrying to fullness. It helps us access the warmth in our hearts.
Television and radio news - even on our personally-curated social media feeds - do not have our peace of mind on the agenda. Often what we see and hear are horrific details and it perpetuates a cycle of fear and anxiety. Try turning on some music you love instead of the news.
Anxiety takes root in our minds and can leave us feeling paralyzed. Move your body to shake it off. Take a walk. Do some stretching. Go for a run. Work out. Dance.
Turn any fears into positive affirmations. It's a way to retrain our minds to relax and feel stronger. Counteract the negativity by saying kind, loving, present-tense words out loud or in your mind, throughout the day. Say them in the mirror.
Read whatever you enjoy. A fun book lights up our imagination and gives us heroines and heroes to believe in. Stories bring us out of worry into adventure. Non-fiction is wonderful, too.
Even if it's one extra glass per day, staying hydrated in anxious times nourishes our cells. Just like the oxygen we breathe can calm us, the oxygen in water can do the same.
Art heals and soothes. Make any kind of art you like. Write a poem. Make a drawing. Doodle for 15 minutes. It doesn't need to be amazing. It's the act of creating that moves us into the present moment.
Buy yourself flowers. Paint your nails. Clear clutter from a corner. Wash the dishes and put them away. Do something small to celebrate your life and beautify it. Beauty lifts our spirits and lets us know we are worthy of all things good.
If you have more anxiety antidotes, we would love to hear them. Please leave a comment below and share.
With love,
Laura Baran & Patricia Geremia
Arts & Dreams
Book Update!
Hi, Laura here.
Patricia and I wrote and illustrated a children's book for Arts & Dreams empowering art workshops. It's getting close to being published!
Quick backstory - through crowd funding in 2012, we raised money to create the dream book to read to children ages 8-12 during workshops. In Arts & Dreams workshops we help them create uplifting art while learning to love themselves and believe in their dreams.
After years of writing and re-writing, and tons more re-writing, and then a full year for me to illustrate paintings sourced by photos Patricia and I took together last summer, we finally had a great day in my studio shooting the illustrations in hi-res to submit to our publisher.
It's going to be several more months till we have a finished book in our hands (and a new baby in mine!) and with every step it's been a relief and a humbling honor to get closer and closer yet!
We will publish with Balboa Press, a division of Hay House and home to many of our favorite self-help and spirituality authors.
Read more about our kickstarted book here.
Arts & Dreams recently wrapped an 11-week program serving youth at the Red Hook Initiative with empowering art workshops after school.
Each workshop combined a discussion about the power of choice, positive affirmations, mantras and mirror work, with creative activities.
Through projects like --
collage
gratitude journals
affirmation paintings on stretched canvas
fabric paintings on t-shirts and tote bags
jewelry making
and more
-- high-school and middle-school youth explored art as a way to create more love for themselves and to believe in their dreams.
We asked:
"What's the most important thing you learned with Arts & Dreams?"
Students answered:
If you're inspired, here's how to get involved:
Book Update
The Arts & Dreams book illustrations are coming along. With only a few left to paint, we're hopeful we can pull off a finished book to use as a learning tool during workshops by early 2016! Thank you, Kickstarter donors!
Here's a peek at the latest.
Thank you for supporting Arts & Dreams! Together we create a more hopeful, loving world!
With gratitude,
Laura Baran & Patricia Geremia
Arts & Dreams
June 12, 2015 - It has been an inspiring spring of Arts & Dreams empowering art workshops with youth at Red Hook Initiative in Brooklyn, NY. With a mission to expand hope and self-love through expressive art projects, Arts & Dreams worked with middle-school and high-school stars to create empowering art that inspires confidence in their big dreams.
For the final of 11 workshops in the after-school series, Laura and Patricia prepped posters for the middle-school young women to decorate. On one was written in glitter glue: "I AM" and on the other "I love my dream of:" and they were filled with the positive self-describing words, affirmations, and mantras that have been discussed over the course of the workshop series.
Becoming clear about what makes up our dreams, and why those dreams are important, is a key tool to help take actions towards living joyful lives of meaning. Developing a strong, compassionate, loving sense of self builds a foundation upon which to live out dreamy lives with hope.
After the group kindness and dreaming posters were filled, the young women painted affirmation art on stretched canvas to serve as visual reminders of their self-worth. Each shared with the group why they chose to paint their affirming phrases, and what they learned about themselves over the spring together.
The workshop wrapped up with Mirror Work, a tool of self-love pioneer Louise Hay, where each participant looked into a mirror and told herself "I love you, I really, really love you."
Thank you to everyone at RHI and all of the Arts & Dreams donors for making these workshops possible! Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran
June 5, 2015 - Building on past workshops about gratitude, self-love, hope and mindful thinking, Arts & Dreams provided the middle-school youth in Red Hook Initiative's Mirrors of Strength after-school group with a "Free Expression" workshop.
After a discussion about the power of choice, and feedback from the young women about how it feels to choose to love, soothe and nourish oneself no matter what the outside circumstance, as well as the role that art and writing can play in that, the young women were empowered to choose to express themselves creatively in any positive way they wanted.
Some chose to create loving mantras with fabric paints on tote bags and t-shirts, some drew inspired creations on paper, and every creation was a loving, hopeful message to self. Following the art making, the young women each talked about what their art meant to them, and then told themselves, "I love you, I really love you," while looking into a hand mirror.
Thank you to all the Arts & Dreams supporters, and everyone at RHI for making this workshop series possible. Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran.
May 29, 2015 - Gratitude is a healing, empowering activity that's free to do, easy, and a fast way to feel more in love with oneself and ones life.
For this workshop with middle-school young women at Red Hook Initiative, the discussion focused on how it feels to be thankful, and why being thankful impacts people in a positive way.
Each student received a blank journal, and wrote a list of 10 things for which she felt gratitude. Some students then shared their lists with the group out loud. Then they decorated their journals with oil pastels, markers and appliques, in order to beautify their new sacred spaces in which to write and draw about their hopes, fears and dreams - and their gratitude.
Thank you to all the Arts & Dreams donors and supporters and to everyone at RHI for making this workshop series possible. Photos by Patricia Geremia
May 22, 2015 - For the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, the 8th After-School Workshop with the middle-school group of young women called "Mirrors of Strength" at Red Hook Initiative, Arts & Dreams brought supplies to make bracelets and necklaces, including beautiful Mzuribeads donated by OneGoodBead.com.
The young women used lettered beads and Mzuribeads to string together loving, positive messages to themselves that inspire them to enjoy their lives and dream big. The multi-colored Mzuribeads gifted for this workshop were created by women in Uganda on recycled paper, and support women's education in Africa.
Many lovely jewelry pieces were created, and then wrapped in decorative bags donated by Helen Baran. The young women shared with each other the meaning behind their creations. And then every participant looked into the mirror and said, "I love you, (their name). I really love you." This practice is inspired by Louise Hay and gives a powerful self-love boost.
Thank you RHI and all of Arts & Dreams' donors and supporters, for making these workshops possible! Photos by Patricia Geremia.
May 15, 2015 - The middle-school young women who comprise the Mirrors of Strength group at Red Hook Initiative's after-school programming participated in an Arts & Dreams workshop about wearable positivity. The purpose of the workshops are to expand self-love and hope through creativity. This week the young women were thrilled to create positive messages on tshirts with fabric paints. Just in time for summer. As the paints dried, it was time for a round of mirror work, where each participant looked into their own eyes in a mirror and said "I love you, (their name). I really love you." Photos by Patricia Geremia.
Thanks to the Arts & Dreams supporters (join us!) and everyone at RHI for another awesome workshop!
On May 8, 2015, Arts & Dreams shared a Vision Board Collage workshop with the middle-school young women at Red Hook Initiative, our 6th in the series of empowering art workshops after school.
Patricia Geremia led a discussion about using inspiring images as visual reminders of experiences we want to enjoy. The act of sorting through clipped images from magazines and books and then arranging them, maybe with some key words, is a creative way to feel hope that our dreams can come true!
The young women made gorgeous collaged Vision Boards with mixed media. They also created special notes to honor their mothers for Mothers' Day weekend. At the workshop close, every participant talked about what their Vision Board meant to them, and said "I love you" to themselves while looking into a mirror.
Become a partner of Arts & Dreams and help support empowering art workshops. Learn more here.
Thank you to our supporters and to RHI! Photos by Patricia Geremia
This workshop was about beauty. Working with middle-school girls and high-school young women at our 5th workshop at Red Hook Initiative, the discussion centered around our concept of how we appear, and what each of us finds beautiful.
Each participant was seated in front of their own oval mirror. If we looked at ourselves as beautiful, and we loved, accepted and approved of ourselves exactly as we are, how would we feel?
Laura gave instruction on how to recognize facial proportions, and coached everyone to embellish their favorite features. The students could work abstractly with designs and textures that resonated "beauty", or create a figurative self portrait using oil pastels, markers and appliques.
Laura sprayed each drawing with fixative outside, then the group re-gathered to share what their portrait meant to them. The workshop closed with each participant looking into the mirror and saying "I love you, (their name)."
All photography provided by Patricia Geremia
April 17, 2015 - Arts & Dreams worked with middle-school aged young women at Red Hook Initiative in our 4th empowering art workshop. The focus was on personal power. We had a rich and rewarding discussion highlighting how empowering it feels when we practice self love. The young women opened up with comments and questions about bullying, snide remarks from other kids, feeling unliked, aggression and fighting. Laura and Patricia shared that the better we get at affirming ourselves, the stronger we feel, and the more supportive people we attract. The negative people begin to sense that we love ourselves, and they don't mess with us as much. And if they do, we speak up, tell an adult, believe in our worthiness, and we don't take shame personally.
Bullies often are suffering more than we are, that's why they lash out. When we love ourselves, we don't need to lash out. We feel healthy. Students painted tote bags with fabric paints, bringing beautiful colors, phrases and designs to a plain cotton bag. These bags will serve to carry our things as well as our hopes and dreams.
Thank you to Deanna at RHI, our middle school artists for their honesty and creativity, and all of our donors for making our work possible.
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran
Arts & Dreams shared the 3rd empowering art workshop at Red Hook Initiative (RHI) on April 10, 2015. Co-founders Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia worked with high school student leaders and LGBTQ activists.
We talked about issues facing teens today, the pressures of life, depression, suicide, sex, drugs, gangs, parents and school. In terms of empowerment, life is filled with challenges and it's our choice to consider them as opportunities and to learn how to love ourselves through them.
The discussion focused on encouraging students to view themselves as leaders, hope-bringers, and unique individuals worthy of living their dreams. One key to help us remember to follow our dreams, let alone believe we're meant to have those dreams, Laura explained, is to practice self-love.
To boost self-love, we gave everyone a white t-shirt, multi-colored fabric paints, and beginners' painting instruction.
Each workshop participant painted beautiful tees with positive messages and designs, wearable art to uplift and inspire them. Then the students discussed why they chose their words and images and what the project meant to them.
We introduced the practice of mirror work to close out the workshop, as we always do, because it feels good to say loving words into a mirror, and everyone tried it.
Thank you, Ericka, the wonderful group leader, and everyone at RHI for an amazing workshop.
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran
Arts & Dreams worked with high school students to create Gratitude Journals at the Red Hook Initiative on April 3, 2015.
Our activities focused on creating art that empowers self-love and hope, led by Arts & Dreams' co-founders Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia.
First we discussed the power of feeling grateful for every blessing, and how gratitude brings more to feel grateful about.
Everyone received a blank journal with unlined pages where they can draw, write and express their dreams, hopes and fears. Opening to the first blank page, they all wrote a list of 10 things for which they're grateful and shared their lists, feeling that magic spark of gratitude for all that's going well. Then participants decorated their journals with paints and appliques.
We closed the workshop by looking into a mirror and expressing a kind and loving word to ourselves. Thank you to RHI and all of our donors and supporters for making Arts & Dreams empowering art workshops possible.
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran
