creative recovery.

Today I went to see the creative recovery team in my local area.
I had a talk with Helen, Hayly and Paul, and reordered my conversation.

They help by introducing creative processes using different kinds of mediums. when they meet a person they really try to get to know the person at the point they are at "mentally" weather that is to cope with there feelings and emotions or to interact with people again.  they describe that creative recovery helps to break people out of there ruts as it breaks from the usual habits and allows slight freedom of mind/emotion. when i was with these people they explained to me what they do and why and also gave me there Facebook pages listed below.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creative-Recovery/356588951018801?sk=photos_stream&tab=photos_albums

https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-are-The-Immortals/133488446822886?ref=br_tf

https://www.facebook.com/clareburdekinEMDR


part way through my interview they showed me this poem that there group created. I listened to it on there computers as they had lots of people from there recovery group to say each line which made the words even more power full, Here is the poem below.....

"We are Creative Recovery

We are the starting of lives, the opening of doors, the enveloping of wings and the soaring high
We are the letting down of guards, the acceptance of a family, a safe place to explore me

We are Creative Recovery
We are the lost and found
We are the knowing that there’s not just one way to be, that I matter

We are Creative Recovery
We are fresh ideas
We are colour and sound
We are the completion of projects and the realisation that it’s possible in your own life too
We are the building of confidence, the opening up, never feeling more alive

We are Creative Recovery
We are the expression of thought, and understanding the chaos inside
We are NOT dwelling on our illnesses
We are learning how to live again

We are Creative Recovery
We are trail blazing, filling the gap
We are the cultural shift, reimagining the future and rewriting the script
We are new perspectives, challenging the same old
We are changing the way YOU think

We are Creative Recovery
We are the reason to get going and keep going
The joyful charge into tomorrow,
We are anti-sorrow, lighting up the town.
We are the knowing. The dreaming. The belief that it’s all possible."

I feel like I could make my own poem simulate to my recovery and also asking people to say different lines and make a short video or recording and post it on my blog and also have it playing on a tablet for my exhibition. 

Within the interview I asked them why they became interested in helping people that struggle with mental illness and drug/alcohol problems. when I asked this question i was really shocked to find that each of them had there own personal experiments with mental illness. from depression to bipolar. each of them said that Art or Music was there one and only love but they wanted to use it to help people through what they are good at and slowly over time they have created this charity.  

Here are also a few pictures from there facebook group of the examples of the creative pieces they do.

Creative recovery have many events such as camping residential's, bonfires, music/poetry nights, comedy and arts and crafts. I have had the opportunity to experience one of these nights first hand at the Civic in Barnsely last Friday evening. I found that the people at the event were very friendly and welcoming however I sadly regret that I wasn't confident enough to talk to many people which is why I went back to speak to the people who set the event up today and they have told me about an even that happens every Monday 7 pm while 9 pm at the YMCA building in Barnsely, which I will be attending and taking photos and mantal notes of the evening and the events.