Love sunflowers. I mean I absolutely love sunflowers! At one time in my life, when my daughters were growing up, we lived in the central valley of California. One of the "crops" grown in this sunny state are sunflowers for their seeds. Are you an X-Files fan? The character of Fox Mulder always seemed to have a supply of sunflower seeds in his pocket. I think one of the things I like about these blossoms is that they are not dainty. They are big and boastful and a bit messy and floppy. However they seem to impart happiness. I think they transcend their condition.
Have you ever spent time in an art museum just absorbing? Absorbing the ambiance; absorbing the designs and richness of colors; absorbing the opportunity to put your current cares away and send yourself somewhere else within a painting?
I recently became acquainted with an artist who takes this idea to a whole different level. She calls it Transcendent Art™. I'm going to include a video that, through sight and sound, introduces this at the end of this post; but first I'd like to introduce Dr. Juliette Becker. Dr. Juliette is an artist and psychotherapist in Newport Coast, California (USA).
She graciously consented to an interview and it's my pleasure to share with you her thoughts about the arts and life and healing.
Question: To begin, I would like to know what the difference(s) is/are in self-expression for you between your painting, singing, piano and prose. [I include ‘prose’ here as I think the recordings you do are your written expressions…words as pictures.] What does your art mean to you?
Dr. Juliette: Since I can remember, I have always had a need to create. Pictures of me as a very small child reveal it so clearly. Singing, dancing, performing, writing, all came naturally to me. I was given piano lessons at the age of four. My mother wanted me to learn to play the harp but it was suggested that I first learn the piano. So for ten years I studied, practiced and performed. When I was 12, I had a desire to also take voice lessons. I loved to sing and music was always a large part of our family entertainment. So again, for another ten years, I studied, sang and performed.
During this period, I had a strong desire to draw and paint. But there was not enough time to devote to another craft. I was attending a private girls School in Pasadena and the curriculum was very comprehensive. In order to remain a student there, I had to maintain a B average, at the very least. But of course, being a driven person, A’s were my only choice. So homework, social life, and performances took up all of my time.
The desire to paint was always there. It was not until I married and had five children that I finally decided there was no time better than the present to learn how to paint. I took every class I could afford and even had classes in my garage for a group of my neighbors. I would paint when the kids were in school and often late into the night. I was very fortunate to find a couple, Joseph and Zdenka Buresch, who were famous artists in their native land of Czechoslovakia. They had a school and Gallery close to my home. I took from both of them for about 20 years, off and on. I also went to Scottsdale to the Artist’s School there and took from Tom Browning, “Painter of Light”. Tom paints in great contrasts and I wanted to learn how to paint the “light”.
Art is the way I express my deepest feelings and emotions. It is my own private therapy. It releases me from the pressures and urgencies of daily life. All avenues of expression, piano, singing, writing, photography give me the same peace and relaxation.
Question: Your painting, “Path To Joy” is quite lovely. Besides being one of your ‘path’ paintings, what inspired this work? What do you hope the viewer sees?
Dr. Juliette: I carried the photograph of this around for many years. One of my patients snapped it on a trip to Upstate New York in the Fall. I loved the colors and the balance. It seemed so joyful to me. Fall is my favorite season. I live in Southern California. We have seasons but they are very
subtle. I am keenly aware of trees that are going to turn red, the change of temperature in the morning and a certain smell that promises Fall. I look for it. So painting my favorite season is always fun for me and joyful. It makes me feel more encompassed in the change of seasons. I hope the viewer sees the joy and the possibilities. I hope they imagine themselves taking that path to whatever lies over the hill. I hope they can imagine a place that will make them feel hopeful and good about themselves and their future.
Question: Where do you find creative inspiration? Is there a visual artist, past or contemporary, who intrigues you?
Dr. Juliette: I find inspiration in the life around me. I take my camera everywhere and now with the advent of digital images it is so easy to just snap away. I love flowers, landscapes and unusual scenes. I often photograph people and animals from behind. I get a totally different perspective than a head shot and often is a pleasant surprise. There are no particular artists that inspire me but I enjoy seeing what others do. I am more drawn to impressionism than any other school of expression.
Question: What are your long-term goals as an artist?
Dr. Juliette: My Long term goals as an artist are really not clearly defined. I love painting and I don’t want to lose that enthusiasm. My current goals are to paint as often as I can and to paint only what inspires me. I have a box full of photos that I want to paint. Currently, I have been doing a “Path” series and recording audio to go with each painting. I also love to paint flowers. We often travel to Hawaii and the flowers there always inspire me. I also have a series that I am starting of a dog called Bentley and the places he visits. This is a work in progress. I have several ideas for other series in the future.
Question: I love color and your floral works intrigue me. I especially like “From Christina’s Garden;” can you talk about why you chose that flower specifically, what it says to you and why you chose the palette you did?
Dr. Juliette: My sister, Christina, lives in the desert about 2 hours from me. She has a magnificent garden that blooms most of the year. I always photograph her flowers. This one caught
my eye, nestled in the lush green verdant landscape. I love the intensity of the colors and the myriad shades that reside there.
My favorite palette uses the warm, rich, sensuous tones of cad red, cad orange, yellow ochre, burnt umber, burnt sienna and sap green. These colors comfort me and arouse feelings in me that are different then the cool tones. It’s probably related to my love of Fall. I was born on the first day of Fall. I often wonder if that is why I am so passionate about the season and the colors, scents and traditions of Fall.
Question: [I'm going to combine two questions here that I posed to Dr. Juliette as her responses flow so well as one narrative.] I have always believed that ‘art’ has healing properties…in your expert perspective, do you agree and, if yes, why do you think this is so? Was there a defining moment in your psychology practice that illuminated for you the need to marry visual art with audio guidance?
Dr. Juliette: I do believe that art has healing properties. I have witnessed it many times in my private practice. A few years ago my niece was about to get married. My sister planned a huge wedding for her and the stress was more than either of them could bear. I’m usually the “go to” member of the family when anyone needs to be heard. They both called me to vent and unwind for the months leading up to the big day.
It occurred to me that many other people were probably in the same situation and didn’t have anyone to talk to.
Thus “Postcards From Your MindsEye” was born. I did a series of recordings that were meditative and reflective in nature. They were meant to help people dealing with stressful situations. A Carefree Wedding, was the first, followed by, Postcards for Peaceful Parenting, and Postcards from Your Mindseye.
I packaged the CD’s with cover pictures using my paintings and also included a postcard in each with a painting on one side and instruction on how to overcome anxiety on the other side. They were well received and the feedback was that the process helped people who were experiencing stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression and other psychological issues.
This year I was approached by an Emmy Award winning couple, Will and Diana Harper. Their company, The Global Touch Group was one of the creative forces behind the scenes in the television series. “Behind the Music”. They are now gathering artists to do another series, “Behind the Artists”.
We collaborated and came up with the idea to combine my paintings with specific audio for each painting that basically takes my concept, Postcards From Your Mindseye, one step further. We call this, Transcendent Art, because when you view the artwork with the audio, you can transcend anxiety, depression, interpersonal conflict and low self esteem. During the audio, I take the viewer through the painting , that which is visible, and also to a place beyond what is not visible on the canvas. During the audio we pause along the way to do deep breathing, and autogenic training. This makes the whole experience more complete. My goal is to teach people to relax under the most stressful situations and to be able, eventually, to recall the image and the feelings whenever they find themselves in a stressful situation.
Question: What is it about the 21st century that is causing so much stress and anxiety? Do you think it is technological? Cultural? Here’s an interesting question: could the very fact that the United States is such a mix of ethnicities and cultures be one of the stressors? Is the level of stress/anxiety unique to American/western cultures or do you see it worldwide?
Dr. Juliette: Modern times are fraught with stress and anxiety. The constant influx of information from all around the globe has exacerbated stress. I have traveled extensively and I find this to be true everywhere. I don’t think it is specific just to the American population. The influx of so many cultures has certainly changed the landscape of our country but I don’t personally believe it has created the stress. Our country was founded on welcoming other cultures and it functions because of that. Finding an affordable, portable and effective method to cope with the dendrite of everyday life on our planet has become my focus with Transcendent Art.
*note: it's not everyday you get to talk with an artist who is also a working psychotherapist so I asked Dr. Juliette a question that's been on my mind for awhile...
Question: Do you think there is a personality type that you could call a “creative personality?” If yes, do you think the need for self-expression through artistic means [whatever the medium] is unique to the creative personality? And, do you find that all creative expression [whatever the medium] is part of one big “quilt?”
Dr. Juliette: This is a question near and dear to my heart. I did my doctoral dissertation on the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. These two Psychological assessment instruments have been used worldwide to determine personality types, especially the Myers-Briggs.
In my experience, I do think there are personality types that are more creative artistically than others, but there is no empirical evidence that subscribes to that theory with certainty. There are many ways to be creative. I think when we use the word, creative, we think of the visual arts. But accountants, lawyers, realtors, doctors, engineers, and a myriad of other none visual careers are also creative. There are certain types that are more drawn to those careers than others . The world of personality theory is complex. I’m afraid it would take way too much space here to get into that in depth.
Question: Finally, your beautiful term, “Transcendent Art™” brings to my mind going beyond, going above, surpassing the ordinary…for you, exactly what is being ‘transcended?
Dr. Juliette: Transcendent Art: I have given a lot of thought to that expression. For me, to transcend from a place of anxiety, depression, interpersonal conflict and low self esteem takes a great deal of motivation and concentration. I give my patients a task to do when they first come in. That task is to write a list of pleasurable events that give them comfort. I want it to be a very long list and one that they can refer back to from time to time. This list reveals ways in which each individual has learned to cope with the stressors of their life. I spend some time in each session with them, discussing each of their pleasurable events and getting them to reveal the feelings those events instill in them.
It is always surprising to me that we, as inhabitants of planet earth, often cope different ways. Listening to soothing music while taking a long slow candlelit bubble bath is much more effective for some than taking a long hard bike ride in the wilderness would be for another. But whatever works for each individual is what I try to help them focus on.
Thank you so very much, Dr. Juliette Becker, for taking the time for this interview. Part of being an artist, for me, is learning from other artists and one way in which I do that is through the interviews I do here at Mosaic Mandalas. I've shared before that the advent of the internet/world wide web has literally opened up the world and I'm thrilled beyond measure that I can "meet" in this virtual way so many extraordinary people from all over the world.
Dr Juliette ...Transcendent Art from Juliette Becker on Vimeo.
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