Garden of Self

Arts-in-Health workshop teaching disability models, creative health, and the power of self-discovery and creative expression.

Cultivate your Inner Garden

Our Mind is a Garden

"Our mind is a garden" were the words a loved one told me that helped me see beyond labels, diagnoses, challenges, and mental health struggles. It made me visualize the garden I'd been cultivating and growing within and it spurred a regrowth.

This workshop is a reflection of the personal journey, research, and skills that helped that mindset shift.

Each of us has the gift of a mind, and as a neurodiverse, public-health-educated, and interdisciplinary artist, I've witnessed, researched, and dived into the tools, cognitive shifts, therapeutic modalities, and creative expressions that can support a mental space full of beauty. I look forward to seeing you at the workshop on January 5, 2025.

Download Activity

Our Partners

Disabled Creatives Alliance is a global network that supports and connects disabled creatives. It is a group of Arts-in-Health facilitators spanning Myanmar to USA who came together during their Global Arts in Medicine Fellowships (August - November 2024) to support creative engagement for the disabled community.

Our Research

Disabled Creatives Alliance led a 3-month Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved study that aimed to provide an intervention to improve short-term well-being and positively shift self-perception of participant’s disabilities. This study will also externally develop a sustainable framework for a global network of disabled creatives to continue developing community and shared arts in health initiatives.

Past Events

Tamasha Global Arts and Health Festival October 26, 2024

Garden of Self Collage Workshop December 14, 2024

What to Expect

A 90-minute session diving into the profound connections between neurodiversity, biodiversity, and creativity.

This workshop offers a unique blend of research, personal insights, and practical tools to enhance your emotional and mental well-being through creative health practices.

Inspiring Presentation: A 40-minute exploration of emerging evidence on neurodiversity, creativity, and cognitive capacity.

Engaging Activity: The 'Garden of Self' - a 20-minute hands-on experience designed to foster self-discovery and creative expression. Inspired by the expressive therapy work of Dr.Kimberley Palmiotto.
Group Reflection: Close with a collaborative reflection session, sharing insights and experiences with fellow participants.

Your Participation

The upcoming workshop is part of a larger goal of research, advocacy, and access to creative engagement within the disability community. All minds, bodies, and identities are encouraged to take part, and we want to share a few steps to take part in the workshop and contribute to research.

Why the study is being done and what will happen to you if you take part in the study:

This study aims to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the Disabled Creatives Alliance’s Pilot Program Garden of Self, a series of participatory art workshops for adults with disabilities which will be completed globally online and in-person. The aim of the study is to evaluate potential short-term wellbeing improvement as well as positively shift self-perception of participant’s disabilities. The study will also evaluate the disabledcreativesalliance.org website as a digital space for positive social connection and community well-being in a finalized paper through participants self-reported data.

Your involvement matters and so does your consent.

Here are the steps to engage in the workshop.

Register Online for the workshop on either LinkedIn, Luma, or Hidden Truths Project site. You got options.
Workshop Sign-Up Form this is linked below and will be shared with you from event pages. Please, complete this form prior to the workshop.
Informed Consent Form, this is for all those people who want to contribute to the research by completing this form and the DCA Garden of Self Surveys. Please, complete this form before January 5th, if you consent to contributing to research. You can still attend the workshop without having your information included in the research.
DCA Garden of Self Survey, this will be shared during the event for a short survey at the beginning and end of the workshop on January 5th.
An Art Release Form will be shared after the workshop and is entirely optional for those who want their artwork displayed on the Disabled Creatives Alliance website or as part of the research.