Therapeutic Photography
Actual footage of me studying!
So here I am, proud owner of a PG Cert Therapeutic Photography course from Robert Gordon Uni! I began it last January and passed with B distinction this January. It's been amazing and it really brought home how powerful a tool photography can be. It went into a lot of sociology theory which was new to me and also flagged up other photographers who had been using photography for therapeutic purposes, some of whom I have been using the same or very similar methodology, without realising it had a name. I LOVED it!
So what the hell is it I hear you cry? Well in a nutshell it is using photography to get something therapuetic out of it, something good for your wellbeing, such as a sense of empowerment through self-exploration, improved self-esteem and self-efficacy and it can also be used to create societal change. It can be practiced one-to-one but is also very effective in a group setting. You could be given tasks such as exploring your identity through self-portraiture or exploring your upbringing or a certain time of life, or perhaps to aid with body issues and dysmorphia, the options are vast! A large part of the process of taking the image, then looking at what has been taken and sharing what it means to you, you may be surprised at how much it can bring out! It is a great tool to use for young people as it is an engaging and non-threatening way of exploring emotions and encouraging peer to peer learning and it is fun! Although similar to Art therapy methods and phototherapy it is different in that it has softer outcomes and is for health and well-being purposes.
OK RIGHT I’LL WHEESHT THE NOW! 😂 But suffice to say I will definitely be able to use what I have learned for all my photography and not least for my project ‘Sea Change, a study of Menopause’, which I will kick off again with renewed vigour!
Sea Change - A Study of Menopause - I have been taking pictures of my changing body as a way of acceptance and exploration of this transformational time.
A wonderful by-product of the course was meeting some excellent people from all over the world, some of whom were photographers but also therapists and counsellors and people who had been using photography to help people already. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting some of these amazing peeps face to face at the Healing Through Photography conference in Belfast, at the beginning of April. This is run by the brilliant Belfast Exposed who have been using photography for healing trauma for over 40 years. They began as a way of showing and archiving the human face of the people of Belfast during ‘The Troubles’. Their work continues as they help people with the trauma that is still felt so strongly today in Belfast; a wonderful City that is in the process of mending. It was my first time in Ireland and Belfast and travelling alone and it was totally mind blowing, not gonna lie!
Reflections on the Cathedral District in Belfast
So what now? I have the knowledge but do I have the confidence to get workshops up and running? I bloody hope so as I would love to bring some workshops into youth spaces, work places, communities and marginalised groups. What I do know is that my commercial practice and upcoming projects will definitely be enhanced and I will be working on some deliverable shizz over summer called ‘Remember to look Up’. so again keep an eye out if interested!
Anyhow, over the last couple of months I’ve decided to practice what I am learning to preach. The world is a very overwhelming, strange, jarring and haunting place to live at the moment. There is so much pain and outcry and anger and stupidity. I find myself struggling with this mentally, so decided to begin to take pictures of the glorious light as it floods my little hectic house to try and take my brain out of the darkness and into the light. These reflections makes me stop in my tracks, find my camera and capture the moment before the light changes. It can stop a negative mindset pattern and puts things in perspective of how grateful I am for what I have. It isn’t ground breaking and sounds corny AF but I have actually found it very therapeutic and I have become a little obsessed with this practice, drives the kids mad if we are out for a walk 😂
Even the endless washing that sometimes makes me want to weep and primal scream due to it's sheer relentlessness, can look beautiful in certain light. I realise I can actually get a certain joy and comfort from the process of each wash, as it comes full circle.
My Fly Lamp brings me deep and endless joy, a beacon of hope of the coolness I wish to purvey in my often chaotic and overwhelming household.
So much synergy and again, the mundane can also become extraordinary and beautiful. (I love this brush…)
I had never noticed this aquatic like block of reflection in all the 17 years I have lived here. it makes me wonder what else I have been to busy to notice.
Beam me up Scotty - follow the light!
Fractals of light for just moments a day but that is what the crystal balls at the end of the bed live for.
Why don’t you join me in a wee mindful exercise? Perhaps you take lots of joy out of the flowers blooming at this time of year, or butterflies or bits of chewing gum on the pavement. Take a wee bit of time if you like and show me your ‘Wee Bits of Joy’ and let me know what you are thinking about the image. Sharing is part of the therapy. Your images do not need to be perfect, anywhere near, the point is the meaning and how it made you feel to notice, stop and take that picture and why. Post in instagram or facebook (if you are on my page Vicki Watson Photography I’ll have a thread or with hashtag #weebitsofjoy on insta, if you don’t want to join in just have those wee bits of joy to yersel. PLEASE get in touch if this feels your sort of thing, wish to collaborate or just want to learn more about the power of Therapeutic Photography!