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Life Repurposed: Finding a New Calling Through Meaningful Occupation
Jennifer Fortuna PhD, OTRL
Kelly Allen, an occupational therapist and artist based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, provided the cover art for the Spring 2021 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Follow” is a 16” x 20” painting made from oil on panel. The painting, which features a coati from Central America, is from Kelly’s Animal Totem series. After more than two decades as a fine artist and educator, she began searching for a career change. Kelly’s background in fine art and desire to help others prepared her for a career in occupational therapy. Certain events in Kelly’s life aligned not by chance, but to prepare for her for what was next.
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Creating a New Normal Through Engagement in Meaningful Occupation
Jennifer K. Fortuna PhD, OTRL
Katie Edick, an occupational therapist and artist based in Portland, Michigan, provided the cover art for the Winter 2021 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Katie Bird” is a 4” x 6” watercolor painting. After receiving a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), Katie set out to find a new purpose and leave a legacy. She made the decision to live with intention and choose life experiences that create joy. Through engagement in meaningful occupations such as painting and patient advocacy, Katie is creating a new normal.
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Healing the Mind and Soul with Art and Music
Jennifer K. Fortuna
Gracie Fisher, an artist and composer based in Santa Barbara California, provided the cover art for the Fall 2020 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “The Fruit of Spirit” is a 16” x 20” oil painting on canvas. When a rare neurologic condition left Gracie paralyzed from the neck down, art and music helped to heal her mind and soul. Upon returning home from the hospital, Gracie’s wish was to create an inclusive environment where children of all abilities could engage in art and music. She founded the Grace Fisher Foundation so others could experience the healing nature of occupation. Gracie believes art comes in many forms. With the right environment, tools and supports, anyone can create.
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Integrating Art into Life in Pursuit of Occupational Balance
Jennifer K. Fortuna
Dr. Sharon Gutman, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, an occupational therapy professor and artist based in New York, provided the cover art for the Summer 2020 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Goldfish” is a 10” x 13” watercolor painting. Dr. Gutman has nearly 30 years of experience in clinical practice, higher education, research and service to the profession. Dr. Gutman pursued a career in occupational therapy because it was a field where she could use her creativity. This decision led to an extraordinary career and a life of service to others. When the demands of a busy lifestyle put Dr. Gutman’s well-being at risk, she integrated art into life in pursuit of occupational balance.
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Charting a New Course Through Meaningful Occupation
Jennifer K. Fortuna MS, OTRL
Rory Odom, an artist and United States Marine Corps Veteran based in Florida, provided the cover art for the Spring 2020 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Turtles All the Way Down” is an 8”x10” oil painting on canvas. After a tragic accident changed the course of Rory’s life, painting gave him hope. During rehabilitation, Rory sought opportunities to challenge himself and build technical skill as a painter. His bold use of color and signature impressionist style convey emotion and movement. In the face of adversity, meaningful occupation helped Rory chart a new course in life.
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Quilting and Sharing: Promoting Lifelong Learning and Service to Others
Jennifer K. Fortuna
Lynne Hall, an occupational therapist, educator and quilter based in Kalamazoo, MI, provided the cover art for the Winter 2020 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Four Patch Posy” is a 45” x 55” quilt made from cotton. In her 50th year of occupational therapy practice, Lynne’s philosophy is rooted in lifelong learning and service to others. The quilt aesthetic provides Lynne a creative medium to serve in her community. With her person-centered approach, Lynne facilitates human potential in the client’s, students and community members she serves. Success in both occupational therapy practice and quilting require a holistic understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
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Facilitating the Creative Process Through Collaboration
Jennifer K. Fortuna MS, OTRL
Miles Parker Scharfenberg, an artist based in Richland, MI, provided the cover art for the Fall 2019 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Late Night Fireworks” is a 30” x 40” painting made from acrylic on canvas (see Figure 1). Born 15 weeks premature, Miles’ multiple health impairments have made it difficult to engage in meaningful occupations such as painting. With support from his mother Carol, occupational therapy students and members of the community, Miles creates colorful abstract expressionist paintings. Collaboration is part of his creative process. In this fifth anniversary issue of OJOT, Occupation and the Artist is following up with a past artist for the first time. Over the last five years, Miles has further developed his skill and abilities as a painter while discovering his potential as an artist.
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Promoting Healing with Therapeutic Use of Clay
Jennifer Fortuna
Alice McCall Smith, occupational therapist and artist based in North Carolina, provided the cover art for the Summer 2019 issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT) (Figure 1). The piece, titled “Mother and Child,” is an 8-1/4” tall sculpture made from clay. Alice grew up on a hill sheep farm in the Scottish Highlands. She has used many of the skills learned on the farm in everyday life and in occupational therapy practice. After being diagnosed and treated for depression, sculpting helped Alice to cope with challenging emotions. Therapeutic use of clay was a meaningful part of her healing process.
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The Art and Process of Wood Carving as Meaningful Occupation
Jennifer Fortuna
Dr. Leonard G. Trujillo, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, occupational therapy Professor and Chair Emeritus based in North Carolina, provided the cover art for the Spring 2019 issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT) (Figure 1). The piece, titled “Life’s Struggles” is a relief carving made from butternut wood. Dr. Trujillo enjoys carving lifelike images that depict previous travels and his love of nature. His carvings are sculpted from a solid plank of wood, yet they provide the illusion of a three-dimensional form. Dr. Trujillo’s body of work reflects a lifetime of learning and engagement in the art and process of wood carving as meaningful occupation.
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The Road to Resilience: Traveling the Path Less Followed to Realize What is Possible
Jennifer Fortuna MS, OTR/L
Dr. Bernadette Mineo, Ph.D., OTR/L, an occupational therapist and mixed media artist based in Portland, Oregon, provided the cover art for the Winter 2019 issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT) (Figure 1). The piece, titled “Paper Dolls” (2009), consists of 37 individual paper doll sculptures made from mixed media. Dr. Mineo believes being an artist is about connecting with your creative heart. Her art is about being playful, challenging yourself and setting up experiments. Engaging in a daily creative art practice has brought joy to Dr. Mineo’s life. Art has empowered her to take risks, build resilience and discover what is possible. By sharing her daily art practice with others, Dr. Mineo aims to promote creative solutions and hope in the face of challenging situations.
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Integrating Art and Narrative to Enhance Quality of Life in Palliative Care
Jennifer Fortuna MS, OTR/L
Lacie Lee Wallace, a mixed-media artist from Wheeling, West Virginia, is featured on the cover of the Fall 2018 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). The photograph depicts Lacie holding a self-portrait painted by artist CeCey Rose. Lacie’s physical appearance in photograph is strikingly different from the woman featured in the painting. The portrait was created four years before Lacie was diagnosed with advanced stage colon cancer. In the year following the diagnosis, Lacie lost nearly 100-pounds as the result of an aggressive treatment regimen. When the palliative care team at West Virginia University Memorial Hospital launched a clinical study on narrative medicine, Lacie was one of the first patients to participate. Throughout her illness experience, Lacie found comfort in sharing both her art and life story. Lacie’s personal narrative made it clear just how meaningful art was in her life. Narrative medicine empowered Lacie’s palliative care team to improve patient care and enhance her quality of life.
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Overcoming Barriers by Doing Things Differently
Jennifer Fortuna MS, OTR/L
Tom Yendell, an artist based in Hampshire England, provided the cover art for the Summer 2018 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Silk Flowers” is a mouth painting made from acrylic on silk. Born a bilateral congenital amputee, Tom has learned to use his toes the same ways others use their hands. Tom relies little on aids and adaptations in everyday life. He believes learning to do things your own way is empowering. As a world-renowned mouth and foot painter, Tom is a living example of how barriers can be overcome by doing things differently. Through art and charitable works, Tom applies his creative energy, organizational skill, and determination to inspire others to live life to the fullest.
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DisArt: Redefining the Construct of Participation
Jennifer Fortuna MS, OTR/L
DisArt, an arts and culture organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, provided the cover art for the Spring 2018 issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT) (Figure 1). The piece, a somatic sculpture by Petra Kuppers, was featured at the 2015 DisArt Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kuppers is a Disability culture activist and community performance artist who connects people, both disabled and able-bodied, in public spaces. DisArt’s mission is to increase the participation of Disabled people in our communities through Disability Art exhibitions, cutting edge public events and consultation. In a recent interview, DisArt Co-Founders and Executive Directors, Dr. Christopher Smit, PhD, and Jill Vyn, MSW share how DisArt is redefining the construct of participation for people with and without disabilities.
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The Art and Science of Occupation as Therapy
Jennifer Fortuna
Ashley Woo Lee, an occupational therapy student based in Loma Linda, California, provided the cover art for the Winter 2017 issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT) (Figure 1). The piece, titled “Tree of Life” is a “11 x 14” drawing made from mixed medium. As a child living in Korea, drawing was a favorite pastime for Ashley. After her family relocated to the United States, art became Ashley’s primary means for self-expression. When a career in art was not an option, the field of occupational therapy satisfied Ashley’s artistic and scientific interests. In a recent interview, Ashley shared how she uses her talents to help others participate in meaningful occupations.
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Movement Without Boundaries
Jennifer Fortuna MS, OTR/L
Johnson Simon is an artist based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Johnson always wanted to become a dancer. Born with cerebral palsy, physical limitations make it difficult for Johnson to coordinate his body movements. Determined not to let his disability keep him from pursuing his dreams, Johnson decided to study body movement and motion to learn more about what his body could not do. For Johnson, painting is all about self-discovery. Through use of vibrant colors and bold strokes, Johnson’s expressionist paintings evoke movement and motion. Occupational therapy helped Johnson discover his artistic abilities. The occupation of painting has empowered him to move without boundaries.
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Building Bridges Through Meaningful Occupation
Jennifer Fortuna MS, OTR/L
Mary Block, MS, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist and sculptor based in Illinois. Mary currently works in a school-based setting and owns a small private clinic. She founded Sculpture Bridge, an occupation-based program to address the needs of the youth who have outgrown clinic-based services. Occupational therapy and sculpting have been in Mary’s life for years. She works with a variety of mediums and has been commissioned to create sculptures for both public organizations and private homes over the last ten years. When competing paradigms altered Mary’s career path, the field of occupational therapy helped her to shape a new worldview. In uncertain times, it was meaningful occupation that empowered Mary to start over again.
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The Healing Nature of Occupation
Jennifer Fortuna
Moses Kai Hamilton was born in a small beach house on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii. When a tragic accident left Hamilton paralyzed, he turned to mouth painting for comfort. Participation in a meaningful occupation helped Hamilton find his path in life. Over time, he developed his own techniques, use of color, and a signature impressionist style. Painting nurtured Hamilton’s soul. As a result, his art grew better and sweeter.
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The Reciprocal Relationship Between Art and Occupational Therapy Practice
Jennifer Fortuna
Susan Burwash, Ph.D., OTR/L is an occupational therapy professor and artist based in Washington State. She currently serves as Chair and Professor for the Occupational Therapy Program at Eastern Washington University. To Professor Burwash, lamp work glass bead making is the perfect blend of art and science, spiritual and practical. Professor Burwash believes the relationship between art and occupational therapy practice is reciprocal. Art can be used to explore interests, improve social skills, and build relationships. Creative occupations, such as jewelry making, can help people transform their identities. Art creates balance between traditional medicine and personal medicine—those meaningful activities that give life purpose. Professor Burwash’s personal medicine is making beautiful things that can be given away.
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PuzzleArt Therapy: Connecting the Pieces in Search of Answers
Jennifer Fortuna
Alli Berman has been an artist, educator, author, and lecturer for more than 25 years. Her art can be found in private, corporate, and nonprofit collections around the world. Berman is the creator of PuzzleArt, a series of small abstract paintings that combine to form a modular puzzle. When a stroke impacted Berman’s quality of life, she turned to art for answers. Engagement in a meaningful activity, such as painting, provided her motivation and strength for continued physical and psychological healing. The PuzzleArt concept evolved from a simple exercise that helped Berman to fit all of the missing pieces back together again. PuzzleArt Therapy creates opportunities for people to connect with the arts, their inner-selves, and each other. What started as a simple exercise has evolved into a therapeutic modality helping thousands of children and adults. Today, Berman is on a personal crusade to help as many people as she can. PuzzleArt Therapy is used in vision therapy, occupational therapy, art therapy, and neurorehabilitation centers around the world.
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Creating Environments Through the Art of Occupational Therapy
Lydia Royeen
Dr. Lori Reynolds has an interest in therapeutic gardens and the creation of living spaces that promote well-being for older adults. Dr. Reynolds educates various stakeholders on the benefits of occupational therapy, including landscape architects and senior living administrators. Her advocacy to expand occupational therapy beyond its mainstream roles is infectious. She speaks passionately about her work in helping to create therapeutic gardens and how her role as an occupational therapist offers great perspective in this process. She appreciates the environmental impact on an individual’s health and well-being and practices from a peson-environment- occupation theory.
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Arts of Life: A Place for Artists to Participate and Engage
Lydia Royeen
Arts of Life is an innovative, Chicago-based day program where artists with and without disabilities have the opportunity to participate in artwork. It was created out of an identified need for individuals with a developmental disability to foster community engagement in artistic endeavors. Arts of Life has its foundation in four core values: inspiring artistic expression, building community, promoting self-respect, and developing independence. It bases its programming on these values, which help to maintain a collective environment that promotes artistic freedom for all individuals.
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Portrait of an OT artist: Using Mindfulness to find Life Balance
Lydia Royeen
Lynn Davies, a Canadian based occupational therapist, understands the skill set and practice required to employ a balanced work/play/leisure routine, even for an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists can easily foster this balanced routine for clients, however OT’s may fall short of adopting this balanced routine in their own lives as human beings. Lynn Davies uses art and mindfulness strategies to strive for a meaningful routine. Her work balance as well as being an artist, is an ever-evolving orchestra as she has a passion for both.
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The Style Evolution of Glasses: Acknowledging Well-being for Wearable Medical Device
Lydia L. Royeen
The focus of Peta Bush’s work is to create wearable medical devices that address all qualities of the individual, including physical, mental, emotional, and psychosocial aspects. Peta is completing a practice-based research PhD titled “Therapeutic jewelry: The craft of people-centric devices for wellbeing.” Her passion for creating wearable medical devices that are multi-dimensional stems from her personal experiences, as she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. In addition, she uses her knowledge of well-being and the biopsychosocial model when creating her wearable medical devices. Peta currently uses technology, such as 3D printing, as one method to fabricate her collection. Her aspirations are for this concept of wearable medical devices to become mainstream, similar to glasses, and to remove the stigma associated with wearable medical devices.
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Providing Compassion through Flow
Lydia Royeen
Meg Kral, MS, OTR/L, CLT, is the cover artist for the Summer 2015 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. Her untitled piece of art is an oil painting and is a re-creation of a photograph taken while on vacation. Meg is currently supervisor of outpatient services at Rush University Medical Center. She is lymphedema certified and has a specific interest in breast cancer lymphedema. Art and occupational therapy serve similar purposes for Meg: both provide a sense of flow. She values the outcomes, whether it is a piece of art or improved functional status.
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Self Regulation Through Art and Chocolate
Lydia Royeen
Josh Banks provided the cover art for the spring 2015 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. The cover art is titled “Birthday Party” because the piece resembles images involved in a birthday party: multicolored balloons, napkins, cakes, and icing. Josh created the piece using oil crayons on watercolor paper. Josh is sensory seeking and has difficulty using various types of materials, which include crayons, street chalk, and markers. After much experimentation, Josh is able to use nibs, a type of marker that does not have a cap. Josh is able to sit for 5-10 minute periods and participate in his artistic endeavors. His normally bright and charming demeanor suddenly turns to one of concentration and focus on his work. He uses short, intense strokes in his artwork. Vicki, his mother, has noted seasonal undertones in some of Josh’s artwork and has named his pieces of art according to the season.