The Lion's Pen: Recent Episodes
Samantha Simons, c-rprs / eryt
The Lion's Pen is the official podcast of the AIRS project. AIRS stands for Art In Revival Speaks, an artistic and educational platform for peers and by peers. We focus on co-creating a community that amplifies the self-expression of people in recovery, and use art as a vehicle for advocacy. This podcast highlights honored guests who speak on all topics related to expressive arts as a tool for healing and growth.
Season 1 : Episode 9
Join AIRS founder, Samantha Simons for an introduction to the Art Manifesto. You'll hear some excerpts of manifestos throughout history, be inspired by contributions from AIRS community members, and get some tips for crafting your own.
Share your own manifesto with us on Instagram @theAIRSproject to be featured!
- #theAIRSproject
- #theLionsPenPodcast
- #myartmanifesto
Resources mentioned in this episode:
-
What is an art manifesto?
- : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_manifesto
- https://image1.slideserve.com/2039372/the-art-manifesto-l.jpg
- 10 Game Changing Art Manifestos: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/ten-game-changing-manifestos
- Shephard Fairey and the Obey Giant Propaganda Manifesto: https://obeygiant.com/propaganda/manifesto/
- Clearly Creative- 5 Ways To Write Your Own Artistic Manifesto for Productive Results: https://www.pencilkings.com/how-to-write-an-artistic-manifesto/
Music by: JSimons Music
Logo by: Fin First
Season 1 : Episode 8
Join AIRS founder, Samantha Simons for a 30 day challenge to ignite your creativity! Each day provides a prompt to support your writing, visual art, music, or movement and mindfulness endeavors (yoga, dance, meditation, etc).
Prompts are general and best left up to your own interpretation with little to no external influence. However, there are some expanded thoughts on the blog should you find yourself stumped or scratching your head.
Share your radness and see what other creatives are up to this month:
- #theAIRSproject
- #theLionsPenPodcast
- #CreateTheDay
- Printable Calendar - click here!
I hope by the end of the month, you’ve found some new or refreshed inspiration and connection!
Art In Revival Speaks!
Music by: JSimons Music
Logo by: Fin First
Season 1 : Episode 7
CW: Podcast includes sensitive topics - eating disorders, substance use/addiction, grief, social justice.
Join AIRS founder, Samantha Simons and Dr. Stephanie Wright, psychologist and author for a discussion on a spectrum of topics from the importance of the humanities in education to access, to programs across the United States that are worth emulating when it comes to recovery support.
More about Stephanie: a mother of daughters; an associate professor of psychology; an institutional and organizational consultant; a poet, short story, and novel writer; a textbook author; a dreamer; a sister; a mitigation specialist and women’s advocate; a daughter; a graduate of High Point University’s undergraduate program in psychology; a master’s and doctoral graduate of NCSU’s program in psychology; a coffee addict; a red wine enthusiast; an education technology innovator
Some highlights from this episode:
- Hope is the belief that things can change
- No one is immune to being affected by mental illness, addiction, or trauma but access to recovery resources IS discriminatory
- “STEM teaches you how to do wonderful things like put rockets in space, but the humanities teach you why you want to do that.” -Dr. Stephanie Wright
Resources Mentioned:
- Care Center Holyoke
- Georgia Gwinnett College
- What are core beliefs?
- Pennebaker - Healing through writing
- Manchester Bidwell
- Make the Impossible Possible
- on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and this far-flung corner of the internet.
Music by: JSimons Music
Logo by: Fin First
Some highlights from this episode:
- Recovery is PERSONAL and INDIVIDUAL
- SAMHSA's 8 Dimensions of Wellness
- Hope and resiliency have a way to help you focus on what really matters
- Find hope without placing qualifiers and limitations on it
- The work and skill of Self-Efficacy
- Mental illness does not discriminate but external factors and access to resources are disproportionate
- Get involved in local, community art classes
- Kindness and Empathy make the world a better place
- Art is a priority
- Preventative support and resources help to mitigate crisis
People and Resources mentioned:
-
Alive With Purpose Craft: Hand-Dyed Yarn
- AWP Craft on Instagram
- SAMHSA's 8 Dimensions of Wellness
- DSM-5
- AWP Care Packages
- Art: A Voice virtual exhibit. Staunton-Augusta Art Center
Music by: JSimons Music
Logo by: Fin First
More about this episode's guest, Ellie Loehner : Ellie Leohner fell in love with the fiber arts after a near-fatal car crash in January of 2018. What began with crocheting simple scarves and blankets soon turned into a yarn dyeing business that was called, Alive with Purpose Yarns. Alive with Purpose was born out of a desire to both offer specialty yarns and to financially support mental health causes in the state of Minnesota. In 2020, the annual yarn Care Package Program kicked off, which provides free yarn care packages to individuals who use the fiber arts to cope with their mental health symptoms.
Personally, Ellie holds a professional background in the psychology field. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. For the last seven years, her focus has been serving individuals with significant mental health needs. She has worked as a case manager, a coordinator of in-home services for individuals both on the autism spectrum and with mental retardation. Most recently, she has worked in crisis facilities in the Minneapolis area. Both her professional and personal experience with depression and anxiety has informed her extensive knowledge of what is working and what really isn’t when it comes to meeting the needs of individuals with mental health diagnoses.
Ellie is passionate about advocating for and meeting the needs of the underserved, as well as promoting creativity and the arts as a necessary part of care planning.
Download your copy of the self-inquiry worksheet on our blog:
- Summer Solstice 2021 Guided Practice Worksheet
Any day can be an optimal time for doing a deep-dive into self-inquiry and planning for tomorrow with intention, focus, and commitment. For some, committing to a cycle of evalutation and action on the regular adds a bit more structure to the process and gives something to look forward to.
I tend towards a quarterly look at where I’ve been, where I’m at today, and what I want to carve for tomorrow. As such, this practice often centers around both equinoxes and solistces throughout the year. Summer Solstice is a significant time as it occurs at the same time worldwide, breeding a sense of connection to those near and far, reminding us that we are never truly alone. It is a time to shift from a more restful season to that of energy and longevity.
This season’s guided practice reflects by the union of ourselves with others, embodying commitment that truly considers the effect we have on the world around us when we show up as our unique and authentic selves.
People and Resources mentioned:
- Samantha Simons, yoga / meditation/ peer support @ the Shift Lab
Music by: JSimons Music
Logo by: Fin First
Samantha Simons, c-rprs /eryt / yacep, talks with Jessica Sanchez, local NoVa artist and advocate about how art process inspires life process, celebrating the beauty in our own art and the art of others, and having a passion for people.
CONTENT WARNING: Discussion includes touching on eating disorder.
Highlights include:
-
Lighthearted approach to life:
- Make a mess, clean it up, if you don't like it - ball it up and start all over again!
- Appreciating one's own art AND being the audience for other's art.
- Hope can be having an idea of how you want things to be but also knowing you might get even better experiences than you hoped for at times.
- You don't have to change your environment to change your perspective.
- Mental health IS health.
- Lima beans. (What?! Listen to find out!)
People and Resources mentioned:
- LePennyJ
- Etsy : LePennyJ
- Facebook : LePennyJ
- Instagram : LePennyJ
- Sarah Herrington - author, yoga/meditation teacher, Mindful Writing Workshop
- Heavy Metal Therapy
- the AIRS project
Music by: JSimons Music
Logo by: Fin First
Samantha Simons, c-rprs /eryt / yacep, talks with Dibisha Koirala-Adhikary, Licensed Qualified Mental Health Professional and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor Supervisee about the role creative expression plays for individuals in recovery from Substance Use Disorder. Dibisha weaves together evidence-based practices with personal commentary to help us better understand expressive arts as a healing modality.
Highlights include:
- It’s not about the end product or outcome, it’s about being immersed in the process.
- Hope has the ability to help people heal.
- Any creativity promotes emotional growth and healing.
- Philosophy: An individual without a goal is an individual walking in circles.
- Myth Debunking: the idea that addiction or substance use is a lack of willpower. Recovery is dependent on devleoping strategies to sustain that willpower.
- One tip for making the world a better place: do your best and let them do the rest - change begins with me and I cannot expect to change other people.
- In substanc use recovery, art provides a way to externalize feelings through non-destructive means.
- Daily self-love and self-care and important for our overall wellness.
People and Resources mentioned:
- Dibisha Koirala-Adhikary, QMHP on LinkedIn
- Dibisha Koirala-Adhikary, QMHP on Instagram
- Fairfax County - Falls Church CSB (Northern Virginia)
- Upcycle Creative Reuse Center (Alexandria, VA)
- the AIRS project
Music by: JSimons Music
Logo by: Fin First
Interview with Niecia Bullock, owner of Rooted Yoga Community in Woodbridge, VA. We talk about a variety of things from today's youth to self-inquiry, rest without guilt, community, and how NO is a complete sentence. Visit our concurrent blog that features a special "Rooted for Revival" playlist from the Rooted Yoga guides! >>
People and Resources mentioned:
- Rooted Yoga Community
- Virtually Rooted
- Book: The Empowered Empath
- Book: The Yamas & Niyamas
- Habits for Positive Headspace / Andrea Adolphe
- Workhouse Arts, Lorton, VA
- Fibrespace, Old Town Alexandria, VA
- Pumpkin Paper from Stampin' Up
- Kiwi Crate
- Noelle Whittington / Soul Alchemy
Music by: JSimons Music
The Lion's Pen is the official podcast of the AIRS project and the Pilot episode for this launch!
*Trigger Warning: This information discusses mental illness, trauma, and suicide.
AIRS stands for Art In Revival Speaks, an artistic and educational platform for peers and by peers. We focus on co-creating a community that amplifies the self-expression of people in recovery and use art as a vehicle for advocacy. This episode offers an introduction to the impact of creative expression in healing, art as advocacy, and peer support.
www.theAIRSproject.org
Host: Samantha Simons
Music By: JSimonsMusic.com