E049 Frederick Fuller Paint Through Grief Workshop

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 49
Date: January 3, 2023

Participants: John Webster, Sammy Damaren, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Frederick Fuller (interview) and Ayesha Munir (Move That Body)

Start times and Segment Segments:

[0:00:38] What’s On Your Mind: Sammy and John return to a social media post they talked about in episode 33 – Things I’m Still Learning. They share experiences about “asking for help when needed” and “showing myself compassion”.

[0:12:02] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] We interview Frederick Fuller about Hospice Waterloo Region’s Paint Through Grief workshop. It’s a two-hour painting session for people who have experienced the death of a person close to them. They don’t try to create art in the sense of famous painters. It’s about tapping into a creative experience as a way to express thoughts or emotions that may be difficult to express in words. Art has always been a form of communication for us. Like grief, art is unique and takes many forms. Participants relax in the moment and let the process flow. It sometimes triggers something that may not have been come out through spoken language.

[0:27:56] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron gets to try his new custom-molded ear monitors. They’re awesome game changers for performances.

[0:31:57] Move That Body: Ayesha Munir hits the gym most weekday mornings. She enjoys jump rope and weights workouts.

[0:38:08] Running Popup: John often asks himself, “What would the butler do?” Find out why.

[0:41:13] Flipside of the Coin: In relationships, enjoying both give and take works better than one person going the take take take route.

Quotes and Take-Aways:

Sammy – I love helping others, but I feel like I’m putting other people out or making them uncomfortable if I ask for help. That’s not the case.

John – To this day, I don’t like asking people for help. When it comes to anything personal, I really don’t like asking for help. I feel like it’s a weakness and that I need to let people in. I hate the feeling of being vulnerable.

Sammy – I think others appreciate being asked for help. I know that I love being asked to help people. Other people think the same way when it comes to that. I think people like to feel needed and that their opinion is respected.

John – I was part of a service group that helped a lot of people. I never judged the people I helped, ever. I learned a lot in that experience. Because I never judged the people I helped, I am learning slowly that if I don’t judge other people when I help them, they’re probably not going to judge me when I ask for help. I feel like I’m getting better at warming up to this. I’m still not good at it and need to learn more about it.

Fred – Anticipatory grief is what a lot of people go through prior to the death of someone that they care about. It can be a wide range of feelings and emotions. It can be extremely stressful. Anticipatory grief is just as important to deal with as is bereavement.

Fred – The Paint Through Grief workshop is a two-hour session for people who have experienced the death of a person close to them. The workshop is about tapping into a creative experience. It’s a way to express thoughts or emotions that may be difficult to express in words.

Fred – It’s not about making art. “Art” is a loaded term. We’re not trying to compete with famous artists. We’re just trying to create something in us, that we never even knew was there to begin with.

Fred – Art has always been a form of communication for us. Like grief, art is unique and takes many forms.

Fred – We tell participants to relax in the moment, to not overthink it and just let the process take over. Just let the process flow.

Fred – A lot of it is done silently, because it’s important to tap into what’s going on with you personally.

Fred – It’s important during the art-making process to be present with yourself, to acknowledge whatever you feel.

Fred – I’ve seen people take a moment where they get lost in their emotions. To me that’s a beautiful thing, because art has triggered something. That may not have been able to come out through spoken language.

Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by John: Don’t expect to be done this very soon.

Guest Information: Fred Fuller is studying to become an Expressive Arts Therapist. He attended the CREATE Institute in Toronto. In 2009, He graduated from NASCAD University in Halifax, with a bachelor's in fine arts. He majored in interdisciplinary studies. In 2017, he lead workshops at YWCA in Kitchener, for women and children in low-income housing. In 2019, he designed and lead workshops at ONEroof in Kitchener, for street entrenched youth. He shifted his focus to Hospice Waterloo Region just before the pandemic hit in 2020. He’s begun to establish himself at Hospice with the help of his supervisor: Cathy Middleton. Together they shine a much-needed light on Expressive Arts Therapy and how it can benefit clients experiencing bereavement and anticipatory grief. Along with Painting Through Grief, Hospice Waterloo also offers The Kids HeART Space Group for children experiencing anticipatory grief.  

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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-)   Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila and Julie

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