Amanda Gee (BFA, RCAT, RP)
Toronto, ON

Happy Spring, though it sure feels like summer here in Ontario. It has been a difficult 16 months, with so much going on around the world and close to home. Globally the pandemic continues, and across the nation we are mourning the deaths of the 215 children who were found buried at the Kamloops Indian Residential school, while more unmarked gravesites of children are being found in various sites of former residential schools. Every child matters.

The world is a difficult place these days and we never know what people are going through. It is a time for self-care, and for taking care of others. Please remember to take care of yourselves. Caregivers, in a caring profession such as art therapy, sometimes forget to take time to care for themselves. I always try to remind myself that ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’. Personally, I have been trying to spend more time outside, unplugged, to clear my head and take in all of the growth that takes place this time of year.

I want to thank all of our hardworking volunteers at CATA-ACAT who give so much of themselves to keeping the organization functioning and moving forward. I also want to thank Virginia Jahyu for facilitating and the AOP working group for organizing the workshops that were held on anti-oppression and anti-racism practices in creative therapies. They were important, educational and inspiring.

One thing that I look forward to every fall is the CATA-ACAT annual conference. This year’s conference, Emergence: Cultivating Hope, Creating Change, will once again take place virtually from November 12th to the 28th. The annual conference is a chance to come together, to learn, to grow, to be inspired, to fill our cups. I hope to meet you there.

Take good care.