Reflective Arts for Communication

the art of care & courage when communicating where it’s hard

On the list of challenges that we face today (as a collective and as individuals), communicating about those challenges is on the top of the list. Communication can be frustrating and disheartening, especially in situations that feel high-stake.

With that in mind, bringing reflective arts to communication is helpful because:

• Reflective arts allow for a broader range of communication tools, including the abstract elements of the arts such as metaphor, color, shape, texture, and tone (here, the symbols and metaphors of (our) nature are especially helpful).

• Reflective arts support indirect communications. This is valuable because when things are painfully raw, sometimes touching them directly can hurt and inflame, no matter how carefully we do it. Sometimes, the abstract elements of the arts allow us to touch topics that otherwise feel untouchable.

• Reflective arts offer more time to craft our communication than is available in the fast-paced banter of day-to-day conversations. With creative communications, there’s much more time to edit and refine.

So let’s look a little more at

Some of the considerations when making or sharing art as a communication:

Intention

1. Why do I want to share this? How is the impulse to communicate internal and/or external?

   1. An internal impulse to communicate feels like an overflowing well that yearns to be shared with other others. This impulse often comes from the desire to be seen, to be understood, and to connect with others.

   2. An external impulse to communicate feels like a reaction or response to the world around us. This impulse comes from the desire to participate in the creation of our relationships, our communities, and our society-at-large.

2. Who do I hope will see it? Why?

3. How do I hope that my creation benefits others and/or myself?

Vulnerability

Are there any parts of this creation that make me feel vulnerable when I think about sharing it? Why? How can I care for myself there? Read more here:

• Personal Storytelling for Peace: Caring Keys that Shape Hearts to Hope

• Dignity for Humanity: Compassionate Storytelling for Peace

• The Loving Refinement of Reflective Arts: Balancing Process with Craft When Creating Peace Within and Around

• Navigating the Pressures of Social Media as a Creator

Context

1. What does my intended audience care about right now? How might my creation support what they care about?

2. What’s the subject of my creation? Sometimes it’s something concrete, like trees. Other times the subject is more abstract, like love.

3. How does my intended audience view/understand the subject of my creation? How do I feel about their view/understanding? Does my intended audience generally agree or disagree with my view/understanding on the subject of my creation? Is my creation affirming a shared view/understanding, or is it aiming to share perspective where views/understandings are different?

   1. If my intended audience generally aligns with my view on the subject, how does my creation add support?

   2. If my intended audience generally disagrees, how does my creation build bridges of understanding?

4. What might be feeling difficult, confusing, or tender for my intended audience? Where might they be feeling insecure? How can I care for those tender places?

All that being said, trying to consider how others might receive my creations is relatively imaginary.

I can’t really know how others will be impacted by what I share. No matter how well I may craft my communications, the inherent biases that we all carry is an infinite X Factor that’s totally outside of our control. For that reason, considering the audience in the process of creation is a slippery slope: while I can lovingly consider everything that I do know about the audience, altering my message to meet their imaginary needs can throw me off-center. It can trigger my own trauma-informed perspectives of how others might see me negatively and/or it can limit my creative communications to fit the perceived limitations of the audience.

All that being said, communication is an ongoing process of merging care for our inner world with care for the world around us. But, as we’re all constantly changing and learning about ourselves and others, communication can be a delicate thing (no matter how practiced we may be). In as much, creative communication requires both consideration and courage: care for the other, and the courage to be honest in the places where others might not agree or appreciate what we have to share. Thankfully, I find that engaging this dynamic in my curated creations ultimately supports my everyday, informal, and off-the cusp communications as well.

Still, communication is a never-ending process of growth that also relies on other factors (such as stress levels).

May we have mercy for ourselves and others as we’re figuring it all out.

Read More about the tender process of sharing our creations with others here: Creative Lab for This Wonderful World.

Take a glimpse into some of my personal challenges with communication here: The Grace of Rowdy Weather

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Let’s Do It Together!