I've been the Art Instructor here from the beginning stages of the Art Program and in the nearly two years since its inception, I've seen a lot of change with the program itself and, more importantly, the individuals themselves. The Art Program has grown into a place where our individuals can express their feelings without any limitations. While there may be barriers as to how some of our individuals communicate, there are definitely no barriers when they display their feelings through their artwork.

The art room has developed into a place where people are taken to another place while they are in the creative process. Our individuals are able to look within themselves and really understand how they are feeling when working on their next masterpiece. They get to focus on their talents instead of their disabilities. The best part of this is it happens every day!

While there is a lot of hard work put into the role of Art Instructor, it's completely worth it once you start to see the progression with each individual. Watching attitudes change, anger melt away and confidence sky-rocket are all reasons why I love coming to work every morning. Knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of our artists is something that is extremely inspiring and motivational.

The Art Program is a place where creativity and expression are encouraged. It's through this encouragement that we have seen our individuals become very self-aware. They have developed positive interpersonal relationship skills and a ton of self confidence. The biggest improvement that I have seen in many of our individuals in the Art Program is that many of our artists are taking less medication because of the therapeutic values that this program offers.  Medication is not controlling the lives of some of these individuals anymore which has made a huge difference in their lives to this point.

If you look at some of the work being done in this program, it's clear to see, we are growing artists here, very talented artists. There are a number of individuals who see this as much more than a hobby and it's reflected in their work. There are some bright futures ahead for many of our artists and knowing there is so much talent inside these individuals is what makes this position so much fun. Helping them harness that potential and create a work of art is extremely rewarding for everyone involved. While the sky is limit for the Art Program, the focus remains on keeping these individuals motivated on identifying their self-worth. From there, the healing can begin and with it, some extraordinary accomplishments can be met along the way.