Kristen--Post 5

Art From The Heart is still going well and I’m still constantly immersed in projects and ideas and activities. There is certainly no slowing-down-feeling or anything. It all feels so natural to me now that I forget I’m sort of “working” while I’m at the hospital. I fit into the routine (chaos) and bounce from room to room so well that I don’t stop to think of how fast everything goes anymore.

An interesting thing that happens now is the fact that I’ve actually gotten to know some of the kids and their families. There are some regular kiddos that I’ve seen many times over the summer and it’s both sad because it means they’re in the hospital as often as I am some weeks, and great because I have very special connections with them. Of course I don’t feel any less connected or inspired by the children I only see once, but it would be false to say there aren't obvious advantages to knowing the kids a little more personally over a period of time.

It's a little harder for me to tell you about what exactly I'm getting out for writing material. I love reading about what you all are writing and getting out there. To speak of writing specifically, I'm meeting with someone from design and layout from Burlington City Arts to create hard copy booklets for the fill-in stories this week. The most exciting part about that for me is to have the chance to give the kids something to write and hold on to afterward as a sense of accomplishment and, whether they know it or not, brilliant writing opportunity. The Inspired By Emily project is still moving forward and I will be meeting with the mother more as the year goes on to make sure she's supported and has all the writing help she needs but it is a very complex, very emotionally heavy process and I am there more as encouragement and delegation of tasks rather than a driving force. 

As for "What now?" I’m actually continuing my time at the hospital with AFTH when school starts and for the entire year. I’ll be cutting back on the outside writing and projects of course, but I’m still very serious about keeping one morning shift a week going. Some of the things I’ll be getting into are: month of September events for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, helping with the Inspired By Emily project and hopefully creating some content for it, creating displays on the children’s floor of art and hopefully writing, writing and developing more fill-in stories, and as always, finding more ways to be involved with the creative aspects of children’s hospital stays.

I will never wish I had done something else as my internship and I will never stop doing whatever I possibly can for the betterment and creative opportunities for these kids here or anywhere else I ever live or spend time. This has been one of the most important things I have ever, ever done with myself and now that I have a way in, I'd have to be dragged out by force to ever, ever stop.