Chapter 4: Wild, Ooh (Shimmy): Excited about Being a Part of this

I am not an artist. So, when I am writing this chapter, it’s important to know the artmaking is much more than art. It’s about talking to people and that it can really help people know that everyone may be going through something. We all have things on our minds. It’s not good to hold it all in. If people hold it all in, at least from personal experience, then you are just going to have a big mess out of it. Your emotions will come all out at once and that isn’t fun. I feel even more sad when that happens. I feel more angry when that happens. If I would have used this process or let my feelings or thoughts out little by little, maybe it would be different. So, the purpose of this chapter is to help people. I want to help people understand art can help. Talking can help. And there are people in this world who can be there for you. The artmaking brought a group of us together. When we did this work together, we got closer. We learned about each other in ways we would not have known one another. The art helped us think about the world, talk about our lives, share with one another, express what we thought, and most importantly, be there for one another.