The Modge Podge
de·cou·page
/ˌdāko͞oˈpäZH/
noun
the art or craft of decorating objects with paper cut-outs.
The title of this little space is an ode to one of my favorite arts & crafts and self-care activities. Mod Podge is a brand of glue and sealer for decoupage arts, but I have used “modge podge” (one of my many incorrect pronunciations) as a verb over the past 25 years. My heart hurts? I modge podge the pain and confusion. There is a moment to celebrate? I modge podge a gift full of love and appreciation. I find a moment of pause among the waves of the wild world? I modge podge my way through a surfing magazine. In the midst of navigating academic, personal, professional, existential, love, and family life-things, I have found a practice in “modge podging” where imperfection is key, unknown is best, and rough edges are real.
I describe my professional life as a mosaic, a puzzle, a modge podge of sorts. As an honest survivor of burnout and vicarious trauma I learned that one of the best ways I can prioritize sustainability and care for myself and others is to diversify my professional life and wear many hats. As a clinical social work practitioner, supervisor, educator, athlete, figure skating coach, yoga instructor, researcher, writer, thinker, and dreamer, I am curious about how we live our layered lives.
Toni Morrison said of the late Romare Bearden, recognized as one of the most creative artists of the twentieth century, that his collages “express the layered life of the mind, the imagination, and the way reality is actually perceived and experienced, which is never a straight line.” We do not live linear lives. Everything is multi-factorial. Our work is to chisel away at the layers, to plant seeds, and to observe and explore the paths that have and will continue to unfold.
During undergraduate school I dove deep into a capstone course for my Psychology major and Criminology minor on “Dreams, Dreaming, and Dreamers.” This course and the professor who has mentored me through dreamwork practice definitively impacted my personal and professional paths. Dreams, dreaming, and humans as dreamers are layers of life that often go unattended to because we are busy doing what society tells us are more important things. I have learned that daydreaming and paying attention to dream images that we meet during sleep are some of the most challenging things for people to do. In a society and culture that thrives on go-go-go and do-do-do, there is often judgment or guilt in lending a moment to a dream. But what happens when we practice taking time to dream, imagine possibility, connect to desire, and allow our minds and hearts to wander? Creativity flows, entangled layers unravel, and more questions than answers surface. I believe we have an opportunity to gently challenge the societal construction of productivity while inviting more time and space for imagination and creativity as healing arts.
A trauma-informed, resiliency-based, and anti-racist support space is ripe for brave seed-planting, dreaming, chiseling, and unfolding. I am honored to be connected to the Vermont Center for Resiliency and am so inspired to explore with you the magic of modge podge, the depth of grief and loss, the unknowns of our dreams, the power of storytelling, and the curiosity of care.
To be continued…