Hiking, Music and Dinner Conversations

Addressing emotional and physical toll of community artists

Last week an art therapist friend told me about importance of self-care. I must admit, I think about it from time to time, but I rarely act on it.

In January of 2020, I organized a retreat for around 7 community artists to Cheung Chau (長洲). The two-day-one-night schedule took a lot of juggling: recreation, relaxed hike, quiet time, hotpot, dessert and whatever conversations that might arise. Yes, I decided that resting was the focus of the retreat.

Stress in facilitating the community arts

From experience, here are some reasons that community arts work can take a toll on the artist:

A) Consecutive sessions — This often occur on weekends. It is great financially and time-wise, but often leaves one emotionally drained

B) Emotionally intense session — This often occur unexpected

C) Unexpected responses during session — Leaves one scrambling to modify activities on site

D) Conflicting goals between artists and hosts

E) Conflicting ideas between artists and participants — Sometimes an artist have a plan they insist on, or when artists are torn between participants and hosts

F) Personally feeling the stress of participants

G) Problematic professional environment

Considering a retreat for freelance artists

The concept of a retreat began several years ago, but it was only during Hong Kong’s social unrest that I felt the urgency to make it happen. And even though our board members supported it, it took some time to convince myself why this was essential for our artists and not a luxury.

I must admit it wasn’t a good deal for the artists. Basically, I provided administration service (planning and executing it), but the artists all had to pay a small premium to join.

Why was a premium required instead of it being fully paid like a company retreat? (a) All our artists were freelance, and it was difficult to justify paying only some artists who are more ‘senior’ or ‘dedicated’, and (b) justification to pay for a retreat require long term planning and commitments on both employer and artist side, which is lacking in many community arts organization in Hong Kong.

As a result, most seasoned community artists in Hong Kong (perhaps elsewhere also?) learn to care for themselves; sometimes too late during their career.

Something to learn from art/drama/music therapists

To my knowledge, all MA programmes in the expressive arts therapies require students to fulfill personal therapy. But unlike them, many community artists enter the practice through informal positions and trainings, and are only aware of its importance after experiencing the emotional and physical toll of the work.

For those who enter the practice from a contemporary art background, the stress of working with people outside of the studio is unexpected new territory (In fact, being a studio artist also faces stress).

Therefore, when my friend said she is going to study further to attain supervisory certification to support newer art therapists, I agree it would be a great idea to provide this guidance to community artists as well.

Begin self-care before you need professional care

The retreat in Cheung Chau was great, we stayed in a spartan but clean shared accommodations; hiked to a secluded rocky area and had live Shakuhachi; had free-flowing conversation and (responsible) alcohol over dinner, followed by great dessert; had a rooftop meditative music jam session under the stars while we waited for the last artist to arrive at 1am.

Self-care is organic. You do not need a diagnosis or a treatment to begin. Just having quality time physically, mentally, socially can be rejuvenating, but it needs to be consistent. If we want our work with the community to last and mature, it is our professional duty to take care of ourselves, so that we can mature along with the work.

Next week, I will write more about self-care for artists working with people and communities.