With life’s ebb and flow, we sometimes may feel like we’re drowning in the sea of disappointment, defeat, or despair. But if we are willing to accept change, transformation can occur. Once we muster the courage to let go of whatever is dragging us under, a lifeline of hope reaches back through the breakers to keep us afloat.
Let Go, a collaborative project with the Kent County Prosecutor’s Victim Witness Unit, promotes wellness and resiliency. During the workshop, individuals wrote Let Go notes as a way to release anxiety and negative thought patterns. After writing, some individuals talked about their hurtful experiences or even shed a few healing tears.
Next, participants glued the notes under layers of transparent fabric, creating a wave pattern in their small, personal painting. The therapeutic art process symbolizes the release of daily concerns and devastating losses into the water. Following the workshop, we combined the individual paintings into a larger collage piece to encourage others struggling through domestic violence or the tragic loss of a loved one.
This community-based project gives voice to our pain and encourages the reconciliation of emotional conflicts as a means to de-stress. Though the act of letting go may not be a simple, one-time event, even small steps of forgiving and leaving the past behind can activate healing. As a result, many participants experience freedom and a sense of new beginnings.
