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Creativity, Madness & Me

The full title of the conference was Creativity & Madness: Psychological Studies of Art and Artists, lasting from the 3rd to the 7th of August in Santa Fe, NM. It was, by far, the most varied conference I've ever attended. And at times, it was hard to think that this was something for which people could earn continuing education credits. But you be the judge, after you look through the titles of the presentations:

Monday:

Cardiac Crisis and Change - Is There Emotional Pain Before Chest Pain?
Giuseppe Verdi: How Three Personal Tragedies Led to Three Masterpieces
Beethoven's Deafness: Psychological Crisis and Artistic Triumph (presentation with piano)

Tuesday:
Sounds of Healing: Integrating Therapeutic Music in Healthcare (presentation with harp)
Steven (sic) King and PTSD In Writers
Psychic Moments - Coming to our Senses
Psychological Development and Finding Your Voice: The Lyrics and Music of Cole Porter (presentation with piano and voice)

Wednesday:

Naked Emotion: Exhibitionism in the Work of Three Contemporary Artists: Nobuyoshi Araki, Gabriel Martinez and Marina Abramovi
Tragedy, Loss and Transformation within Bruce Springsteen's Work
Film - The Creation of Artificial Dreams
Madame X - Childhood Trauma, Bipolar Illness and Poetry

Thursday:
Traditional Stories - How Our Ancestors Collaborate and Communicate with us for Healing and Survival
Miraculous Healing: Restoration of Maternal Resonance
The Mexican Way of Death: Confronting the Inevitable
How Creative Writing Can Transform Trauma and Mental Illness
TRUE GRIT - An Innovative Humanistic Structured Living Program for Geriatric Prisoners

Friday:

Shaggy Muse: The Spaniel Flush in the Lives of Elizabeth Barrett Browning & Virginia Woolf
Dear Diary! Therapeutic Effects of Diary Writing in Ordinary and Extraordinary Women
Creativity & The Art of Wine

The worst presentation, by far, was the King/PTSD talk, which only contained a cursory discussion of Stephen King's personal history and work; one could have gleaned more information from a brief examination of his Wikipedia page. The best? Well, there were many that were interesting and informative, once one embraced the left-of-center vibe of the conference. I saw a concert pianist, talks about human-canine bonding and Mexican death gods, pictures of performance art, Bruce Springsteen songs, a psychoanalysis skit, and more old white people in one place than I've seen in some time. In short, the whole thing was quite creative and slightly mad. And it made my head spin with possible talks that I might give at a conference such as this. [The first one to come to my head? How David Bowie Destroyed Rock & Roll.]

Comments

  1. emileighAugust 11, 2009 at 3:04 PM

    those looks like really interesting lectures.
    (on a steven king related note:
    I discovered that I know the cousins of the guy who hit SK with a van. )

    ReplyDelete

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