How a Golden Latte Became a Metaphor For Inner Beauty
About my journey with art-therapy with Nelfa
Art and compassion: it’s the name of the 10-week art-therapy session I’m about to finish in a couple of days. That one was organized and facilitated by the artist Nelfa. I already talked about her work here. That course — well “experience” would be a better fit here — has been transformative in many ways. She asked for a feedback so I think that my answers might be useful to many who would be interested.
The “why” of having chosen to follow those sessions
As far as I can remember, I have always been curious. You know, that (un?)healthy sense of curiosity that pushes you to look out for things that feed your soul and allow you to explore new zones of knowledge. So I did. I had been already in touch with art-therapy in Guadeloupe, my mother land, with a colors and energy work-based approach. Coloring mandalas and being aware. Guys! This is powerful and real.
So with the context of lockdown and as I love writing, I chose to pay to attend that 10-week program. As I said in my previous article, I wasn’t raised in an environment in touch with art. But later, as I had been lucky to be familiarized with art, I’ve been cultivating an habit to go to museums. It gives a little bit of context to my interest for art. So when I chose to sign up, I didn’t have any particular expectation but learning and experiencing.
Understanding the link between art, compassion and awareness
So the course started in September, on a Sunday afternoon for me (5 PM in Paris, 8 AM EST). I remember that I could not attend the two first sessions as I was busy with school. But Nelfa had planned everything: she recorded the sessions and created private YouTube videos to catch up when we get time. That said, I realized that I went from being curious to being engaged. Being engaged, by doing the exercises. Being engaged by becoming more and more enthusiastic and excited for the next lesson.
The course is built around 9 “principles” of compassion, which were discussed during the sessions. Each one was associated with a painting, artwork or for the last ones, another unexpected artistic form that I let you discover. Different writing exercises punctuated each session, with one goal: getting anchored and being attuned to our emotions and feeling connected to the suffering of others.
And the time passing by, we have unpacked a lot of things about ourselves, our experience with suffering and loss. So it makes sense to talk about a “safe space”. I felt safe enough to share personal details and it felt secure. It also felt comfortable to say when I wasn’t feeling something about an artwork for example.
Writing, as often, felt like a catharsis.
The golden latte ‘thing’: a key and empowering exercise
I did a lot of exercises and for sure, a lot will remain, but the most striking one was definitely what I rename here: the “golden latte” exercise. Nelfa sent us an email just before our “lesson” and we had to think of something that brings us joy. On the D-Day, she asked us to write about this thing and for me it was the golden latte. The goal was to find the similarities between that thing and the inner goodness we acknowledge in ourselves.
I want to share here what I wrote to make it more meaningful:
“Golden latte is a beverage made of turmeric, coconut milk and other spices that I love. I chose it as a reminder of self-care I try to cultivate. By drinking so, I try to be aware of what I put it in my body. Turmeric is recognized for its therapeutic virtues against the development of cancer cells. It’s from India. The golden latte is yellow. The yellow color resonates with my natural joy and energy. The turmeric has strong roots, tied to my own cultural roots, upbringing, all of them playing a role in my identity. It also reminds me that I am a caring person as turmeric is a plant which takes care of people. Finally, the mix of ingredients is a beautiful reminder that I am made of my encounters, of people, of different cultures. I am made of all of it.”
Leaving here something to chew on. Needless to say that I felt amazed on that day, as it was a spontaneous exercise.
“What do you want to take away?”
The latter allows me to conclude the piece and to write a track record. But it’s also a nod to what we’ve been invited to think about at the end of each session.
During the classes, we were co-creating: our contributions were building the “lessons”, our “takeaways”. I was amazed by Nelfa’s humility while giving her insights. She’s an incredible teacher, always questioning, rather than giving answers. That said, I felt we all embraced both the learner and teacher hats.
Then, I would say that the sessions allowed me to decomplex suffering. Talking about suffering and loss without assigning them meaning or labeling was a remarkable exercise.
The only thing I regret, is not being able to be together and practice arts in some way, other than writing, as the context of lockdown is a brake to it. But it doesn’t remove the strong sense of community I have been feeling.
At last but not least: I think that what illustrates well my experience is the change I noticed in how I engage with art. I recently went to an exbihition in the Quai Branly’s museum (A toi appartient le regard). I didn’t stop at every piece, but when I did, it felt more authentic than ever. It’s more about what I feel about a piece connecting with it, than reflecting and understanding it in the perfect way. Maybe, it’s time to do the same with a loved one or a stranger ? Well, now I realize that going to an exhibition is an experience. We should decomplex the no-feeling and the no-engagement with art and leaving the guilty feeling that often comes with it.
This is what I take away with me. I also promised to myself to be committed to my creativity. And now that I have written some mantras and affirmations, filling a new journal with blank pages… I want you to remember that following your curiosity is more often than not, a good idea.
