We’re excited to share recent updates from, Sailaja Devaguptapu, Certified Listener Poet Cohort 2, whose work continues to bridge poetry, art, and wellbeing across communities. She was awarded a scholarship to attend “Cousins: Skating the Line Between Poetry and Songwriting” with Cornelius Eady at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown—an exciting opportunity to deepen her creative practice.
Sailaja also served as a resource person for Spandan: A Sojourn From Art to Heart in Pursuit of Excellence and Expression, a two-day workshop held at the Heartfulness Retreat Centre of Excellence and Wellness in Pune, India in honor of World Creativity and Innovation Week. Centered on the role of art in fostering connection, belonging, and holistic wellness, the workshop brought together participants in a shared exploration of creativity and care—and was met with an outpouring of heartfelt response.
All the respondents said the workshop is immersive, engaging, contributing towards stress reduction and emotional well-being. And, it enabled them to understand the relevance of art in healthcare and application of arts for mental well-being. They found a sense of belonging through the workshop and it helped with managing perceived loneliness. All of them shared art engagement and resilience are interconnected. They found themselves wanting to engage more with arts after the workshop and were inspired to make art more regularly. They found the program to be relevant across all the professions and at every level (beginners to advanced)
“Overall, it made me realize that art is not just about creativity, but also a valuable tool for emotional balance, mental wellness, and building connections.”
More than 90% of the respondents said that the workshop is innovative, the role of arts for individual coherence, community cohesion and global coherence, health promotion and wellness. They said it enabled to understand art-based self-care, found art to be a reflective tool and art interaction as a reflective practice. Further, the activities of the workshop enhance the reflective capacity of the group at the collective level. Art engagement facilitates mindfulness. More than 80% of the respondents said art engagement could improve social skills. That mediation and art play similar roles.