Time to Get Creative

I recently had a chance to speak to Marian, a long-time Creative Care Kit participant. All Marian ever wanted to do was make cards to send to her friends and relatives. She had tried taking a number of art classes, but they weren’t the right fit for her. Through CVCOA’s Creative Care Kit program, she finally found what she was looking for. Aside from being “absolutely amazed” at the quality of the materials, she has really liked the curriculum and especially having Marsha, her Creative Companion, helping her. Creative Companions are volunteers who connect with kit recipients to increase motivation and share creative work. She described how great it was to meet Marsha and make a “really good connection.”    

When Marian received her first Creative Care Kit, it was the height of COVID, and being immunosuppressed, she mainly slept, played with her puppy and made art. Having her art supplies and Marsha, with whom she got along really well, made a big difference. After trying the watercolor kit, Marian moved on to the Drawing and Illustration kit. This is where she really hit her stride. Being very interested in the graphic novel version of Watership Down, she started drawing the rabbits and scenery from the novel. She would talk to Marsha who would help her with drawing things such as the white caps on the water. She was so happy with how it was going that Marian started looking forward to getting up in the morning just to work on her drawings. She felt like she had been trying to learn to draw for forever, and now she had the supplies and support she needed to succeed.    

Since starting with the Creative Care Kits several years ago, it really seems as though drawing has become an integral part of Marian’s life, and she’s been able to make cards for her family and friends as she always wanted to. She’s moved on from drawing rabbits to drawing owls and showed me some examples. She and Marsha still try to talk every few weeks. As she says, “I really appreciate Marsha...I’ve really enjoyed the whole process.”  

There is still time to check out all the great artwork from Creative Care Kit recipients and other older Vermonters on display as part of the Creative Aging Celebration at the T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier. Art will be up until the 22nd of July. 

Want to support people like Marian to reach their creative potential? Give a gift today!