Pen To Power
Pen to Power is having an honest discussion about what is at the core of your dissatisfaction, discomfort or distress. It is not about apportioning blame.
Open and honest discussions with yourself and/or a professional, will help identify key factors. You’ll recognise these indicators because often they result in feelings of anger, frustration or helplessness.
The pen to power approach to recovery empowers you to have a say in how and what necessary changes are needed on your individual pathway. How? One way is to create a mind map.
What is a mind map?
Simply it’s a pathway that points to a recovery solution. By enabling a sense of focus and realisation, those precious ‘ahh’ moments can be achieved.
Diverse in interpretation, mind maps can also help us gain perspective in our every day lives.
Mapping has been used for many years to chart business growth and success.
Pen to Power aims to encourage those experiencing mental trauma to use the mapping technique to identify emotions and thoughts that may be blocking recovery. Therefore understanding the connections between feelings and reactions to certain events or triggers.
Through a series of guided instructions, mind maps may help make sense of a particular emotion. Our preference is that you do this with the help of a professional.
Using mind maps everyday
Did you know that mind maps are also useful tools to solve any of life’s quandaries? There is so much to think about everyday. Appointments, work, family, social media, bills, commitments, schedules – life can feel overwhelming.
You can organise your thoughts using mind maps. Sometimes writing everything down, helps identify and negotiate pathways forward. Creating lists, timed schedules or just doodling your way through a long meeting can help relax and open the mind to positive outcomes.
As you can see, mind maps may be used for simple or complex outcomes.
In short, mind maps help identify ways to simplify and focus on what’s truly important to us.
How to Mind Map
Do you love the sound of fellow Aussie artist Mark Wilkinson as much as we do? The Pen to Power team are so very grateful that Mark and Peer Music gave their permission to use this amazing song, Middle Ground, for our video.
Getting help
Sometimes we need a little extra help. You may know someone who needs more support. Did you know that your general doctor is able to assess your mental and physical health in an extended appointment as well as link you to a range of services?
Some useful numbers in Australia are:
- Lifeline: 131 114
- Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800 : 24 hours/7 days
- Mates 4 Mates: 1300 462 837 : Mon – Fri 8.30am to 4pm
- Police Fire Ambulance 000
- The Black Dog Institute provides information about depression, bipolar disorder and clinics. Black Dog Institute
- Headspace provides information and options to talk in person, talk online or talk by phone. Headspace
The Exhibition
Pen to Power: Map Your Mind to Recovery. The Exhibition.
30 January to 24 April 2016. Western Plains Cultural Centre. Dubbo. This amazing exhibition expressed the culmination of twelve months planning and guided workshops. It brought together sculpture, painting, photographic works, poetry, story telling, videography and collage.
Each of these works had a common theme. Participants had used mind maps to chart their feelings and emotions as a result of traumatic events in their lives.
What made this exhibition so special was that the artists were ordinary people living in our community who explored very personal responses to significant health challenges using mind maps.
The exhibition could not have been possible without the support of the Western Plains Cultural Centre, NEAMI National and the Rotary Club of Dubbo South.
Our team appointed artist, Jack Randell, to help compile the works and curate the gallery space. You can find an online version of the catalogue from the exhibition here.
Find our more
Find our moreIf you would like to know more about Pen to Power press here
This project is the thought bubble of Toni Grant and Tim Manning. We are passionate about harnessing creativity to promote positive change in people’s lives. It’s our other day job!
