We were lucky to catch up with Jason Blaise Gans recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jason Blaise, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Being an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital has many challenges. Most people have not created art in a long time, and they don’t think making art in the hospital will fix their current crisis. In order to reach hesitant patients I created a comic book to help people project their emotions and explore art materials in a non-judgmental way. After many years of honing these directives, I often get feedback from patients telling me that they have not considered making art since they were a child, but with the help of my comic book directives, they were able to access their emotions. Now they are eager to share their art with family members so they could be understood better. This has inspired me to change the trajectory of my career take my adult coloring comic books beyond the walls of the hospital and into the general public. In that arena I hope to help teach art making as a coping skill and inform the public about Art Therapy.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My Career started as a middle school art teacher. The school was struggling in many ways, and I felt confined by lesson planning and testing. I went back to school at become an art therapist. After 7 years honing my skills in a psychiatric hospital, I have begun using my art, art therapy, and musical skills to reach a wider audience. My goal is to help others unplug from stress and connect to a creative process that is calm and mindful. I have created The Worry Net as the foundation for this connection. The Worry Net is a much more than an adult coloring book. Each chapter is a self-contained song as part of a concept album called The Worry Net. These songs are meditations that loosely represent an adventure for the listener, who becomes a traveler into their inner world. It is a way to connect with your imagination, not to be taken as directly literal, but as meditations on life, enlightenment, and spiritual seeking.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

My Job as an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital has many challenges that training and knowledge my not completely guarantee success. Many people are having a crisis, a very difficult period of transition in their lives. It is difficult for some to stay calm when a patient is feeling extreme emotions. What has been most helpful to me is a meditation practice that helps me stay in the present moment, grounded, and connected with others. Mindfulness meditation helps me focus at home as well. To succeed as a therapist, I prioritize making art and music to release my feelings so I can approach the next day without judgement or denial. Being able shake off the stress of the day with my meditation and relaxation routine has the intended goal of minimizing burnout while helping me achieve invigorating flow states to create new art and music to share with the world.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Reading the news, I can sometimes get the impression that going to college for art or humanities is not a smart business decision. I have always been a creative person, choosing unique styles so with the help of my parents I was able follow passion to New York to study animation at Pratt Institute. If I would go back maybe I would choose a different major. Instead of animation maybe photography. I still would have graduated from an art school if I had the choice. It gave me the life skills to solve problems, a “do it yourself” mentality, and a degree that made a career possible. I had no idea I would grow up to be an art therapist, I just listened to my mentors and followed my path with a smile. I feel incredibly lucky to have a career that satisfies me on a spiritual level.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hello-siblings.com
• Instagram: @hello_siblings_art_collective
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkc8TXHMlTlllSPtLB6coIw
• Other: patreon.com/hellosiblings

Image Credits
portrait in jacket by Genine Packert Short