We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Biviana Franco a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Biviana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I started my schooling in Colombia and finished at AIU in Atlanta with a Bachelors in Fashion Design. Afterwards, I studied under Chris diDomizio for 5 years with a focus on classical art. But really, I have had a passion for art and design my entire life. Experiencing art as a way to process life is what inspired me to use my skills to bring Arts in Health programs to cancer patients. In addition to my background in art, I found it necessary to invest in learning the use of arts to support patients’ well-being and mental health, so I completed several Arts in Health certifications.
Knowing what I know now, I understand just how important learning about Arts in Health is to the work that I do. At the time I started Feel Beautiful Today, there was not a lot of information on integrative oncology or Arts in Health, so I really had to research to communicate clearly what we were doing as a nonprofit. The skills that got FBT to where it is now are perseverance in the face of adversity, being observant, a commitment to learning and the humility to ask for help when I needed it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I started Feel Beautiful Today because I wanted to use art and design as a way to love and serve others. In 2010, two of my close friends and my aunt were diagnosed with cancer, and I wanted desperately to show them how much I loved and supported them in their cancer journey. Leaning on my creative nature, I designed a beautiful handmade bracelet to give to each of them. Seeing their reaction fueled a desire in me to create experiences for cancer patients that remind them of who they are and affirm that they are more than their diagnosis, all through the vehicle of art. When I walked with my mom through her own cancer diagnosis, FBT’s mission became even more personal.
In every step the last twelve years, FBT has remained focused on honoring cancer patients and their needs. Each program we design uses a creative art project to help patients focus on a positive activity that can help reduce stress, improve mood, foster confidence and, most of all, allow them to feel like themselves. We know the cancer journey can be a lonely one, so we create programs and workshops that remind patients that they are loved and not alone. I’ve heard it said, “If you want your dream job, create your dream job.” Getting to use my skills in art and design for a purpose bigger than myself is my dream job. I never imagined when I started FBT that 12 years later we would have over 10 Arts in Health programs and the privilege of partnering with most major cancer centers and hospitals in Metro Atlanta to serve over 13,000 cancer patients and survivors. Our mission has been, and always will be, to continue fighting cancer with hope.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is watching patients transform before my eyes as they experience our programs. Whether it is expressing themselves through creating or participating in a Warrior Within photo shoot, I cannot get over the change in their countenance at the end of the experience, the joy in their eyes having completed a project that at the beginning seemed too hard, or the visible release of tension because they have felt seen and heard. Witnessing the way that art literally transforms lives is the reason I keep doing what I do. We don’t have to be Picasso or Monet to experience the transforming benefits of art and creative expression; power lies in the creating of art, not just consuming it.
Have you ever had to pivot?
2020 was a challenging year for everyone, including Feel Beautiful Today. Up to the beginning of 2020, our focus was workshops with patients at cancer centers, hospitals and radiation and infusion rooms. Suddenly, we had zero access to both patients and hospitals. We really had to evaluate what we were going to do. Were we going to try and wait it out, hoping that the world would get back to normal sooner than later, or were we going to make changes in response?
We decided to begin working on Online Course material that could be used alongside the Arts in Health programs we were still delivering to hospitals and cancer centers. The courses originally included a tutorial video for the project and a few additional resources, but starting March of this year, these courses have become a center for exploration and learning. Patients have a QR code they can scan to access the course and for no charge can view tutorials, listen to a specially curated Spotify playlist, view Pinterest boards, watch art history videos and find creative prompts for their project. These Online Courses have become an extension of ourselves to patients, so that they do not feel like they are completing their creative activity alone. What started as an obstacle helped create one of our greatest resources for cancer patients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.feelbeautifultoday.org
- Instagram: @feel_beautiful.today
- Facebook: @feelbeautifultoday
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/biviana-franco-aristizabal-1076b440
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOYzWyMJNo0G1lyI3PTGfKg/featured
- Other: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/65290961/words-of-hope
Image Credits
Sheretta Danielle and Fotographer Jen A photography