We were lucky to catch up with Monica Rose recently and have shared our conversation below.
Monica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I am such a project person, I love to create little worlds of my own and expose them to others. I think this is why I was drawn to making music and art. Creating thematic EPs and a story behind a work of visual art has proven to be one of the most fulfilling things for me. Perhaps my favorite project I’ve worked on is the one I’m currently invested in – My Expressive Arts Identity Development Program. This project is very different than what I’ve done before. Typically, I create bodies of work and take the role of The Artist. This time, I’m creating a body of resources and assuming the role of The Guide. My passion for creativity goes hand-in-hand with my passion for personal development and self-discovery. I think the reason I was pulled into painting and music-making as a kid, was to learn about my own feelings, thoughts, and experiences. I was homeschooled for most of my upbringing, so “learning from the school of life” was a big value instilled within me. I also spent a lot of time alone and commonly felt like an outsider. But I was encouraged to explore different interests and activities, so I feel like it’s no surprise I ended up where I am. Eventually, I went to college to study painting and during my time at art school, I discovered Art Therapy. Bogged down by the politics and intensity of the Fine Arts world, Art Therapy resonated deeply with me because it used art to heal and reveal. I pretty much instantly knew this was the space for me. Since graduating college, I spent the past 5 years creating. I’ve been making and releasing music, performing, working on music videos, and showing some paintings occasionally. All the while, my calling to become more active in the field of Art Therapy grew stronger and stronger until I felt totally compelled to give this my full attention. I’m so happy to announce that I’m finally launching my Expressive Arts Program! It’s called “Blooming You” and it’s an 8-week 1:1 deep dive into working through blockages, life transitions, and personal identity.
Monica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hello! My name is Monica Rose and I am a multi-disciplinary artist, a performing musician, and an expressive arts specialist. Fair to say, I wear many hats! I was drawn to creating music and art as a kid. I was homeschooled for most of my upbringing and spent much time alone, exploring, and feeling a lot with a deep need to express myself. I also grew up without access to technology as a recreational outlet, so I believe I turned to the arts to occupy and express myself. I didn’t have many friends or attend many sleepovers, but I did have private piano lessons and I did attend painting class and a creative writing workshop here and there!
Eventually, I went to college to study painting and during my time at art school, I discovered Art Therapy. Bogged down by the politics and intensity of the Fine Arts world, Art Therapy resonated deeply with me because it used art to heal and reveal. Since this seemed to be my motivation to create as well, I pretty much instantly knew this was the space for me.
Upon graduating college, I moved back to Chicago and started teaching private piano lessons to support myself while I spent all my free time diving into the art scene. I was heavily inspired by this environment and spent the following 5 years creating. I’ve been recording, releasing, and performing music, working on music videos, and showing some paintings occasionally. All the while, my calling to become more active in Art Therapy grew stronger until I felt totally compelled to give this my full attention. I’m so happy to announce that I’m finally launching my Expressive Arts Program! It’s called “Blooming You” and it’s an 8-week 1:1 deep dive into working through blockages, life transitions, and personal identity.
One thing I’m really focused on is helping women move through transitions and blockages to gain a renewed sense of identity and dissolve their fear of the unknown. My clients learn to deeply communicate with themselves and acquire creative tactics to identify and work through blockages. Through the expressive arts, I help you step into your wholeness and uncover your deepest purpose.
Identity is a key concept for me. I speak from experience and research when I remind my clients that one’s identity is not the role(s) one holds, but rather it is revealed in how one holds those roles.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
As an entrepreneur and independent artist, I’ve learned you must create opportunities. Sometimes, you are handed opportunities and that’s always great! A lesson I’ve learned is that just because you don’t see “it” yet, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist somewhere and definitely does not mean that it’s not valuable or doable. Additionally, just because “it” perhaps has been done before, doesn’t mean you should not go for it. The reality is, no idea or concept is totally original but the way YOU will do it, is. So, if it’s been done before – do it! If it hasn’t been done before – do it! Personally, I’ve had to create a lot of my own opportunities. I started teaching private piano lessons totally freelance. I was working as a barista and overheard a woman saying she wanted to enroll her daughter in music lessons. I chimed in to offer my skills and that was my first student. One website and a stack of flyers later, I had 25 students and was able to support myself without the Barista position. Today, I’ve built and launched my own Expressive Arts program. To be totally honest, I did this because I could not find this position anywhere! I searched extensively and reached out to a lot of well-resourced strangers, but still could not find the job I knew was right for me. So, I created it from the resources and education I had.
The bonus that comes with creating your own opportunity or creating something without a reference, is that you will be forced to overcome “imposter syndrome”. I think this is something that specifically holds some amazing artists back. Being your own validation is a superpower.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My creative journey is driven by the mission to help humans become more self-aware, heal pain, and reveal their true selves. My personal artwork and music are for me to become more aware and in tune with myself, to release pain, and reveal my truth. My creative work with others is to facilitate their healing and their journey to self-awareness so that they can have a better quality of life. I believe that creating is a form of healing and I believe that healing yourself is a special gift you can give to others. Therefore, I believe that creating is a form of service to the world!
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: @_blooming_you (priority) @_monicarosemusic_ (not priority but this is my music page)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monica.deardurff
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-deardurff-a264a861/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxAHU6m-vXuNKSXAdfH9zBQ
- Other: Thank you!
Image Credits
Carmen Henry