A teacher of enrichment art, Jill Cliffer Baratta has an MFA and talked with Dr. Gloria Horsley about how art can help in the healing process. Baratta lost her father, and immediately turned to her love of the arts to guide her own healing process. Her father died 45 years ago, right before her twelfth birthday. Even then, Baratta knew that art was her own best healing tool. It inspired her to keep up with her work, and it kick-started her brain to keep creating. As an adult, Baratta was committed to taking photographs of her loved ones, especially with their fathers and father figures. Later, a friend asked Baratta what she was going to do with all of those pictures.
That’s when it started to unfold. She began by putting photos of fathers and daughters on a page. Then, she undertook research about girls growing up without fathers. She saw many of the risks she avoided, as well as some of the risks she acted out. “Take some photographs, make copies of them, get scissors, get glue sticks, cut, paste, and manipulate—and look for what it means later,” she says. Creation is a natural healing tool, and can help you work through grief even decades later.
The Art of Making
Using art to heal has been a long-time practice, but Baratta truly makes it her own. Using photographs, especially of the person you lost, can inspire a tremendously deep new type of artistry. For Baratta, what she creates on the pages alongside photographs surprises even her. It might bring up old memories that need to be faced.
She encourages everyone who’s grieving to let their creative side take over. The meaning? That all comes later.
I lost my only child, my son, age 48, to COVID on April 12th, 2021. He was a Border Patrol agent with 24 years. He left a wife of 22years and a daughter, 20 years old. I, like your other contributor, had made future plans with my son. He was going to “take care” of me. His desth has left me devastated. When I think of my son my legs get weak and feel like i have a huge hole inside. I pray in the AMs and at night that God will protect me and my mind through his angels. I’m having a difficult time with the “ifs” of my son’s death. I realize those things are not helping my healing. I nearly lost my son when he was born. He had 85% of his blood exchanged because of my blood. God saved him through a donor I didn’t even know. When he was 6 he had staphylococcus pneumonia. God healed him with help of a specialist. For these reasons and others I find myself asking”Why God?”. I’m a graduate of a seminary and had the counseling courses, know the steps of grief, just can’t seem to apply them. I start to think about my tomorrows and I feel alone, no life in me. My friends are sweet and the hugs feel good. I’m not looking for sympathy, several people have gone through what I’m experiencing, said I would think of my son every day for the rest of my life. That’s a wonderful thought if they are beautiful without all the thoughts that keep me in this hole I’m in now.