Art Therapy at the Comox Valley Head Injury Society, (CVHIS) has been a big success for many of our program participants. There are several that stand out but one in particular is Ed Odgaard, who has benefited from the Art Therapy program and has now begun a journey related to that success.
Ed is a long-time program participant with the Comox Valley Head Injury Society, he has been an active participant in our Wellness, Gardening, Cooking Program and our Art Therapy Program. One of his passions is photography, and since beginning the Art Therapy Program at CVHIS he has been able to participant in Elevate the Arts, a local festival showcasing art and encouraging community wide participation. It all started in June of 2016 when Ed’s photography was highlighted in an Art Gallery inspired by the Art of the CVHIS Art Therapy Program Participants. The gallery was a huge success, we had more than a hundred people visit our gallery and the feedback was tremendous. We set up a gallery again this June and it was once again an amazing opportunity that had an immediate and lasting impact for those who participated as artist and as attendees.
As with many of our survivors, Ed’s level of confidence has been a barrier to him pursuing his dreams. One of these dreams is to promote his photography outside of the Comox Valley, and to bring his nature collages to people living in other parts of the world where the things he photographs do not exist, places like Dubai and Egypt. Ed takes beautiful photos of things we see everyday, but do not really see. One of his studies is of leaves. A simple leaf in its current state of growth or death, magnified and duplicated in a collage. His work is stunning, and unique. It is not just eye opening for those who have never experienced our plant life, but also for those who walk by it everyday without truly seeing it. Some of Ed’s work is usually hanging on our walls and it is common for people to stop and comment as they take note of the colours, patterns and unusual perspective of these common elements of our world.
We believe that Ed is onto something. He now believes he is onto something too and we are supporting him in the development of a plan to pursue this dream. It is exciting to see him starting to believe in the potential of his ideas and his art. We are helping him to develop a plan of small steps forward and we are working on a business plan to do that. In the mean time, Ed’s involvement with the Programs and services of CVHIS is paramount to his development as a leader among us and an artist.
We are very happy to see Ed acknowledge when his confidence becomes a barrier, and we are double happy to be able to support his growth and help him to build his confidence through the programs and services funded by the Brain Injury Alliance. I expect this time next year Ed’s success story will have developed into a story featuring an entrepreneurial artist no longer held back by confidence who is a mentor to his peers. We are not so far from that now!
