1 M ap of possibility – ‘map my mind’
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‘Sometimes words are not needed, and the simplicity of expressing yourself through an art form is one of the best ways of communication’. Emmanuel Jal Emmanuel Jal started his life as a child solider in the war-torn region of Southern Sudan in the early 1980s. He was eventually rescued by a British aid worker Emma McCune and smuggled to Kenya where he overcame a huge number of struggles to become a successful and acclaimed recording artist and peace ambassador. Emmanuel Jal often begins his workshops with the question ‘Who owns your mind’? The map of possibilities might just help you start to consider a little about your own mind and if you need to, regain ownership.
Emmanuel Jal describes his trauma as leaving him with a mental genocide. At different points in our lives we all have stress, pressure and, unfortunately, some form of trauma. The scale varies drastically. However, this should mean you underestimate the need to own your problems, own your mind and deal with the problems rather than write them off as too big or too small. In his workshops, Jal makes reference to a young boy in a school audience who put his hand up to answer this question – his brave and honest response: ‘Sugar owns my mind’… The map of possibilities is a map of your thoughts, memories, hopes, fears, dreams at that moment in time. Based loosely on the Surrealist technique of Automatism it is about letting your mind wander, a meditative state can be achieved and you can dip into your past, present and the future all at the same time. You can spend 5 minutes on your map or 5 hours. This workshop is flexible and can be adapted depending on the materials and time you have. It is a great place to start and get over any uncomfortableness, scepticism, even that old fear of drawing.
Being creative keeps you well
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