The Power of Puppetry
Nancy Goddard | Article . Photos by Virginia Quist
While working as a registered nurse in critical care , and later as a nursing instructor , I spent a great deal of time devoting myself to my career and pursuing graduate education ; I became very serious and forgot how to have fun or to be creative . Turning the corner toward retirement meant trying to rediscover my “ old ” self and discover who I had become and who I have yet to become .
Last February , I saw an advertisement in ARTAfacts for a course offered by the WP Puppet Theatre called “ Courage Journey : Using the Power of Puppetry to Impact Positive Social Change .” I signed up , with some trepidation , and over the course of six weeks , I created a mask that illustrated who I am and the characteristics that I value and that influenced who I have become . Unbeknownst to me at the time , there was a performance element in the course ; for me , this performance took the form of a poem , which I ’ ve included here .
Early on , I knew the course was something I wanted to do to recapture some creativity ; however , I soon discovered that I didn ’ t even know where to begin . The process of creating the mask caused me to intensely reflect on my life and the values that influenced my life decisions . I began to ask myself questions : Why do I still feel so connected to my childhood in the North ? Why is nursing so important to me ? Why did I feel the need to pursue my master ’ s and PhD ? Why was it such a struggle to retire ? And finally , What happens now ?
In answering those questions , I began to formulate what my mask might look like . I found the whole creative experience transformative . I began to think about how I got to where I am now and about changes I wanted to make in my life going forward . I thought about how to become closer with my family and to reconnect with friends I ’ d lost touch with over my career . I thought about how powerful it was to be creative and how I could become even more creative going forward .
This workshop was like art therapy for me , and I ’ m proud of what I created . The outside of the mask shows the face I present to the world and my attachments to the world . The inside of the mask shows what I ’ ve kept to myself ; only a few others I have let in get to know the “ real ” me . It might not look like much to anyone else , but when I look at my mask , I know who I am .
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