The Art Prescription


Beverly Dyer in Chapel Hill, North Carolina is creating The Art Prescription: a daily dose of art and haiku!

Why did you decide to do this project? During December 2010 I found myself experiencing increased life stressors and taking long lonely walks. During these walks I would write a haiku about what I found inspiring. Then I would do a piece of art to go along with the haiku. My daily haiku and art is now so ritualistic that I hold that time sacred. It's been healing for me and since my goal as a nurse/artist has always been to promote the therapeutic benefits of art, the mission behind the Art Prescription fits my philosophy on life. After a stressful day at my nursing job, I am able to turn my mood and brain chemistry around with my daily art prescription!



How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Creating a haiku and art everyday has become such an integral part of my life that I find the words come to me throughout the day. I go about my day with inquisitive observation on life, nature, and people. These short poems always feel like a gift. Somedays my art is literally on an index card, others I do medium to large paintings. Creating every day has pushed me to explore multiple mediums, like sewing onto my journal pages. I now have about 650 followers and the joy of meeting other creativea across the globe is fabulous and in itself a trigger for ideas. My husband and I enjoy hiking and birdwatching, and he is patient while I often pause on the trail to make a sketch or write a few words. My hope is always to provide a dose of art and haiku to anyone who needs it!!

See all of Beverly's daily work HERE.



Afros365 Follow-up

Unicia R. Buster completed her Afros365 project on July 25, 2016... 


What are the biggest lessons/skills you learned from doing your project? I learned how to needle-felt, create stencils using a hot glue gun and glue sticks, and create with almost anything.


In what ways did the project change your life? During this year-long journey, I discovered ingenuity and willpower. I didn't realize I had them in me, especially seeing all of the unfinished projects laying around my home. I also realized that my work affects other people in a positive and encouraging way. This is life-changing indeed. I have found my love for art again.


Now what? I have started an adult coloring book (I've already drawn 25 pages) which sprung from this project. I have applied to a local gallery for an art exhibition of new work and I am on Day 4 of Declutter 365 of which I am applying the same ingenuity and willpower to declutter and reinvent my home space. I did a poll for a new 365 creativity journey and the results for a theme were tied between natural hair, locs and my echo-line drawings. I plan to do a combination of all three and start that in September.

Read Unicia's original 365 interview HERE.

See all of Unicia's afros HERE