Final Reflection

My senior project experience was one that I will never forget. At first, I had multiple

topics that I knew I was interested in, but I did not have a specific direction for any of them. I

ended up choosing art because I had wanted to learn more about art therapy for a long time. My

project and question originally was rejected in my letter of intent which forced me to rethink my

direction. After talking with Mrs. O’Neil, who led me to a potential project with Walnut Acres

Elementary School, I changed my original experiential project to painting the bathroom stall

doors at Walnut Acres. This really excited me because I had gone to Walnut Acres Elementary

School and I love painting. I knew I could do something really cool to the bathrooms that the

students would enjoy and would last for years to come.

For my research, I already had contact with the founder of ARM of Care, a non-profit

organization, through the outside volunteer group I participate in. The founder, Amy Lynch, is a

seasoned art, recreation, and movement therapist who works with trauma survivors. I reached out

to see if she would be my mentor and she happily agreed. She was an essential part of my

research and even helped in painting my project! She was my first interview and also connected

me to my second interview, Rodrigo Caldera. I learned about how she works with trauma

survivors to help them heal and how art is a powerful healing tool. This drove more of my

research into the mental health and trauma aspect which I had not thought of going in before. My

second interview was with Rodrigo Caldera, who is an art therapist who works with Amy

Lynch’s non-profit. He described his typical art therapy session, and how the art acts as the

therapy. Additionally in my research, I found it really fascinating to learn about the scientific

reason behind why art improves people’s mood. I had always experienced how art affects my

mood, but I never knew why. The book I read was very technical in how our brains receive
information and process it. This analytical way of how we perceive things showed me a different

perspective to my topic.

My experiential and community aspect was painting the bathroom stall doors at Walnut

Acres Elementary School. Throughout the whole semester I worked on this project because of

the amount of prep work it required. I had several meetings with the principal to discuss

guidelines and limitations. I had to create a cost estimate in order for the budget to get approved

by the PFC at Walnut Acres. I originally did not know if they were going to cover it or not which

was nerve racking. However, they did end up approving my budget of $200.00. . I created

detailed sketches by hand and digitally of exactly what I would paint on the stall doors. I talked

to several paint experts and did my own research to find the right type of materials that would

last on the stall doors. The day before I was scheduled to paint, I went to Walnut Acres to prep

the stall doors. I found out that I could no longer paint the stall doors; however, I could paint the

walls instead. This was stressful because I had already bought all the materials and planned out

the whole painting day. Fortunately from all my research on paint and surfaces, I was quickly

able to pivot my drawings and obtain different paint so that I could still do the best part of my

project —paint the next day! The day of painting was a really long and tiresome day, but it was

well worth it! I had recruited family members, friends, and my mentor to come throughout the

day to help paint the two bathrooms. Without them, I would not have been able to complete the

painting in one day. The whole Walnut Acres Community loved the walls. So much in fact that

they would like me to come back in the summer to paint the other four bathroom walls! I learned

how to manage people, price shop, and create a budget. I can not wait to finish the other

bathrooms this summer and I hope that all the future generations of students enjoy the bathroom

walls. I enjoy giving back to my community and I will continue to look for ways in the future.