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What is Pastel Nagomi Art? Pastel Nagomi Art is a Japanese styled pastel art. It originated from Japan and was created by the founder of Japan Pastel Hope Art Association (JPHAA), Mr. Hosoya Norikatsu. Pastel Nagomi Art is easy to learn, and one does not require any art background to acquire the skill. By using soft pastel, paper and your fingers, you can create a wonderful art piece in just 30 minutes! Pastel Nagomi art is also known to have therapeutic and calming effects on the people practicing it. Thus, many counsellors and therapists are adopting this art form as a therapeutic method to help patients achieve emotional balance. Essentially, the purpose of promoting Pastel Nagomi Art is to help cultivate a society and community that is spiritually rich, healthy, harmonious and balanced. What made you start pursuing Nagomi Art? How did you start? Creating art has been my hobby since young. Due to work and family commitments, I did not do art for a very long time. This all changed when I chanced upon Pastel Nagomi Art in 2018. The simplicity of this art form immediately captured my attention, and fuelled my aspiration to step into this industry. Without a second thought, I decided to start my art journey by enrolling in a course to become a certified Pastel Nagomi Art instructor. Why do you especially enjoy Nagomi Art? I find it easy to handle, and the tools and materials for Pastel Nagomi Art tools are simple to prepare. I can launch into the “production mode” to create my art in no time. With some soothing music, soft pastel, and a piece of square paper, I can enjoy some “Me Time” in a little corner doing this art. How is Nagomi Art unique from other art forms? Well, Pastel Nagomi Art is very different from conventional art in the sense that there is no right or wrong when creating pastel Nagomi Art. Thus, your creativity is not limited by any prejudgement on how an object should look like. Someone with minimal basic techniques will also be able to create beautiful Nagomi Art pieces. How has creating Nagomi Art helped your mental well-being? When painting Pastel Nagomi Art, I do not have to worry too much about the outcome of my creation. The art creation process is very simple and straightforward. Furthermore, this art form is very forgiving, as I can erase and make alterations to my design while I am painting. So, I can simply enjoy the process of creating Pastel Nagomi Art without feeling stressed about having to produce a sophisticated artwork at the end. From the psychological perspective, the process of Nagomi Art creation is stress-free and filled with enjoyment. Who is suitable to do Nagomi Art? As long as you can apply the pastel powder onto a piece of paper with your finger, Pastel Nagomi Art is for you! I have students ranging from 5 to over 80 years of age. You can take up Pastel Nagomi Art even if you do not have any art background. So, I would say that Pastel Nagomi Art is suitable for anyone who is interested to try out this art form. Why would someone be interested in doing Nagomi Art? Generally, Pastel Nagomi Art is very eye catching and pleasing to the eye. Many people fall in love with it at first sight. And when they find out how easy it is to learn Pastel Nagomi Art, they will want to try out. Normally an introductory workshop to Pastel Nagomi Art will equip students with the basic knowledge and techniques, and enable them to create wonderful artworks in just an hour! Furthermore, the painting process is very enjoyable. This gives them confidence to continue attending more Pastel Nagomi Art sessions! In what ways do you think that Nagomi Art can help others with their mental health or general well-being? When you repetitively rub your finger on a paper, the sensation on your finger tip tends to produce a calming effect. In Pastel Nagomi Art, we mostly paint with our fingers to produce heartwarming and beautiful paintings. You will feel very satisfied and happy, enjoying a sense of achievement! Through this little achievement, it helps to build up a person’s confidence and confidence brings hope. All these positive feelings that one experiences when creating Nagomi Art helps one enjoy better emotional well-being. Any tips for people who want to start trying Nagomi Art? Before the COVID-19 global pandemic happened, Pastel Nagomi Art classes were mostly available through face-to-face workshops. This is the preferred way for teaching Pastel Nagomi Art as face-to-face classes allow for closer human interaction and socialising. However, due to the current global pandemic we will need to adapt and adjust the method of delivering Pastel Nagomi Art lessons. Nowadays, there are many channels for one to learn Pastel Nagomi Art. I will recommend anyone who wants to start creating Pastel Nagomi Art to get a Pastel Nagomi Art starter kit and self-learn it from Youtube videos or sign up for online workshops. When the pandemic situation improves, I would recommend trying out at least one physical session of Pastel Nagomi Art class. If one would like to further pursue Pastel Nagomi Art, I would recommend he or she to sign up for a Japan Pastel Hope Art Association (JPHAA) accredited Basic of Pastel Nagomi Art & Associated Instructive Art Diploma Course. This course guides one through every aspect of Pastel Nagomi Art in an in-depth manner, while maintaining the simplicity and easy-to-learn nature of Pastel Nagomi Art.

What is photography to you? Is photography for everyone? Photography is a form of expression to capture one’s perspective through a lens. It also allows us to document life and the events around us. Photography can be for everyone and in fact, digital technological advances in photography have allowed it to become even more accessible to everyone. How did you start photography? I started photography since a tender young age of nine, I would snap photos of everyone and everything, everywhere I went. When I got hold of a film camera at fifteen, I started on a more serious photography path. My love for taking pictures had managed to get me a scholarship in photography. However, due to family issues, I had to forego the opportunity. After army in 2006, I decided to make passion my career. I was working in Kodak as a consultant and trainer. In between, I worked on my craft by doing event and wedding photography. In 2008, I enhanced my skills by joining a production company, starting from the bottom, as a photographer assistant (in other words, like a coolie), and slowly worked myself up. Photographer assistants were not allowed to touch the cameras. If I made any mistakes in lighting settings, I would literally get slapped for it. Only when I finally progressed to become a junior photographer, I started to learn a lot. Due to family issues again, I had to work in another company as a marketing photographer, but I had more flexible working hours. I realised that this company belongs to Jacky Chan and started working with him. He liked my work so much that I was chosen to be his photographer which was to be based in Singapore representing the company. Then in 2012, I started my own studio. Can you explain more about the benefits of photography?  Photography requires you to take a step back and make observations before taking the picture which you want to capture. Photography helps you become more aware of the things and people around you. Digital photography requires lesser motor skills order to achieve the end result, attributing to higher chances of success. There are different levels within the craft depending on how you would like to take it, to allow you to become more technical and creative with the process and final result. How does this form of artwork help parents & children? // Does photography have any therapy benefits?  Being able to quickly capture special moments and sharing them is something unique to photography. It simply requires you to point as shoot, making this easy and accessible as a starting point. It is something families can do together and share in the moment and bonds relationships. It can help with focus, creativity and more importantly, find meaning. It can also be a form of exercise, if you count the walking around, plus carrying the equipment! What is the collaboration between you and Art for Good? // Why do you collaborate with AFG? My collaboration with Art for Good is using art to do good, which is through my photography. I find a purpose in helping people, especially since I have gone through difficult times as well as a teenager. I believe that photography is an art form of which can potentially help people to find happiness. How can I start? // Any tips to take better images?  A simple exercise would be to walk around more, observe the world around you. Sometimes it helps to close your eyes and simply just feel. If you would like to pursue photography, you can join my photography lesson in AFG. For enquiries please contact us .

Amanda and her work has been featured in The Red Pencil Annual Report 2019. For the full report, visit  2019 Annual Report . The Red Pencil (Singapore)  is a charity which provides art therapy to children in need, especially those from low-income families. Our founder and art therapist Amanda Chen is also an art therapist with The Red Pencil (Singapore) and has been featured in their  2019 Annual Report . Since 2011, The Red Pencil (Singapore) team has been devoted to bring the benefits of arts therapy to many beneficiaries, working with partner organisations and the local art therapists’ community to achieve its objectives and mission and to raise awareness of arts therapy. The red pencil participated in the Encounter Humanitarian Forum and Fair on the 1st of June 2019 at Catholic Junior College, Singapore. This event allow Red Pencil to meet other humanitarian organisations and interact with visitors who were interested in learning more about the organization and/or volunteering. Founder and Managing Director, Mrs Laurence Vandenborre had the privilege to speak at the STEP Asian Undergraduate Summit 2019, a student-run international program organised by the University Scholars Programme (USP) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) last 17th July 2019. In the small group sharing segment called Human Library, Mrs Vandenborre gave an inspirational talk on the life-changing benefits of creative arts therapy and how The Red Pencil ensures the sustainability of its work with its service users. During the Q&A, the students were very engaged and has a wonderful interactive session with the speaker. Amanda Chen , our founder and art therapist, participated as an Art Therapist with Tang Tee Khoon Grand Series Mozart 36 for the Music and Art Therapy program for children with special needs. Amanda Chen was the Art Therapist for this project which speaks on how Art Therapy has helped a child regain confidence.

Art Therapy You may have heard of the term “art therapy” and wondered what it meant? Or perhaps watched a movie or television show where you saw therapists encouraging a child to express his or her emotions by drawing. How does it work? And does it work? Certified art therapist Amanda Chen shares her insights with us.” Art Therapy is a human service profession that uses art media, images, art processes and client responses to the created products, as reflections of development, abilities, personality, interests, concerns & conflicts. The art therapy practice is based on human developmental and psychological theories for assessment and treatment, which include educational psychodynamic, cognitive and other therapeutic means of reconciling emotional conflicts, fostering self-awareness, developing social skills, managing behaviour, solving problems, reducing anxiety, aiding reality orientation and increasing self-expression to explore problems using a range of art materials, enabling positive change and personal growth. The intention is not a focus on the artistic skills but in engaging in a creative personal process. As art therapy encourages self-expression towards self-explorations through art, this encourages positive change and personal growth. The intention is not a focus on the artistic skills but the creative personal process. Through the process, the clients can become more aware of where they are at and learn to take care of their mental health and state. Art therapy also promotes self care, where you are taking the time to look inwardly at yourself and focus on you. Art therapy usually comprises of visual arts. Arts (with an ‘s’) Therapy covers more areas to include movement, dance and music within the treatment and practice. For very specialised therapies, you have music therapy, expressive arts therapy and play therapy. Most importantly, an art therapist would be needed in an art therapy session, because without the therapist it would simply just be art making. The therapist helps the client to process and make sense of the artwork and the emotions derived from the art making process and the art work. The treatment is usually built on the therapeutic relationship and alliance that is build over the art therapy sessions. Art materials supporting the art therapy session, would be in the disciplines that the art therapist is familiar with. The basic art materials to start with would be pencils and paper. More rt materials provided can allow the client to become more expressive in their art. The art materials will vary from client to client, dependent on the interventions and desired outcomes for the client. How does art therapy help? Pearl, aged eight, a quiet shy girl with low confidence, was not good at expressing herself with words and is socially awkward. She comes from a low-income family, where the brother was more favoured as he was a male child in a traditional Chinese family. After having gone through 12 sessions of art therapy, she was empowered through her expression through art, where she managed to find a voice. She began to find her sense of self, increase her confidence and come to terms with her difficult emotions. She became more vocal and now expresses herself better. She even started to join in for events and activities at the centre, made new friends and volunteered to join in a dance performance. Meanwhile, Adeline aged 13, started acting out when she went into Secondary One. She was lying, playing truant and was even caught stealing. Her mother wanted to send her to a girls’ home as her behaviour seemed to be getting out of hand. Fortunately, through art therapy sessions, she managed to build confidence in herself, find a surer footing and we all began to see her behaviour starting to improve. She needed to get settled in to the many transitions that were taking place in her life, especially at home and at her new school, where she really needed a space to properly manage her emotions. Art therapy provided her with a safe space to explore these difficult emotions and express herself through her art and words. Amanda Chen Founder – Art Therapist Amanda is a certified and experienced Art Therapist (MA-AT 2015 Masters in Art Therapy) and Arts Educator (Registered with MOE-AMIS). She is active and current in the social work scene for the past decade and has worked for many charities and social enterprises like Red Pencil, Children’s Wishing Well, Center Pottery, Habitat for Humanity Singapore and was the Former Deputy Director of Social Creatives. She currently sits on the board as Honorary Secretary of the Rare Disorders Society of Singapore. Amanda is currently an Art Therapist with the Red Pencil and manages all the projects and programs under Art for Good. Art For Good is a social enterprise which creates good through art. We help communities through art therapy, art enrichment and community art projects. Our beneficiaries are vulnerable children, those in poverty, with special needs, suffer from rare disorders & emotional / behavioural problems. Art For Good is based on a simple philosophy of using art to do good. We focus on three different levels of which we use art for good, namely Art Therapy (healing), Art Enrichment (learning) & Community Art Projects (giving). OVER-THE-RAINBOW’S WEBSITE : HTTP://OVERTHERAINBOW.SG/ OVER-THE-RAINBOW’S FACEBOOK PAGE : HTTPS://M.FACEBOOK.COM/OVERTHERAINBOW.SG/

ARTS FOR GOOD PROGRAM BY SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION  30 artists from over 10 nationalities convene in Chennai for the Arts For Good forum held by Singapore International Foundation. Arts educators, practitioners and programmers exchanged ideas and shared best practices to create positive social change through art at the Arts for Good Forum. Chennai, 22 February 2019 –  The Arts for Good Forum, an international collaboration between the Singapore International Foundation and NalandaWay Foundation, was held in Chennai today at the Stella Maris College. The forum brought together a dynamic group of educators, arts practitioners and programmers. Individuals working with the arts and youth exchanged ideas and shared best practices to create positive social change in diverse communities. An engaging panel discussion was conducted on the topic ‘Empowering Youth through the Arts’ to an audience of nearly 100 members of the public. The panel was moderated by Sriram Ayer, SIF Arts for Good (Fellow) and CEO & Founder of the award-winning NGO, Nalandaway Foundation.  He shared, “In a world that is increasingly threatened by growing nationalism, it is imperative for artists to play the role of peacemakers, connectors and negotiators. The Singapore International Foundation’s efforts to bring together a diverse group of practitioners, programmers, educators, researchers, and policymakers through the Arts for Good Fellowship programme is helping to build an ‘Arts for Good’ ecosystem that is much needed at present.” The forum marks the end of the four-day Chennai Exchange Programme of the  Arts for Good Fellowship  organised by the SIF. Over the four days, 30 SIF Arts for Good fellows from 10 nationalities only gained insights into the arts for good scene in Chennai and but also carried out several arts-based collaborative projects. One of these projects saw SIF Arts for Good Fellows from Singapore, India, and UK collaborate to create a mural in a high school in Thiruvanmiyur. They co-created the mural with over 100 students from the high school. Portraying dreams, hope, faith, and creativity, the mural was completed over two days. Another collaborative project was the infusion of a Tamil folk song with Malay dance movements for the students of a weekly Art Lab lessons conducted by the NalandaWay Foundation. Singaporean Muhammad Noramin Bin Mohamed Farid, SIF Arts for Good Fellow and Joint Artistic Director, Bhumi Collective led this effort with music educator Manjula Ponnapalli. He shared, “From my collaborative experience here in Chennai, especially as an artist working with communities which is not my own, I still found openness amongst the students to take in what we were trying to communicate and learn alongside us. This is proof that there is possibility for intercultural exchange through artistic means. Although this is a very small example, this is something which can be replicated can be seen in other ways, through other artistic exchange and collaborations.” Amanda Chen , Art Therapist from Art for Good, was proud to be one of the fellows who joined the Arts for Good Program by Singapore International Foundation 18-22 February 2019.

The Red Pencil (Singapore)  is a charity which provides art therapy to children in need, especially those from low-income families. Our founder and art therapist Amanda Chen is also an art therapist with The Red Pencil (Singapore) and has been featured in their  2018 Annual Report . An abstraction of the report as below. Since 2011, The Red Pencil (Singapore) team has been devoted to bring the benefits of arts therapy to many beneficiaries, working with partner organisations and the local art therapists’ community to achieve its objectives and mission and to raise awareness of arts therapy. The Red Pencil (Singapore) collaborated with talented musicians of the Tang Tee Khoon Grand Series on two private art and music workshops: one in May for children recovering from cancer and another in November for children with special needs and children from underprivileged backgrounds, held at the National Gallery Singapore and the Esplanade respectively. On both occasions, the children created artworks in response to the beautiful tunes performed by the musicians. The Red Pencil sponsored the art materials used in these private workshops and coordinated the presence of an art therapist as well as art therapy student volunteers from the LASALLE College of the Arts. We would like to thank all the art therapists who have worked with us for their dedication and commitment to our service users. We asked two of them to share their insights on the art therapy profession. Here is what they have to say: Healing is a process that continues beyond the art therapy session. The misconception of art therapy is that after the sessions, the client is expected to be all better or completely healed. Some improvements in the mood and behaviour are part of the healing process, but the journey of healing is often a long one. Amanda Chen on some of the common misconceptions that people often have about art therapy