what an amazing world what an amazing
world to live in a place with so many
diverse dynamic people when we look at
our world map so many fascinating places
to visit to experience to explore most
importantly so many places to learn from
one another what I find personally
amazing is the human response to our
heal to our world through creativity the
way in which we all express ourselves by
the way we interact every day through
our experiences in our journey through
the world and how we express ourselves
I’d like to ask each one of you what is
it that truly inspires you what is it
today that you’re truly passionate about
but most importantly how do we each
inspire each other what tools do we have
where we are now that we can use to
effectively inspire and help one another
Theodor Geisel dr. Seuss a native of
Springfield Massachusetts dr. Seuss had
many roles he was an artist he was an
author he was a children’s book
illustrator he was a mentor he was an
innovator most importantly he was a
leader in one of his most famous books
or the places you can go dr. Seuss
describes the journey of one individual
and in that book each page is
illustrative it’s filled with landscapes
of color
patterns and in that journey the
character travels from place to place
experiencing different things he’s on an
exploration and he’s exploring these
places and he’s making personal
discoveries although the character in
his book in dr. Seuss’s book encounters
obstacles what’s exciting about all the
places you can go is that the character
overcomes those challenges and
experiences personal discoveries like
dr. Seuss I’m also a native of
Springfield Massachusetts and my story
is a 20-year journey of exploration and
discovery after being educated in
Springfield Massachusetts and then
moving to Longmeadow Massachusetts I
went to the University of Massachusetts
and earned a BFA degree there in
painting and while I was at the
University I had an opportunity to
travel to Bruges Belgium which is a 14th
century City where I was able to learn
the craft new tools graphic design and
etching and drypoint
itching and painting and along that
journey I acquired tools along the way I
visited places I had never seen or
explored before I saw beautiful
architecture I met different people I
learned of different languages
everything was different in that journey
I looked and I learned from other people
who were using other tools this woman is
working with bobbins and she’s making
lace something that Bruges Belgium is
very well known for as their lace and I
would have the opportunity to meet with
these people who lived in these
different places and learn and learn
about the tools that they use to express
themselves
now likes like dr. Seuss Seuss was an
innovator in that he was able to fully
effectively
utilize the tools that he had acquired
in his own life to enrich others to
share his own passion but to teach
others to inspire others in 2007 I had
the opportunity of going to Bangalore
India I was a graduate student at the
bay path University at the time and
going to India I told my family and
friends was truly like going to the moon
everything was different
my eyes were compelled by what I saw the
light was different the colors were
different the people were different the
food was different the fabrics were
different the way they expressed each
other express themselves were different
their creative expression was different
after his 20-year journey following my
graduate degree I worked for 20 years in
the print manufacturing industry as a
graphic designer
and I had after this traveling I had
acquired all these tools but after this
journey like the character in all the
places you can go I was approached by an
obstacle in my own life after this
journey I came home and I felt stuck I
felt completely stucked like the tools I
had acquired the toolbox that I had
owned was completely shut and it was
extremely frustrated and I asked myself
how do I open my toolbox how do I fully
utilize the tools that I’ve acquired in
this rich journey that experienced
meeting all these different people
talking with many people about their
personal journeys like Seuss I wanted to
explore that but what would it take to
open my own toolbox I’ve come to learn
there are four things that we can all
use to truly fully utilize our own tools
in our own life is one identify what
you’re passionate about what makes you
excited and fired up like you’re at a
great baseball game what gives you that
feeling inside what inspires you
identify what inspires you third
recognize the tools that you have where
you are today there’s no need to go
backwards only forwards no need to
reinvent the wheel identify the tools
that you have that you are excited about
and open that toolbox by sharing those
tools with others mentor someone teach
someone impact someone’s life give them
a sense of enrichment by fully
recognizing the tools that you have
where you are today you will be able to
fully utilize your own toolbox the last
step in this process how do we fully
empower through creative process I like
to tell people to make a mess when was
the last time you heard that
kindergarten maybe we were all told at
one point to stay within the lines
picture-perfect got to be perfect what
I’m telling everyone are sharing
everyone through my own personal
experiences let’s make a mess let’s get
excited about what we’re doing and go
outside of the lines using the tools
that we have for me personally it was
going back to really fully understand
who it was that inspired me why when and
it was through a relationship that I
have an exceptional teacher by the name
of dennou de I would meet with de new de
once a week in her basement she was a
portrait commissioned artist from from
Europe and we stayed in touch over the
years
but she would always tell me to make
sure your paint brushes are never clean
take care of your paint brushes but if
those paint brushes are perfectly new
looking no good make a mess she was
trying to tell me to get busy use the
tools that you have the things that
you’re truly fascinated and passionate
about
upon this realization of fully being
able to effectively open that toolbox I
was able to recognize what it was that
fully made me feel passionate about my
life and it was sharing art and personal
expression with others to make them feel
enriched and to empower them with
engagement through an experience of
their own where they could fully express
themselves in whatever way they chose
the the end of this is success the
outcome of this process of empowering
others fully through creativity is
success the outcome is positive why is
it positive there are three stories I
want to share with you the positive
outcome of fully sharing my tools with
others has impacted the youth in our
inner city of Springfield currently over
the past four years been working with 12
different residential programs with
youth who range from the age of latency
to 17 years old who are placed with the
state most who have no family no
structure no opportunities as you all
know art music is the first to be taken
from the community within our
educational system bringing these tools
to these students and enabling them to
be part of that process their success is
that they now are expressing themselves
and they have art exhibitions annually
where their art is on display they’re
being recognized in the community
they’re winning awards and they’re
enrich they’re interested they’re
educated one of the wings we also do
that is that bringing them down to the
quadrangle introducing them to the
Science Museum having them look through
the art museums participate look
watching them have discussions about
Picasso about Monet’s haystacks having
them discussed brushstrokes and
different artwork that’s on display
empowering these youth is a positive
thing these youth are able to express
their own voice through their own
choices by giving them a paintbrush a
pencil the opportunity to create they
are able to make decisions they are
empowered they make choices of their own
of what they choose to spend their time
doing I’d like to introduce you to
Leslie Leslie is a student of mine I’ve
been working with for four years Leslie
is an artist and a musician
she suffered a traumatic brain injury in
2006 and horseback riding accident
prior to her accident she was a
successful artists in musician following
the accident she went through several
years of recovery and now Leslie has
been brought back into the community as
a successful artist she’s painting
playing music and this is the how how do
we use the tools in my own experience by
providing a studio space that’s safe and
inviting for Leslie to interact
providing the tools the paintbrushes the
canvas the easels whether the easels are
down or they’re up there full-body
easels allowing her the opportunity to
make choices of color the success story
here is that Leslie is brought back into
the community through her own desire to
paint again and to play music again and
she now has had her own one-woman
retrospective show at a local gallery
and she’s producing artwork the process
is bringing the canvas to her that’s
comfortable so this image is depicting
Leslie interacting in the process of
starting from an original sketch and
producing an original artwork again
what inspires Leslie what makes her feel
safe and engaged what makes her feel
comfortable the process of utilizing
these tools has brought the opportunity
back to an individual within our
community to be enriched and have a
successful fulfilling life Leslie is
continuing to paint and create several
artworks as well as playing the guitar
again
and expressing interest to wanting to
learn after her experience her personal
triumph it rings out every day as she
continues to produce original artwork
I’d like to introduce you to Ellen the
outcome of sharing our tools with others
is valuable it is worth it it is
meaningful to others Ellen has suffered
three strokes she’s 88 years of age in
the past she was immobile nonverbal but
she expressed some interests in painting
she used to paint years ago she
struggled to communicate that within the
environment that she lives but now those
tools are brought to the forefront the
the length of the paintbrushes are
provided for Ellen the proximity of the
canvas is made pushed forward and
brought to lap height because she’d
can’t walk very well and she makes
choices of her own I want to make an
arrangement I have children I want to
make each one of my children a painting
that’s what I desire so when we
listening to the students need and
passion meeting that passion is the
success for that individual
allons process starts with a sketch she
makes a choice chooses objects that are
meaningful to her in this case it was a
vase that we had assembled together and
she took it all apart again she’s like
no I want that white Rose Center I said
why why Ellen do you want that white
rose Center because I am the mother I am
the center and I this is my family and
that object is personal to her it has
meaning and this process of her painting
again has brought her back into the
community as a successful artist and
she’s able to communicate with her
family her daughter shared with me
something recently that in this process
of Ellen being engaged in this painting
process mom has been brought back to us
we always knew she was inside but
through her painting she’s able to
communicate with us again you can notice
Ellen’s glasses please give me my
glasses I need them to see we need to
use our ears and our senses when we’re
working with others how do we inspire
people by listening to what is important
to the other person help me see better
help me with my glasses my message today
is that where we are each one of us we
all have different roles whether we’re a
nurse a teacher a finance economists
economists whatever role we are
currently in we all have accessible
tools to enrich others so my message is
today how do we be like a bridge and
extend that knowledge to others to
enable others to share our knowledge to
enrich other’s lives
what tools can we currently use in the
roles that we have today to bring that
to the forefront to fully help others
within our community
doing so will provide others with an
opportunity to grow
world to live in a place with so many
diverse dynamic people when we look at
our world map so many fascinating places
to visit to experience to explore most
importantly so many places to learn from
one another what I find personally
amazing is the human response to our
heal to our world through creativity the
way in which we all express ourselves by
the way we interact every day through
our experiences in our journey through
the world and how we express ourselves
I’d like to ask each one of you what is
it that truly inspires you what is it
today that you’re truly passionate about
but most importantly how do we each
inspire each other what tools do we have
where we are now that we can use to
effectively inspire and help one another
Theodor Geisel dr. Seuss a native of
Springfield Massachusetts dr. Seuss had
many roles he was an artist he was an
author he was a children’s book
illustrator he was a mentor he was an
innovator most importantly he was a
leader in one of his most famous books
or the places you can go dr. Seuss
describes the journey of one individual
and in that book each page is
illustrative it’s filled with landscapes
of color
patterns and in that journey the
character travels from place to place
experiencing different things he’s on an
exploration and he’s exploring these
places and he’s making personal
discoveries although the character in
his book in dr. Seuss’s book encounters
obstacles what’s exciting about all the
places you can go is that the character
overcomes those challenges and
experiences personal discoveries like
dr. Seuss I’m also a native of
Springfield Massachusetts and my story
is a 20-year journey of exploration and
discovery after being educated in
Springfield Massachusetts and then
moving to Longmeadow Massachusetts I
went to the University of Massachusetts
and earned a BFA degree there in
painting and while I was at the
University I had an opportunity to
travel to Bruges Belgium which is a 14th
century City where I was able to learn
the craft new tools graphic design and
etching and drypoint
itching and painting and along that
journey I acquired tools along the way I
visited places I had never seen or
explored before I saw beautiful
architecture I met different people I
learned of different languages
everything was different in that journey
I looked and I learned from other people
who were using other tools this woman is
working with bobbins and she’s making
lace something that Bruges Belgium is
very well known for as their lace and I
would have the opportunity to meet with
these people who lived in these
different places and learn and learn
about the tools that they use to express
themselves
now likes like dr. Seuss Seuss was an
innovator in that he was able to fully
effectively
utilize the tools that he had acquired
in his own life to enrich others to
share his own passion but to teach
others to inspire others in 2007 I had
the opportunity of going to Bangalore
India I was a graduate student at the
bay path University at the time and
going to India I told my family and
friends was truly like going to the moon
everything was different
my eyes were compelled by what I saw the
light was different the colors were
different the people were different the
food was different the fabrics were
different the way they expressed each
other express themselves were different
their creative expression was different
after his 20-year journey following my
graduate degree I worked for 20 years in
the print manufacturing industry as a
graphic designer
and I had after this traveling I had
acquired all these tools but after this
journey like the character in all the
places you can go I was approached by an
obstacle in my own life after this
journey I came home and I felt stuck I
felt completely stucked like the tools I
had acquired the toolbox that I had
owned was completely shut and it was
extremely frustrated and I asked myself
how do I open my toolbox how do I fully
utilize the tools that I’ve acquired in
this rich journey that experienced
meeting all these different people
talking with many people about their
personal journeys like Seuss I wanted to
explore that but what would it take to
open my own toolbox I’ve come to learn
there are four things that we can all
use to truly fully utilize our own tools
in our own life is one identify what
you’re passionate about what makes you
excited and fired up like you’re at a
great baseball game what gives you that
feeling inside what inspires you
identify what inspires you third
recognize the tools that you have where
you are today there’s no need to go
backwards only forwards no need to
reinvent the wheel identify the tools
that you have that you are excited about
and open that toolbox by sharing those
tools with others mentor someone teach
someone impact someone’s life give them
a sense of enrichment by fully
recognizing the tools that you have
where you are today you will be able to
fully utilize your own toolbox the last
step in this process how do we fully
empower through creative process I like
to tell people to make a mess when was
the last time you heard that
kindergarten maybe we were all told at
one point to stay within the lines
picture-perfect got to be perfect what
I’m telling everyone are sharing
everyone through my own personal
experiences let’s make a mess let’s get
excited about what we’re doing and go
outside of the lines using the tools
that we have for me personally it was
going back to really fully understand
who it was that inspired me why when and
it was through a relationship that I
have an exceptional teacher by the name
of dennou de I would meet with de new de
once a week in her basement she was a
portrait commissioned artist from from
Europe and we stayed in touch over the
years
but she would always tell me to make
sure your paint brushes are never clean
take care of your paint brushes but if
those paint brushes are perfectly new
looking no good make a mess she was
trying to tell me to get busy use the
tools that you have the things that
you’re truly fascinated and passionate
about
upon this realization of fully being
able to effectively open that toolbox I
was able to recognize what it was that
fully made me feel passionate about my
life and it was sharing art and personal
expression with others to make them feel
enriched and to empower them with
engagement through an experience of
their own where they could fully express
themselves in whatever way they chose
the the end of this is success the
outcome of this process of empowering
others fully through creativity is
success the outcome is positive why is
it positive there are three stories I
want to share with you the positive
outcome of fully sharing my tools with
others has impacted the youth in our
inner city of Springfield currently over
the past four years been working with 12
different residential programs with
youth who range from the age of latency
to 17 years old who are placed with the
state most who have no family no
structure no opportunities as you all
know art music is the first to be taken
from the community within our
educational system bringing these tools
to these students and enabling them to
be part of that process their success is
that they now are expressing themselves
and they have art exhibitions annually
where their art is on display they’re
being recognized in the community
they’re winning awards and they’re
enrich they’re interested they’re
educated one of the wings we also do
that is that bringing them down to the
quadrangle introducing them to the
Science Museum having them look through
the art museums participate look
watching them have discussions about
Picasso about Monet’s haystacks having
them discussed brushstrokes and
different artwork that’s on display
empowering these youth is a positive
thing these youth are able to express
their own voice through their own
choices by giving them a paintbrush a
pencil the opportunity to create they
are able to make decisions they are
empowered they make choices of their own
of what they choose to spend their time
doing I’d like to introduce you to
Leslie Leslie is a student of mine I’ve
been working with for four years Leslie
is an artist and a musician
she suffered a traumatic brain injury in
2006 and horseback riding accident
prior to her accident she was a
successful artists in musician following
the accident she went through several
years of recovery and now Leslie has
been brought back into the community as
a successful artist she’s painting
playing music and this is the how how do
we use the tools in my own experience by
providing a studio space that’s safe and
inviting for Leslie to interact
providing the tools the paintbrushes the
canvas the easels whether the easels are
down or they’re up there full-body
easels allowing her the opportunity to
make choices of color the success story
here is that Leslie is brought back into
the community through her own desire to
paint again and to play music again and
she now has had her own one-woman
retrospective show at a local gallery
and she’s producing artwork the process
is bringing the canvas to her that’s
comfortable so this image is depicting
Leslie interacting in the process of
starting from an original sketch and
producing an original artwork again
what inspires Leslie what makes her feel
safe and engaged what makes her feel
comfortable the process of utilizing
these tools has brought the opportunity
back to an individual within our
community to be enriched and have a
successful fulfilling life Leslie is
continuing to paint and create several
artworks as well as playing the guitar
again
and expressing interest to wanting to
learn after her experience her personal
triumph it rings out every day as she
continues to produce original artwork
I’d like to introduce you to Ellen the
outcome of sharing our tools with others
is valuable it is worth it it is
meaningful to others Ellen has suffered
three strokes she’s 88 years of age in
the past she was immobile nonverbal but
she expressed some interests in painting
she used to paint years ago she
struggled to communicate that within the
environment that she lives but now those
tools are brought to the forefront the
the length of the paintbrushes are
provided for Ellen the proximity of the
canvas is made pushed forward and
brought to lap height because she’d
can’t walk very well and she makes
choices of her own I want to make an
arrangement I have children I want to
make each one of my children a painting
that’s what I desire so when we
listening to the students need and
passion meeting that passion is the
success for that individual
allons process starts with a sketch she
makes a choice chooses objects that are
meaningful to her in this case it was a
vase that we had assembled together and
she took it all apart again she’s like
no I want that white Rose Center I said
why why Ellen do you want that white
rose Center because I am the mother I am
the center and I this is my family and
that object is personal to her it has
meaning and this process of her painting
again has brought her back into the
community as a successful artist and
she’s able to communicate with her
family her daughter shared with me
something recently that in this process
of Ellen being engaged in this painting
process mom has been brought back to us
we always knew she was inside but
through her painting she’s able to
communicate with us again you can notice
Ellen’s glasses please give me my
glasses I need them to see we need to
use our ears and our senses when we’re
working with others how do we inspire
people by listening to what is important
to the other person help me see better
help me with my glasses my message today
is that where we are each one of us we
all have different roles whether we’re a
nurse a teacher a finance economists
economists whatever role we are
currently in we all have accessible
tools to enrich others so my message is
today how do we be like a bridge and
extend that knowledge to others to
enable others to share our knowledge to
enrich other’s lives
what tools can we currently use in the
roles that we have today to bring that
to the forefront to fully help others
within our community
doing so will provide others with an
opportunity to grow
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