Fused with Purpose: Finding Your Ikigai Through Glass Art (and Paws!)
Here at Genuine Healthcare – in collaboration with Zen Den Northwest and NeuroStride Foundation, we're always exploring innovative ways to support your journey towards well-being, creativity, and self-discovery. We believe therapy can be a vibrant, creative, and even beautiful experience. That's why we recently embarked on a truly special adventure: a Glass Art Experience!
Imagine a table laden with shimmering fragments of glass, each piece holding the promise of transformation. That's exactly what our clients and team members encountered during our recent glass fusion session. Under the gentle guidance of instructors, participants learned to select, arrange, and fuse these individual pieces into stunning works of art.
And who better to offer profound insights into this process than our beloved therapy dog, Eevee? With her characteristic wisdom and warmth, Eevee shared her unique perspective on the power of glass fusion, drawing a beautiful parallel to the Japanese concept of Ikigai:
"Glass fusion takes raw, fragile pieces and transforms them through heat and pressure into something strong and beautiful — just as ikigai is about transforming the fragments of your passions, skills, needs, and opportunities into a unified purpose. Both require patience, vision, and alignment, revealing beauty and meaning when all the elements come together."
Eevee's words truly resonated with everyone. The process of creating glass art mirrors so much of what we strive for in therapy: taking disparate parts of ourselves, understanding their individual qualities, and then, with intention and care, bringing them together to form a cohesive, meaningful whole.
During our Glass Art Expression time at Genuine Healthcare, we saw firsthand how this creative outlet fostered:
Patience: Waiting for the kiln to do its work, trusting the process of transformation.
Vision: Imagining the final piece, seeing potential in individual fragments.
Alignment: Carefully arranging pieces, ensuring they fit together harmoniously.
Self-Expression: Each piece created was unique, a direct reflection of the individual's inner world.
Mindfulness: The focused act of working with glass, drawing attention to the present moment.
The joy and sense of accomplishment on everyone's faces as they unveiled their finished pieces were truly heartwarming. These beautiful creations serve not just as lovely decor, but as tangible reminders of personal growth, resilience, and the power of bringing fragments together to create something truly extraordinary.
We believe that activities like our Glass Art Experience are vital in showing that therapy isn't always about traditional conversations. Sometimes, the most profound insights come from engaging our hands, our creativity, and our inner vision, especially when guided by the quiet wisdom of a furry friend like Eevee.
Stay tuned for more innovative and engaging experiences at Genuine Healthcare as we continue to explore new paths to well-being and finding your unique Ikigai!