Inspired by Amanda Gordon, I will "step into the past", and heal through art

From Jordan, Sahab; seeking Undergraduate degree in Art Therapy and is enrolled at Springfield College.  

I am a Jordanian of Palestinian descent. I live in Saudi Arabia.

I have a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of Jordan and want to pursue an MA in Art Therapy. I have a tentative admission to Springfield College.

My parents started an education fund for me. I added my 4 years saving bringing the balance to $25K USD. I am still $9700 USD short. Without proof of full funding I can’t obtain a US student visa.

My parents gave us the freedom to experiment with new ideas.

My mother once invited a friend who majored in art therapy to our home.

She gave us a drawing of a human body outline and asked us to color it. My 8-year-old brother painted the neck and arm in black.

My mom's friend told her that my brother is suffocating under pressure.

This in-home experiment was one of my earliest introductions to art. I majored in art with a minor in printmaking.

I realized that I use art as my own therapy. I decided to use it to help others.

At age 13, we were asked to observe our surroundings in class. My classmates gazed intensely at inanimate objects, whereas I looked at people's faces and their body language. I wanted to figure out what they were thinking, how their emotions changed, and what I could glean from their facial expressions.

I had a keen desire to share people’s happiness or alleviate their suffering.

Like my father, I was a giver. We never expect anything in return.

Thanks to him, helping others became my life goal.

I hope to succeed in my mission with your help.

Why Would Donors Fund You?

As a Palestinian woman who helps the community in a man dominated world, I can give people a chance to express themselves safely. Unlike medication, art therapy doesn’t have harmful side effects, it treats the person, and isn’t just used for a temporary high.

Funding me would be beneficial to both me and the community. I believe that I was brought to this life to help others in need. This motto is engraved in my mind. It continues to motivate me to give my best and achieve the goals that I have set for myself. When I gain the knowledge and experience I need, I can make sure my goals are met.

I am ambitious and optimistic; nothing can stop me from achieving my goals. I waited for my school to offer a scholarship to continue my study abroad and it didn't happen, but within these three years, I learned a lot and worked hard on myself. I will always move forward.

Investing in me will empower many people. Our region continues to be plagued by conflicts and trauma. I really feel the need for many outlets for our disappointments and feeling of powerlessness. Art therapy will definitely help us create more harmonious communities.

How Do You Plan to Payback?

• Establish a professional clinic in art , music and drama therapy therapy. My main priority would be for the kids, who have gone through hard times like refugees or have changed mentally due to the pandemic. Art therapy will be their nonverbal outlet to their emotions that’ll also give them the right building blocks in life for a sufficient, stable life. By helping people I’ll be able to help myself to becoming a better, stronger person.
• Upon graduating, I plan to develop a mobile application for all mental disorders in various languages and how to acknowledge and treat them properly
• Give people of different ages a chance to express themselves through a safe medium.
• Raise awareness about the need for art in every day lives.
• Starting a YouTube channel to explain art therapy and raise awareness about mental disorders to arrive at a better understand and treat these ailments. I intend to make videos to present the world through the eye of people suffering mental disorders.

Volunteer Work/Social Capital

• I volunteered to paint murals in Jordan to make it more vibrant.
• I joined Mojadidoun, to help poor families and provide them with basic needs for life.
• My graduation project was entitled The White Path. I worked with visually impaired people at the King Academy School for the Blind. Students used their sense of touch to feel artwork that we made together. I later on manipulated the works and turned them into a blind prince to enable them to perceive the works they produced.
• Also I have taught printmaking at the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts and Ruwwad al-Tanmiya, an NGO .
• Currently I am a part of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) volunteering group on mental illness.
• I just gave a webinar on meditation and stress relief to my peers on VIP.fund. I have https://www.edseed.me/2021/01/22/clear-your-mind/

What Have You Done to Improve Yourself? Awards and Achievements

• Joined Jumna's Al-Jaberi zoom meetings where I am continually learning how to actually listen to someone and the first person I am listening to is myself.
• Started to take psychology classes at The University of Jordan as a pre-requirement for my graduate school.
• Took the IELTS exam three times just to be an eligible candidate for graduate school. It wasn't easy for me to fail so many times, but perseverance paid off.
• Joined a group on Facebook for Dr. Juman Al-Bukhari where local Jordanians are communicating with Jordan-American citizens to boost my English skills.
• I participate in any art exhibition to express my thoughts, feelings, and share my creativity.
• Attended conferences by Khaldoun Hizajin called “Hiwar Art Club” at Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, that gave me sufficient insight about contemporary art in general and how art has changed over the years.
• I took a class for creative writing to overcome my sense of inadequacy in expressing myself through writing.
• I seek to be challenged outside my comfort zone by meeting and engaging new people.
• I educate myself about mental disorders by reading and watching documentaries.

Awards:

• Workshop for producing short films in the Danish refugee council where I won the first place with my team.
• Third place in a competition "Empathy and Crafts in 21th Century"
• Publishing my photography in a Japanese magazine which is interested in female, sexuality's and beauty"