For more information on Bowen Family Systems:
https://thebowencenter.org/theory/eight-concepts/
Fashion & Art Student Admission Tips
Some tips for fashion and art students applying to schools:
1) Research your school to see the type of program it is: conceptual, trade, skill-focused, business school?
2) Develop your math skills. If fashion, there will be measurements and scaled models to reference through your career. Practice converting fractions, measurements, and decimals. If necessary, have a tutor, or learn how you best learn math.
3) Writing skills. Read! Practice! Use the dictionary! Language skills are part of your branding, the first thing people think of when reading your mission statement.
4) Networking: This also wasn't taught to me in psychology. People don't know your brand or services if they haven't met you, or if you haven't put yourself out there. Figure out comfortable, yet achievable ways to reach people in your industry. Build relationships. The referrals will come. People want to know what you offer and who you are first.
5) Email & Etiquette: A well-written email and thank yous go a long way in a sea of people who aren't grateful for connections. Stand out with that extra five minutes.
6) Learn how to sew. In fashion merchandising, there are components for knowing how to sew to a degree. Even if you don't plan to make large garments, or sew in the future, knowing this process helps you understand how to expand your vocabulary and collaborate with those who will be sewing. It will help in the future as a business leader.
www.organizedmesses.com
organizedmesses@gmail.com
Benefits of Journaling
The Artist's Way: https://amzn.to/2xSuhLg
The Benefits of Journaling: https://bit.ly/2MpSJWX
CBT Cognitive Triangles & Journaling: https://bit.ly/2tFoaoc
Video Games & Failure to Launch
I will write a blog post about this later. For now, please listen to some thoughts related to sharing perspective on Video Games & Failure to Launch, some book recommendations, and ways to help your gamer identify and use skills in games to real life.
Book Recommendations:
- Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal
- Super Better by Jane McGonigal
Things to Consider:
- Thinking about the reasons for why someone would play...
- Has it always been this way? If not, what changed?
- How are games being used by the gamer?
- Is it ann escape, or a way to develop some skills?
- What kinds of skills is this gamer learning from the game?
- Is it a social game where connection is being offered?
- Is it a way to test reality to channel energy or try on a different hat?
- How can we identify the positive and negative skills or coping strategies used in games?
www.organizedmesses.com
Important of Language & Literacy for Young Children
Some ways language and literacy can help children:
- Emotional regulation: Some children may bite or hit when they're frustrated or emotional. They are having a hard time asking for what they need, or telling us something. Adults can help develop language or identifying the emotions a child is going through to reduce biting or hitting behaviors.
- Teaching certain words that are related to a child's experience. A child is always looking around and seeing new objects
- "Name it to tame it." Labeling emotions can reduce neural firing or emotionality in our brains. When we identify emotions ourselves or for children, we help develop a child's emotional vocabulary as well as help a child feel understood.
- Labeling two emotions to a situation. It can help a child understand that sometimes we will feel conflicting emotions at the same time.
- Empathy: Hearing stories or looking at facial cues can help a child connect with others. When the verbal language isn't there, looking at facial cues and body signs can help a child connect with others. "Mommy or Daddy said to do this when someone is (emotion), etc."
- For the long-term, language and literacy can help a child increase confidence in learning. There's social comparisons and pressures to do well, but it can be noticeable when a child can't read as well as their peers. It affects performance in class and willingness to try again. Struggles with reading can lead to arguments at home to practice. So, practice early on! Pair positive experiences with attempts to read (story time at bedtime), even looking through picture books.
- Learn vocabulary words just for fun! Families are busy, so try whenever you have a few minutes. You can have words ready during bath time, a word or two during dinner, have books around the house so they're readily available.
www.organizedmesses.com
Some Ways to Promote Literacy at Home
- Have a library. Space can be limited, so a family can always"
- Visit the local library. This can be a family tradition or ritual that a child can look back on to have positive emotions paired with reading.
- Used bookstores or estate sales: readers with large collections can sometimes donate huge lots for a cheaper price.
- Many local libraries that get an overflow of book donations have a "Buck a Bag" deal where you pay $1 for an entire bag of books.
- Newspapers or magazines: model using these for reading, read out loud sometimes to expose your child to reading and new words.
- Sight words: Words that don't follow spelling rules, and need to be memorized by learners. It can be an option to print or write labels or sight words and place them around the house to prime the brain for seeing words as objects or concepts.
- Diverse Languages: music, math, different languages in the form of text can help increase a child's awareness of different types of symbols and differentiating them.
- Singing songs: YouTube playlists can promote language in a fun and rhythmic way. If a child likes a certain song, printing lyrics out can also help them learn a few words here and there.
- Different cultures: People who speak with different accents or languages can help a child learn how to pronounce or read by making educated guesses based on their life experience and words or sentences they've heard.
- Reading to Children: Reading the and hearing the word is very different. When children have a favorite book, they start memorizing certain parts, sometimes the entire book! This can increase confidence to read, and give children a sense of mastery.
- Prewriting: Allow children to develop fine-motor skills by scribbling with pencils, crayons, and color pencils. Let them try and focus more on the attempts, instead of being "correct." Children will need time and encouragement to get their letters right. Make it a positive experience.
- Allow children to curate their own library. This can give children a chance to practice being responsible, a sense of ownership, and an opportunity to choose their own things to read.
Talking to Young Children About Their Art
Sometimes the way we talk about a young child's art can affect their self-concept, or abilities to try again. Some ways to talk to a child that is objective, and can help encourage a child to continue creating.
- "This doesn't look like (object)." Children's fine motor skills are developing. Things will not look perfect. Practice is important. To the child, the drawing might clearly look like a giraffe. Telling a child it doesn't look like one might be discouraging.
- Identifying colors used. This can help a child be more aware of what they used.
- Identify lines or shapes of lines used. This can help a child develop language and a greater awareness of their process.
- The lines can also be used to pair with emotions or their needs to express emotions through art. Adults can talk about how the art makes them feel, or the emotion they think the child is expressing. A child can always correct the adult with the emotion they wanted to express, or if they didn't have any emotion while creating.
- Acknowledge the art. Sometimes a child only needs you to look, and they go back to creating.
- "Tell me about it." "Tell me about this part." Something to try once in a while where you can see a child is very engaged or invested in their art. This can help solidify the experience of creating and their positive self-concept with an adult's attention and questions.
- Child asked, "Do you like it?" turning the question back to , "Do you like it?" Some children learn to become people pleasers and equate their identity with creating things other people like. This might limit their abilities to explore or create on their own. It's great that children can create for others, but in general, it's also important for children to have the time to make things for the sake of creating and without judgment.
Boonie Sripom, MA Coaching for artists, geeks, and gamers. www.organizedmesses.com
Young & Gifted: Starting Projects & Finishing Them
Thoughts on the pressures to be perfect and have perfect accomplishments because of the labels and expectations people or gifted individuals may have for themselves.
I am not an expert on giftedness, but I like sharing thoughts related to personal experience, stories I hear, or people I've come across. If you're looking for a therapist, SENG might have the right professional for you to work with. I offer coaching for young gifted people who have an affinity for technology, specifically video games. I hope to offer topics to explore or affirmations of the gifted individual's struggles.
Young & Gifted: Organizing Scattered Thoughts
Being young and gifted can be an overwhelming experience. Having all these thoughts and potential projects can overwhelm you and your parents, too! Find a way to organize your thoughts, either writing them down, or filing them on the computer. If there's a difficult time writing, use a voice recorder or voice-to-text options on a device.
