Lucinda made this beautiful Diamond Dotz® butterfly and presented it to RISE Housing and Support Services in appreciation of the services she has received since being in our housing programs. When presenting her artwork to our staff, she shared with us why she made it and how doing arts and crafts helps her maintain her mental health.
Hi, my name is Lucinda. I like doing all kinds of crafts including crocheting, pearler beads, and needle point. But most of all I like doing Diamond Dotz®, which is a piece of artwork that I create using beads that I place with a pen on a color-coded plastic canvas. The plastic canvas is like Saran Wrap™ which keeps it sticky so I can attach the individual beads over the pattern on the canvas. After I am done with the whole picture, I use Modge Podge® to seal the beads together, so they don’t fall off.
I made this butterfly Diamond Dotz® picture for RISE because since being in PSAP, and before that Rain House, I have become a better person. I have overcome obstacles in my life that I could not have done alone. I worked on the butterfly artwork for three days. When it was finished, I had it framed to give to RISE as a gift to express my appreciation of the help I’ve received.
Doing crafts helps my mental health because I have always been a negative person and doing crafts gets me out of my negative moods. I’m enjoy doing crafts because when I am having a hard time, doing crafts takes my mind off of my troubles and worries or obsessing about people that have hurt me. Crafts makes me feel better because when I do them, I feel like I’ve accomplished something instead of giving up when I am feeling negative. I’m grateful to Jessica Rounds, my PSAP Counselor, who encourages me to keep making my crafts.
Previously, I made some little Diamond Dotz® art pieces that I gave to Tammy Burke and Susan Batitinger, RISE Administrative Assistants, because they are always so very nice and very helpful when I come into the RISE Main Office. I have another Diamond Dotz® project that is a bunch of flowers that has 50 different colors. This will be a challenge to complete and will keep my mind occupied.
RISE is very proud of Lucinda and grateful for her gift. Progressive Steps Apartment Program (PSAP) provides transitional housing and support services to adults with mental health diagnoses and other life challenges. And Rain House is a RISE Community Residence in Saratoga Springs that provides residential support services to adults with mental health diagnoses and other life challenges.