The artistic giant Anni Albers (1899 \u2013 1994) turned to textile art as her second choice of career; options were especially limited as a woman. I was gorgeously stirred by an exhibition of her work at the Tate Modern in London, not least because her approach has kinship to the therapy world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, she treated textiles as if people; valuing them in their own right, not just for what purpose they may serve (in the home, for example). This supports a recent discussion I had with a coaching colleague: where there is an organisation sponsoring the work, it is useful to treat the organisation as a person too, worthy of inherent respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secondly, there is both punchy abstract and order in Anni\u2019s work. I can relate to this: I believe that people cannot be split into parts, so I meander and weave with my clients. In this process, powerful connections \u2013 and sense, i.e. order, emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, watching the painstaking physical process of weaving screamed \u2018discipline\u2019 to me. Discipline is my best friend at work: it keeps my curiosity legit (for example, reminding me to check intention behind any questions). It also keeps my responses bona fide in terms of theory: I often go to supervision and and discuss how my response to a client fits with theory. Spontaneity certainly has its place alongside discipline though, when it evolves from robust competence and ethic. It may be that I don\u2019t make the conscious link to theory\/ethics when sat with a client; but audit myself retrospectively during supervision. With clients who have been coming to see me for a while, being disciplined feels all the more pertinent. The familiarity of a relationship can feel like fertile ground for unhelpful responses to pop out if my beady eyes (and ears) are not alert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Beady\u2019 \u2013 is that a good link back to Anni and her textiles? Thanks to this inspiring woman, I see the raving beauty and robustness of the therapeutic endeavour that bit more clearly.\u00a0
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