I was always looking for safe spaces in the world. From these safe spaces, you can be yourself and explore your creativity. One of those safe spaces was Goddard College, where I earned my MFA. It was a place of inclusivity that eased my PTSD and allowed me to learn and create without having to hide parts of myself. It was a place where I could work one on one with trained professionals who understood the creative process. It was a space where I felt connected and seen.

 

    Unfortunately, like many alternative art schools in the US, Goddard is now closed, but I wanted to bring this mode of learning, of creating, and using the safe space model back to those who would find solace in learning and growing in this way. Being seen, understood, and celebrated for exactly who you are should be the norm, but it isn’t. Being in a safe space where your vulnerabilities (learning disorders, PTSD, to name but a few) are understood through a lens of healing, where our experiences of being vulnerable can be understood and turned into art that relates to others, is a place that I am dedicated to creating.

 

    Publishing crucial works that demonstrate the human struggle, and celebrate the journey of healing creates more safe spaces for others to accept themselves, and know that they are not alone. It’s important that society recognizes that trauma, struggling, learning, and growing are all a part of the human experience—and each of these topics when explored through creativity is worthy of being published, and in turn will change the way we see the world and each other.

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Rebecca Ferreira Troy

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​The Feminine Reinvention of Power excerpt from Healing & Witchcraft in a Conformist world

By The Merry Way Witch