Mental Health and Creativity: The Healing Power of Art and Song

Tyler Rey Garett Chavez

Ohkay Owingeh – the Place of the Strong People. ohkay.org.

Pueblo de Cochiti. “Front Page - Pueblo De Cochiti.” Pueblo De Cochiti, 12 Aug. 2025, cochiti.org.

Entire Screen - Screencastify - April 20, 2026 1_43 PM.webm

Research log 1: Identity

" And Then I Went to School"

By: Joe Suina

“St. Catherine’s Industrial Indian School — Historic Santa Fe Foundation.” Historic Santa Fe Foundation, www.historicsantafe.org/saint-catherines-industrial-indian-school.

Joe suina is from Cochiti Pueblo. Joe Suina was raised by his grandmother. From when he was 5 years old he grew up accostomed to his trational and cultural ways. When Joe Suina turned 6 he was sent to school not knowing the ways of the white man. through the years joe suina sufferd through the harsh conditions of school as a native student. As the years went by Joe Suina then slowly acostomed to the whitemans ways, forgeting some of the values of his family and his people and what they ment and what they mean. When he returend home all the values and teachings Joe learnd came back to him. As soon as he was once again acostomed to his native culture shcool came as fast as he returned. Sad as he was he had no choice but to return leaving his home heartbroken sheding a tear at the end.

"Suina, Joe (1985). And Then I Went to School: Memories of a Pueblo Childhood. New Mexico Journal of Reading. 5(2)"

"Sharing One Skin: Okanagan Comunity"

By: Jeannette Armstrong

The text "sharing One Skin" starts off with the introductuiom of Jeanette Armstrong and she explains how she grew up in the Okanagan community. she explains what lessons she was taugh and where her journy started. She then explains the different aspects of tlife with in the Okanagan community and what they mean to her and to the Okanagan people. It dives into the community and who the people stad for and who they are as a whole. Jeannette explains that she is a strong woman and she will not be stoped by the harmful and hurtful acts that humans cause. She wants to give the confidence to those who are native american to stand up and be strong.

"Armstrong, Jeanette. 1996 "sharing One Skin: The Okanangan Community Pp. 460-470 in Jerry Mander and Edward Gold Smith (eds), the case against the global economy, San Fransisco, CA: Seierra Club Books."

Bluesky, Kytie. Personal Photo. SFIS Celebration Of the Arts. April 4, 2025

"How Place Names Impact the Way We See LandScape"

By: Oyster B. Toastie

Chavez, Tyler. Personal Photo. In the backyard. The Garden. August 16th, 2025

Many sacred landscapes and cites have different aspects. These aspects usually connets to different communities and to different people. It takes over the minds of people healing them. The main cause of the destruction of these aspects is colonization. Colonization has effected how names and significance is made and places today have no significance no meaning. Many Places have a story behind the area. It tell who people are and who the disendants and ancestors are of different communities.

Oyster B. ‘Toastie’ “How Place Names Impact the Way We See Land Scape.” High Country News, 24 Jan. 2024

Research log 2: History

Becerra, Angélica, et al. “Artists Who Expand Views of the Southwest.” National Gallery of Art, 17 Nov. 2025, www.nga.gov/stories/articles/artists-who-expand-views-southwest.

"The Healing Powers of Music"

By: Chris Peirce

Chris Peirce talks about his life time and how music has impacted him. To Him music was open arms, his mind opener. It was his opportunity and he grasped it.Through the dark times he kept going not letting his condition stop his. He had a hearing condition that made it hard for him making it seem like the end of his future career. He received letters from many different people that had a lot of perspective on his music. Most called it medicine that healed them. Chris Peice ends with words of encourage saying, " thats all people needed to be happy. perseverance."

---. “The Healing Powers of Music: Chris Pierce at TEDxAmericanRiviera 2012.” YouTube, 3 Jan. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvIcwrd4FaI.

Native American Trading Company. www.nativeamericantradingco.com/gallery/pueblopottery.html.

"The Healing Powers of Art"

By: Domingo Zapata

This video compairs the speaker and to those who are within the audience. Art is separated into category's physical and non-physical. By painting Domingo Zapata has created a world only he lies his mind in. It helps him reflect on how he can be happier in life. He tells the viewers that facing fears and conquering challenges can help you be a better person. "the artist who is inside of you is the person you create."

History

Their music often matched work, including grinding corn. Corn was central to Pueblo life and is mentioned many times in their songs. Their music also had a spiritual side, said to bring prosperity.

The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé's Rebellion or Popay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger than present-day New Mexico.

Pottery has been used for religious rituals and has represented resilience among the Pueblo people as they were impacted by imperialism. While the style of Pueblo Pottery has changed, the creation process has very much stayed the same throughout hundreds of years, even with modernization.

Research Log 3: Current Events

"Native HeARTs"

The Native HeARTS program was structured through a series of sessions where participants engaged in activities that were centered on artistic creation. Cultural learning, and personal storytelling. The youth participants were introduced to values, indigenous traditions, and community knowledge. This fosters a deeper connection to cultural identity. The center component of the intervention program was digital storytelling, and this is where participants reflected on personal experiences and translated them into multimedia narratives. This process encouraged self expression, cultural reflection and the development of a sense of identity. The art based activities provided a means for participants to communicate and explore emotions through a culturally meaningful context. The program had group discussions and collaborative activities which further supported a sense of community and peer connection.

Bluesky, Leonard. Personal Photo. SFIS celebration of the arts. April 4, 2025.

"The Transformative Power of Music in Mental Well-Being"

The authors analyzed two types of "arts" , those being visual and music as research tools. They first described how some researchers have incorporated art into their studies, using it primarily as a tool for communication. Next, the authors explained why they chose to focus specifically on music. They stated that music is an effective means of communicating, as well as being enjoyable and engaging. In addition, the authors believed that since most people enjoy listening to music and participating in musical activity, making music would be a fun way for study participants to contribute to the research.

The Transformative Power of Music in Mental Well-Being. www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/power-of-music-in-mental-well-being.

Research Log 4: Global Connections

Creative Arts: Enhancing Mental Health and Well-being. www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/creative-arts-enhancing-mental-health.

“Creative Arts: Enhancing Mental Health"

The article “Creative Arts: Enhancing Mental Health and Well-being” by the American Psychiatric Association is a case study into four groups of improving mental health and well-being. In doing so, they conducted work with individuals who reside by themselves in rural areas. People had dementia, even teenagers and pregnant women, in Scotland. Researchers found that art and music showed positive changes. For teens, it was a 10-month school period where they were given tools with no instruction provided by a therapist. Over time, the participants were not asked to share if they did not want to, but with time, they became more comfortable. These teens, over time, learned to effectively manage their social anxiety and developed a better understanding of their identity. There was the same outcome for individuals who lived by themselves. Pregnant women had a better result through music and song; this showed improvement with postpartum and overall pregnancy term. The women were allowed to choose the music they listened to, to see what kind of music was effective and what showed the best results. Overall, the participants felt this was a good and healthy escape with no judgment. Art and music are safe spaces for those who may not know how to handle their emotions, which is not an easy task.

Creative Arts: Enhancing Mental Health and Well-being. www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/creative-arts-enhancing-mental-health.

Chavez, Tyler. Personal Photo. Late night art. March 26, 2026

"Transformarive Power of Music in Mental Well-Being

The article “Transformative Power of Music in Mental Well-Being” by the American Psychiatric Association talks about how music ties to one's mental well-being and how mood regulation is a main piece in how one makes another feel. Research has shown that the mood that one is feeling can affect another person's mood. Social Behavior is also a big part of mental health, and researchers found that music boosted social behavior. Music also helps people with identity and magnifies who a person is. Not just who they are but where they come from. Music is a sense of comfort that shapes a person into who they are and what they like to do.

The Transformative Power of Music in Mental Well-Being. www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/power-of-music-in-mental-well-being.

dotART. “Are you an artist, an organization, or an individual with a story to tell about the healing power of art?...” LinkedIn, 22 Mar. 2024, www.linkedin.com/posts/art-domains_production-announcement-the-healing-powers-activity-7177018597909676033-IOMn.

"The Healing Powers Of Art"

The documentary “The Healing Powers of Art” by the DotART YouTube channel has three components: first, the art teacher, second, the art therapist director, and third, the ELM Foundation. Sone-seeré Burrell, a university art therapist professor in southwest D.C., noticed some of the students were experiencing trauma at George Washington University. Most of the trauma originated from gun violence. So what she did was turn her Lecture room into a hub where students were able to access supplies such as paint, brushes, paper, etc. What most students did was go there just to be there and relax. Some would listen to music, and others would just generally be there. What the professor found was that her hub was a sort of healing place for these students. So, thinking about what this professor did for her students, what were other alternatives for a different setting? Heidi Bartolot is the director of the George Washington Art Therapy Program. This program offers counseling, but the catch is that they specialise in counseling without using words. Some may think that therapy without words is impossible. Believe it or not, most do not know how to express feelings with words. So using shapes, color, and patterns can define how a person feels or what they are experiencing. Trauma plays a major role in some

DotART. “The Healing Powers of Art | OFFICIAL DOCUMENTARY #Art #Mentalhealth #Documentary.” YouTube, 23 Sept. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM0aPb8gNO4.

Pino, Tasha. Personal Photo. Tyler Chavez Action Plan 1. November 14, 2025.

Action Plan 1: "Beads, Shells, and Hearts"

My action plan took place on Friday, November 14, 2025, in Tasha Pino's 3rd-period class. My goal was to look into a smaller group of people I didn’t fully know, and at the time, I was just getting to know the people in my class. I wanted to know how I can help the people from outside of both Ohkay Owingeh and Cochiti Pueblo. At first, it was a little tough to get started, but in the end, we were able to make it happen. In attendance were Jalen Martinez, Ethan Harjo, Makenna Littlehoop, Jailana Valencia, and Matthew Chavez. Jalen Martinez was the only person I knew who helped me get out of my comfort zone. What I had my classmates do was make bow guards and earrings. When they felt comfortable working on their own, I was asked by Tasha Pino to share my experiences with mental health problems, which allowed me to engage with my classmates and also allowed me to make a closer connection with them. At the end, I asked the group what they thought about it. Most said it was quiet, peaceful, and confusing. I explained to them that all they described was a part of thinking, and thinking has to do with the mind, which connects to your mental well-being.

Chavez, Tyler. Personal Photo. Action Plan 2. March 10, 2026

Action Plan 2: Storytelling

For my second action plan on March 10, 2026, around 5:00 pm, I took three of my siblings, Zach Chavez, Lyle Garcia, and Avery Garcia, to a place just outside of Ohkay Owingeh called Prairie Dog cruise. On the drive there, we listened to traditional music and just talked about the day and how they were doing. When we got there, I drove us to a more secluded area where there weren’t very many people, because it is somewhat of a public area and I told them a story. The story was about a hummingbird and how it kept the people alive during a time when the people started forgetting everything they were taught as indigenous people. Before I started the story, I had my siblings take a deep breath in and out so as to clear their minds from anything that bothered them from the day prior or anything they were feeling at that time. After a small

Page updated

Report abuse