C.H. Wilson: All Hands on Art

C.H. Wilson is a Navy veteran living in Birmingham who finds healing and community while participating in InToto Creative Arts programs at his local VA.  

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hey there. This is Arts Fell on Alabama.
My name is Carol H. Wilson, and I was in the U.S. Navy. I was a boiler technician, third class.
That C.H., as he's known to his friends. He's a veteran finding joy, connection, and healing through arts programs offered by InToto Creative Arts at the VA.

(00:25):
I enjoy it because I see a lot of people that have similarities to me. So, I feel a camaraderie with the military veterans.
C.H. says he enjoys one activity in particular. It's a group game where each veteran shares a sound or emotion from their life. Then everyone repeats the sound or motion in the order they were shared.

(00:50):
Just the repetitiveness of it tells us we're not going nuts.
Movement and dance brings a different kind of joy.
Movin’ to and groovin’ to the music is a fun thing to do.
But C.H. says it's been the creative writing workshops that have helped him process his experiences the most.

(01:13):
Getting more deep into personal relationships and how I survived things that could have broken me but only made me stronger has enlightened me somewhat. And also listening to the stories and people here who do creative writing is inspirational to me. It's very cathartic to bring hidden thoughts out into the open that are almost like a festering cancer.

(01:41):
C.H. says the arts are essential to veterans and their healing.
Because of being in the military and because of war, that's why we're here. To try to get healing. It's like a band of brothers and sisters.
I'm Audrey Atkins. Thanks for listening.