the short & the long
About
Welcome to First Edition Creations! My name is Courtney Bennett, the designer and creator of the work and products of First Edition Creations LLC . The focus of my work is to create art for my personal mindfulness, grounding, and of course creative expression. My art has led me on a journey to sharing these creative expressions and hope others can enjoy these pieces as much as I enjoyed creating them. The short and the long versions of my journey are here for you to learn more about me. The further you read the more details you will get!
The Short Version
My journey as an artist started from a young age of just loving to create anything and everything. As I got older I knew I always wanted a career that would involve making art, so through school I pursued this path. I am currently a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor working with Veterans. I work with art materials everyday helping others find their creative process for healing. In my own time I continue creating my own work as an outlet for self-care. I have always dreamt of sharing my work with others and I have finally taken the leap to make it a reality!
Art Therapy
Some might not realize that as an Art Therapist we are clinically trained in mental health, just like traditional talk therapists, but with the added knowledge and understanding of utilizing art processes. Verbalizing emotions, feelings, difficult experiences, and memories is hard and art provides the expressive process to bring understanding to these difficult areas of our lives. The focus is on the process and not on the product. In the moment being able to externalize and visualize in hopes of gaining insight and new perspective.
Finding My Path
In undergrad I jumped majors from Studio Art, to Art Education. I was so close to finishing my degree and completing my student teaching hours. It was during this time I had a bit of an epiphany. During an art class with children 5-6 years old, they were asked to draw an emotion. In my mind I thought "They will be happy smiling faces, they are so young and carefree." What was actually drawn were sad, crying, and angry faces. Then that was it, art project done. I was left a bit stunned that these children just expressed so much, but not supported to work further through these emotions. It was after this that I once again switched majors when I discovered the career of an Art Therapist. I switched around my classes so that I could meet all of the prerequisites to apply to a graduate Masters of Arts, Art Therapy program.
The In Between
There is a lot that has happened between graduate school till now, which has landed me in the present, so I will do my best to keep it to the highlights. I married my husband, Stephen, in June 2014. We met while I was in grad school and he was in the US Army. We have three beautiful children Aiden, Finn, and Fallon. I can't leave out the fur babies, we have two dogs Rocky and Luna, and one cat, Mr. Canasta.
My career as an Art Therapist and LPC has allowed me to work with various populations, that has allowed me to gain an immense amount of knowledge, experiences, and opportunities. I have ran an Expressive Therapies Day Program for cognitive impairments, In-Home Counseling for Bi-Polar & Schizophrenia, Substance Use with Active Duty Military, and Private Practice. Presently I work with Veterans in Acute Psych Mental Health, Substance Use, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Short & Long Term Care.
The Dream
I don't speak for all artists when I share this. As an artist my biggest dream and goal was to get to a point where I could sell my work. Yes, it is great that with this dream I can hopefully supply additional income to my family, but that isn't the main reasoning. Sharing my work with others who have an appreciation for the creativity is what really drives me. I have always shared my work with others. Many instances, I work alongside a Veteran. At times they would be excited by the piece and because they were there witnessing the process I would give it to them. The genuine appreciation of receiving the art, knowing that their home will now have a part of my expression is an amazing honor. I hope that my work inspires others to the possibilities in their own creativity.
