The Arts Of War by Mike Hawley
Art and War are
entwined in a dark embrace. The Veterans
Art Foundation helped save my life. I
was a danger to myself, not in the same way as an Al Qaeda taking pop shots at
my head, but a suicide risk. When
shadows overcame me, I’d sink to thoughts of suicide. I returned home from war broken and
shiftless, unable to cope with PTSD, ending up getting fired from jobs and
destroyed relationships.
I helped form
the Veterans Art Foundation (VAF) during group therapy for Iraq and Afghanistan
vets with PTSD at the Hartford Vet Center.
Each of us brought our own artistic styles to the board; writing,
photography, graphic design, and filmmaking. The VAF blossomed from a pipe
dream into reality over the next five years, with gallery showings, recruitment
of dozens of artists, providing art therapy and outreach for returning veterans
and family members.
The VAF and I
share the same view: Art is everywhere, everyone has a talent or passion, and
it’s not limited to just drawing, painting, photography, writing and
sculpture. The VAF also includes dance,
music, martial arts, and meditation.
As our program
expanded, so did I. I began writing
novels, screenplays, and a memoir, all the while running around Connecticut and
Long Island with any camera I could get my hands on, creating adventure where
there was none, exploring my inner self and the world around me. The Veterans
Art Foundation has helped irrevocably changed me and I cannot see a life
without art.
Art saves
Veterans lives.
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