childhood trauma – BZTAT STUDIOS LLC

“Visualizing Peace: A Work in Progress” Mural by BZTAT and Friends

Our world is full of images that bombard us with visualizations of violence, chaos and war. They come at us with a ferocity that cannot be ignored, demanding our attention and overwhelming our senses. Envisioning peace, however, is nuanced and subtle. Visualizations of peace do not clamor for our attention, rather, they require contemplation and deep reflection to be understood.

The paradoxical relationship between peace and conflict has intrigued me for years. When Molly Merryman, Ph.D., associate professor at Kent State University’s School of Peace and Conflict Studies (SPCS), invited me to collaborate on a project exploring this very topic, I jumped at the opportunity. I proposed a multi-tiered collaboration, inviting a group of high school students who regularly visited my studio through a grant from Art Possible Ohio, to join with Masters level students at SPCS, in creating a mural.

These high school students are far from ordinary. Confronted with a range of learning and behavioral challenges, they have faced life experiences many others have not—marked by trauma and conflict. For them, navigating peaceful conflict resolution is a daily effort, one that has made them thoughtful, resilient, and insightful. They wrestle with profound questions and offer perspectives that are both powerful and deeply personal. The SPCS students shared a similar depth of experience. Coming from African countries shaped by war, political unrest, and trauma, they, too, understood conflict intimately. Yet through this project, all the students came together as equals—united by a shared pursuit of peace and a collective vision brought to life through the mural.

Beginning in October 2024, we studied how artists throughout history have depicted peace and conflict. We explored how peace can be visually elevated amid chaos, using color, light, and texture to create contrast and subtlety. We drew, painted, told stories, and learned from one another. By the end of April 2025, the mural was complete.

Leading this group journey has challenged and inspired me. At times, the idea of peace felt naive, considering the turbulent changes facing our country as we endeavored through this process. This project has reaffirmed the importance of peacebuilding, however, showing that, through creativity and collaboration, peace is both possible and powerful, as a perpetual work in progress.

Special notes of interest:

Dove – Pays homage to Picasso’s “Dove of Peace” which was chosen as the emblem for the First International Peace Conference in Paris in 1949, and also, in contrast, to the artist’s moving anti-war painting, “Guernica”. The dove is both luminous and somewhat transparent, arising over the words “Chaos” and “Peace.”

Boat– Represents the collaborative journey of students, working to overcome obstacles and challenges in the pursuit of peace.

“4 dead in Ohio”– Commemorates the May 4, 1970 tragedy that inspired the legacy of the KSU School of Peace and Conflict Studies, reflecting on the iconic image of the tragedy and the musical lyrics by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Student reading a book – Represents the meeting of students from different backgrounds learning together, showing that peace education is an important, ongoing process.

Vines, leaves and grass – Illustrates how growth continues despite destructive forces in the world, overcoming tragedy and restoring peace.
Houses and buildings in background – Represents community and safe places to call home.

Sun and sky – Represents the dawn of a new day.
Patterned border – Pays homage to two SPCS students from African countries, with patterns representing hope.

Cat – Pays homage to Tibs the Studio cat, and also to all of the pets who bring us peace.

See media about the mural on my press page.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

I have chosen two separate paths in my career. One as an artist and one as a mental health counselor. I have always felt that they were very compatible paths. My artistry has influenced my approaches to counseling, and my clients have fed me with inspiration for my artwork.

Lately, however, it seems that the two paths have begun to merge.

Yesterday, I presented for the Recognizing the Impact of Childhood Trauma: Powerful Voices, Practical Strategies conference in Columbus, OH. The event was sponsored by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Ohio and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) – Ohio Chapter with a grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH). They selected me to present because of my blended interests in the arts and therapeutic treatment of child survivors of trauma.

I want to be clear about this–I am not an art therapist. I am an artist, and I am a therapist, but I have no training in the discipline of art therapy as it is commonly known in treatment communities. I do, however, use creative approaches to therapy (for which I have received training) to enhance my clients’ communication about their concerns.

My presentation entitled, Creative Resilience: Using Creativity for Recovery from Trauma, which included the video above, was about how creative approaches to therapy assist children in processing traumatic experiences. I also talked about how we can utilize creative approaches to educating the community about the effects of trauma so that we can enhance treatment efforts, direct trauma survivors to effective resources to help them, and look at community wide efforts to minimize traumatic events for children.

I spoke about a my work with the Phoenix Picture Project. You can read more about the Phoenix Picture Project and the resulting public artwork entitled “Jesse’s Journey” here.

Here are some of the thoughts that I shared in my presentation:

Bad stuff happens to good, innocent, normal people.

Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand – Chinese Proverb

The bad stuff doesn’t take the good away, it just hides it away for awhile.

Giving survivors of trauma opportunities to be creative allows the good to re-emerge, and allows for psychological, physiological and spiritual healing.

Children are amazingly resilient. Like the legendary phoenix that arises from the ashes with resurgent beauty, grace and glory, so too can children recover from terrifying and traumatizing events.

Involvement of children in creative activities enhances their understanding of the things that have happened to them and helps them become more resilient.

We want to build spirits, not break them. We want to create new strengths, not destroy old habits. We want to expand the survivor’s understanding and awareness of the world, not eliminate their current perceptions. And we want to engage with survivors, honoring their amazing ability to grow.

I thank NAMI Ohio for inviting me to present at their conference. It was an amazing group of people, and I thoroughly enjoyed the event. The other speakers, Dr. Robin Gurwitch, Monique Marrow, Ph.D, and two courageous trauma survivors who shared their stories were amazing.

But in my mind, he didn’t break a leg, he broke my sexual life. There was nothing to do, I couldn’t deny it constantly. Recalling the fatigue, I gathered up my courage and went to the pharmacy for .

It is my hope that I will get more opportunities like this one to speak and share about the creative healing process with community groups.

If you would like BZTAT to speak at your event, please contact her here.

*All artwork represented in the video above was used with permission granted through the Phoenix Picture Project.

**BZTAT, AKA Vicki Boatright is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Ohio. Any opinions expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the position of her employer. Information provided here is intended solely for the general information of the reader. It is not intended take the place of professional mental health care.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT