Reflections Spring 2024

Artwork

Editor-in-Chief

Christina Auriemma

Creative Arts Therapy Coordinator

Executive Editors

Diane Rode

Senior Director, Patient and Family

Centered Care

Morgan Stojanowski

Director, Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department

Founding Editor

Russell Mindich

Guest Teen Editor

Oliver Hills

Creative Arts Directors

Christina Auriemma

Creative Arts Therapy Coordinator

Shawna Clarke

Creative Arts Therapy Coordinator

Social Media Producer

Luis Borges

Production Supervisor, KidZone

TV / Patient Media

Patient Gaming and Technology

Administrator

Thanks to Russell Mindich and family, and to the staff of the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department of Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital

Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital 1184 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10029

212-241-6797

mountsinai.org/childlife

*Publication template by Melissa Alvey, former Art Therapy Intern Spring 2024

Interested in contributing to our next issue of REFLECTIONS? Send creative writing, art, and audio submissions to Shawna Clarke, our Creative Arts Therapy Coordinator: shawna.clarke@mountsinai.org

Scan here to view the entire issue online and to view past issues!

Be sure to check out the multimedia files featured in this issue!

Throughout this issue you’ll hear contributors play music and speak about their art process. You can also view more artwork including animations!

How? There are 2 ways!

1. Use your smart phone’s camera to scan the QR codes featured on a page.

2. Download any QR code reading app and scan the QR codes by using your phone’s camera.

Scan this QR code to explore this issue’s entire multimedia playlist!

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the Spring 2024 edition of REFLECTIONS magazine, the Zone’s teen art and literary magazine at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital.

REFLECTIONS magazine provides an outlet for teens within the Mount Sinai community, and the community at large to speak their minds, share their thoughts, and bring their visions to light on each page. This publication takes readers on an emotion filled journey through created characters, songs, and stories. The next pages will have you traveling through the day and the night, above the clouds and through the stars, showing the resiliency that lies within.

Thank you to our Guest Teen Editor, Ollie, for their time and dedication towards the production of this edition of REFLECTIONS and to all the artists and writers for their contributions to the magazine and their involvement within the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department.

Special thanks to Diane Rode and Morgan Stojanowski, Executive Editors, for their continued support and guidance in producing this bi-annual publication!

Check out Haeven’s artprocesshere!

Christina Auriemma Editor-in-Chief Creative Arts Therapy Coordinator

“Hazbin Hotel’s Lute in Realism” by Haeven Hernandez, 11

Welcome to the Spring 2024 Edition of REFLECTIONS!

So, what is REFLECTIONS? What I think REFLECTIONS is is similar to how you see your work in a museum. It’s a way for other kids, teens, your teachers, parents, and friends to see your hard work that you did while in the hospital or in clinic or in general. Seeing it published in an actual real magazine feels like a museum and you’re getting noticed for your artistic skills. My first experience submitting artwork to REFLECTIONS was when I was 16. I was just introduced to the LGBTQI+ community, what it was and how I identified, and so I decided to represent that by making the pansexual flag. At the time, I wanted to be a digital artist so I made a digital art pride flag and I published it in REFLECTIONS. It looks amazing by the way and it felt amazing too, to have it published and have it noticed by people. I felt proud. As your Guest Teen Editor, I want to share two pieces of advice. One is don’t let the thoughts stop you. Just do it. I used to feel really nervous and a bit closed off about things, but now I’m gaining more confidence. I’d say to my younger self just do it, it doesn’t matter what other people think, no one is really there to judge you for it. Just go for it and if others don’t like it then that’s on them, especially if it makes you happy right? My second piece of advice is do what makes you happy and put yourself first. Go ahead and do that drawing, even if you suck at drawing. I’m not as good as I wish I was but I do it anyway and it’s an amazing feeling. It might not be to your expectations but the more you keep practicing and doing it, the better you’ll get at it. That was two pieces of advice, a two for one deal!

Oliver Hills Guest Teen Editor

Check out Ollie’s animation here!

“Bored”

by Camille Gerke, 10

Artwork by Emily Villavicencio, 17

Ally Bye Bye Bye

Allison Luo, Bethany, Xiaoxia, Shukun, and Kandi

Verse:

I’m doing this today

You’re probably feeling really happy

You’ve waited for this day

Hey Ally come on

You got a tracheostomy

It’s helping you to breathe

So now it’s time to leave

And finally go home

I know that you can’t take no more, it ain’t no lie

We wanna see you out that door

Ally bye bye bye

Listen to Music Therapist, Bethany, sing, ‘Ally Bye Bye Bye’ here!

Chorus:

Don’t want to wait another day

It’s been over a month and we don’t

want to stay

You’re a trooper

And it aint’ no lie

Ally bye bye bye

We know going home might be tough

But we’re really sure that you’ve had enough

Might sound crazy but it ain’t no lie

Ally bye bye bye

Artwork by Caroline Leon, 14

Artwork by Giuliana Cannizzo, 14

“Mount

Pups” by Saniya Nightengale, 18

View Omar’s time-lapse drawing here!

Artwork by Omar Safwan, 13

Art Response

Kelsey Flores, 14

“Do you see colors?

Overlap?

Lines?

Streaks?

Circle, square?

I see a youth’s mindset. Darkness comes from the hard times. Light comes from the happiness. The streaks of paint are memories we still hold onto.

The overlapping are the overwhelming times.

What do these colors mean to you? And what do you see?”

Artwork by Kelsey Flores, 14

Artwork by Diana Yudin, 12

by Diana

Yudin,

12 and here!

Listen to Diana speak about her art process and the details of her digital art here!

Artwork

Art Response

Ashley Rosario, 23

What inspires my paintings are my past experiences & everything I felt growing up while overcoming my depression. I started to express myself through art more freely when I noticed there were kids my age out there going through the same things I went through & ended up finding my purpose; to help the youth with mental health awareness. I try to bring a message with every painting I create by also expressing what I went or currently go through hoping someone would relate to those emotions & eventually grow from them.

Artwork by Ashley Rosario, 23

GuestTeenEditor

Ollie’s Q&A with Abbey Meeks

Child Life Specialist

Ollie- What made you choose Child Life?

Abbey- I knew that the field existed for awhile. My mom was a teacher in a hospital school, like Miss Katie, and she worked with child life specialists and told me about it. I realized when I was a teen that when I left a doctor’s appointment and felt like I was listened to, supported, and empowered it made such a difference in how I felt about the experience vs if I left and felt like they didn’t care or I didn’t understand what was going on. The difference felt really stark to me and brought me to want to go into a field where I could be a part of empowering people to ask questions and understand their care and leave the doctor feeling supported and cared for. And then I ended up here!

Ollie- What brought you to Mount Sinai?

Abbey- Actually I don’t think anyone knows this story. I went to undergrad in Oregon and I was not happy with the school I went to and the town I was living in. I had visited NY because my brother lived here and I was interested in moving here and pursuing child life so I went on google one day in my apartment in Oregon and searched Child Life Programs NYC and Mount Sinai was the first one that popped up. I actually have a diary entry from when I was really unhappy living in

Eugene, Oregon, where I was like I want to move to NY and work at Mount Sinai as a Child Life Specialist and it took a little while for me to get here from that diary entry but that’s how I got here. I reached out to the volunteer office to see if I could volunteer with the Child Life Department.

Ollie- That sounds so fun!

Abbey- I loved it so I stayed!

Ollie- What are some of your favorite hobbies?

Abbey- I’m a person whose hobbies are finding new hobbies. I like to play around with different things and pick up a new art medium that I haven’t tried before. I’m always picking up a new hobby but I also love baking. I’m a big baker.

Ollie- That reminds me of this character, he picks up many hobbies but it’s for a different reason. He picks up so many hobbies because he is too good at all of them. (Ollie laughing) What’s your go to baking?

Abbey- I just got a cookbook of cookies, a full cookie cookbook, I’m on a cookie kick right now.

Ollie- If you could be any animal what animal would you choose?

Abbey- I would be an elephant. I went to Tanzania last fall and got to see all of the animals in the wild and I just thought elephants have such a nice life. They are kind of out of the food chain because no animals really hunt them so they mind their own business and walk around in their beautiful environment all day and that sounds like a really nice life. Peaceful and calm.

Ollie- That’s smart. You know I forgot about the whole food chain thing but I would be a fox. The things that hunt foxes are terrifying though! Wait, have you seen the way owls run?? They actualy run!

Abbey- Owls??

Ollie- Owls!

(watches video of owls running, more laughter)

View more of Camille’s artwork here!

JewelrybyEdwinPillajoVanejas,19

“Nighttime” by Camille Gerke, 10

Artwork by Diana Yudin, 12

by Angela Lopez, 15

Art Response

Angela Lopez, 15

“The Girl in the drawing is a character I made up. Her name is Luvi. She’s fifteen and plays soccer with her friends in an abandoned yard not too far from her school. They all group together after school to practice their soccer skills, eat snacks, drink soda, and listen to rock music.”

Artwork

I Am Me

Ollie Hills, 18

I am wonderful

I hear music in my ears

I see beauty

I pretend to be a character in someone else’s story I want love

I worry that I’m not enough

I am empathetic

I wonder what my world would be like if I were confident I feel happy

I dream of being strong and healthy

Artwork by Ashley Rosario, 21

Artwork by Jayden Parker, 13

“The Door to Your Health” by Giuliana Cannizzo, 14

What Now

Tyanna Tolbert, 21

What Now?

What’s next for you? Yes, after all of this is said and done?

You think this is the last step for you? I did too. I know what it’s like to cry at night and smile at everyone in the morning.

I know what it’s like to ask questions and barely understand the answers I receive.

I even know what it’s like to not get an answer at all, assume the best or the worst depending on the situation.

But what do you think you should do? No matter how hard right now is for you. What do you think you should do for your next steps?

It’s never too late for things to change, everyone has that chance.

You can and will make it out of the position you are in. From a fellow hospital kid to the next, you’re never alone.

Artwork by Ashley Rosario, 23

Artwork by Emily Villavicencio, 17

Use this space to reflect on what it means to believe in yourself. What story, words and/or images come to mind? Let your mind wander free on these pages.

“I’dsaytomyyoungerselfjustdoit,itdoesn’tmatter whatotherpeoplethink,nooneisreallytheretojudge youforit.Justgoforit.”

—Oliver Hills, Guest Teen Editor