Hi, my name is Christina, and I am a student art therapist and researcher at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute. I am employing an arts-based community-heuristic method of inquiry to consider how society’s beauty standards might affect cis-women in their midlife stage (age 40s and 50s) and if through the process of creating art daily, my personal reflections and those who participate in this study, that women can find their own sense of empowerment against these standards.

I am exploring my lived experiences as a cis-woman in midlife through art-making as a way to gain insights, express emotions, and foster my personal growth. I am using art as a means of self-expression and a way to explore complex emotions and experiences.

Through the Medusa Study, you can follow along my artistic journey and examine how it might impact your sense of empowerment, self-discovery, and personal growth. By engaging in this study, you may discover new aspects of yourself, uncover hidden emotions, and develop a deeper understanding of your own identity and experiences.

It's important for me to approach this study with an open mind, allowing the creative process to guide my exploration. Art-making can provide a safe space for self-reflection, personal expression, and transformation. By sharing my stories, emotions, and transformations, I hope to contribute to a collective understanding of the potential for art to facilitate empowerment and personal growth for cis-women in midlife.