Meet The Intern: Jeana Alfano, Endicott College

Hi everyone! My name is Jeana and if you can't already tell, I am currently interning at The Artful Life! I am a senior at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, however, I was born and raised in New York State. I have loved exploring the North Shore over the past three years. 

To many people’s surprise, I am a criminal justice major with a minor in theatre. I say this because anyone who knows me, knows how passionate I am about theatre and music. I chose to be a criminal justice major way back when, and through various courses and internships at Endicott, I determined that I needed to follow my heart and find a middle ground between a field that has a lot of opportunities, and a field that allows me to express myself. This desire led me to expressive arts therapy -- and here I am, the first stop of my journey to finding my place in this world. 

I hope to make expressive arts therapy more accessible to people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system in some way. I believe that everyone deserves a chance to let their light shine – offenders and victims of all race, gender, and creed. Having a creative outlet is an incredible way to center yourself after troubling times so that you can push forward and live a positive life.

I feel drawn to expressive arts therapy because one of its main philosophies promotes using art as a tool to connect with yourself and with others around you. This philosophy resonates with me strongly as an actor. In the theatre we are constantly attempting to connect with ourselves and use our experiences to create characters that can take an audience on a journey. Much like the journey I am currently on. I invite you to join me on this journey, as I will be documenting it here for our blog. Stay tuned for some mindfulness activities, ways to use expressive art therapy in your everyday life, and information on what expressive art therapy actually is! With each passing day I find myself one step closer to living a more artful life, and you can too!