Welcome to my Capstone
Step 1: The Plan
As I complete my journey as a Master of Social Work student (grad as of April 2025) at the University of Calgary, our final assignment is categorized as a capstone project. Of all the assignments we have had over these past two years, this one has me the most excited. Not only is this the marking of the end of this two year intensive program, it’s also an opportunity to sink into the integration process and explore my creative expression to demonstrate what I have learned, how I have changed, and where I am headed.
As students we have a few parameters to guide us in this final project. We each need to have a 30 minute presentation prepared for our class to showcase what we have created, and we must include aspects of our choosing from previous assignments to highlight the journey we have been on. But that’s it. What we present and how we synthesize our learning is up for our own creative interpretation.
As someone who enjoys writing, sharing and engaging with others in the learning and integration process, I decided to create a few elements for my capstone. The journey is written out here on my website, a bit of a step-by-step process for those who are interested in following sequentially or jump to the end to see the final stage; an art project.
There was a five-year period of my life (in my early to mid-twenties) where I created around 100 paintings and sold a couple dozen in local cafes. This served as a form of creative expression as I was in the midst of an existential and identity crisis. I was a philosophy student in university, struggling with my mental health, and painting became my avenue for exploration and therapeutic catharsis. I haven’t painted since that period of my life, and the idea of coming back to that form of creation and expression for this project felt like a big “yes” in my body.
A theme that has emerged in this capstone process has been a “coming home”. A fractal depiction of a hero’s journey, as I move through one in real-time for this project and a general template or map to guide how I work with clients in my ongoing and future practice.
Coming back to paint on canvas to express complex or compelling thoughts and ideas symbolizes another layer of this, as the art piece will represent my learnings and tell a story that reminds me of the path I am on and how to hold multiple things at once as I move forward.