JUDY TODD, PhD
Born in Indianapolis and brought to Los Angeles as an infant, when my father demobilized from World War II, I saw my environment change drastically over the years. I watched the gradual disappearance of the birds and bugs that I drew, studied, and loved as a child, disappearing in terms of both entire species and absolute numbers. I remember the big fuss when Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” was published and provided an explanation for my observations of declines in birds. Thus was born my interest in environmental issues. A doctorate in clinical psychology from UCLA allowed me a meaningful and gratifying career as a therapist and professor of psychology for over 30 years. While working, I raised my two daughters, did arts and crafts with them, and occasionally painted watercolors for relaxation. Upon retirement in 2004, I was free to focus on painting, creating with watercolor and mixed media on paper. As I learned skills and developed my own style, I began to include the subject of environmental issues. I am still working on the challenge of combining my psychological knowledge and therapy experience with my art skills to try to address the emotional and physical consequences of climate change.
Choosing to Bury the Fears for Now
(Mixed Media on Paper, 15” x 22”)
There is increasing evidence for the prevalence of climate anxiety and eco-grief, especially among young people. Some therapists are actively developing climate aware therapy and some artists are creating climate related artworks. These therapists and artists share some goals, such as increasing people’s resilience in dealing with their emotions about climate change and the challenges that will come as a result of its effects on people and communities. They differ on other goals; some artists believe that emphasizing the dangers of climate change will make people anxious and motivate them to take action, while some therapists argue that that emphasis may be counter-productive and lead to hopelessness and inability to act. As a therapist-artist concerned with climate change, I try to increase awareness and at the same time provide a safe way to express and experience climate emotions along with possible ways to cope and maintain hope. My painting “Choosing to Bury the Fears for Now” shows the tension between a fractured world and the dark forces that threaten it, a world with bits of beauty that remain to be appreciated, while the title suggests the possibility of healthy defenses.