I started reading this book over two years ago called Care of The Soul in Medicine by Thomas Moore and it’s changed my view on healing to a more holistic one. Admittedly I only made it to the first page of the third chapter. After reading these words I needed to take a few years to sit with them:

“In considering the soul of medicine, a major concern is the physical place in which healing occurs. If it is soulful, then the practice of medicine will have a much better chance of having soul as well. For that reason, the design and furnishing of a hospital, clinic, or doctor’s office, or, more specifically, a patient’s room, an operating room, or a reception and entrance area, is critical.”

That passage has been with me ever since. I have prayed many times asking to find ways that I may be useful to others. I’ve prayed that my art can be used as a component of healing for people. I’ve reached out to a total of thousands of therapists, hospitals, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists, yoga studios, and other people and places that are meant to provide healing with the proposition of offering my artwork for those spaces. The success rate of that has been less than 1% . In recent months I’ve realized that the best bet to reach folks who are in the process of healing is to reach them directly.

The first person I found to drop off some art to was a young man who stayed 4 months in the hospital down the street from me after a serious assault. I got permission from his father to bring by prints and stickers. That was in September. Now it is November. This morning I learned about a man who is in critical condition after being in a car wreck. It’s important for me to try and choose artwork that the person is likely to appreciate so I do my best to find out a bit about their interests, passions, and desires before choosing which images to deliver. For example, if I know the person is an avid hunter and fisher I would give pictures of trees, oak leaves, a sunset over the water, etc.

My only goal in writing all of this is to reach even more people. If you or someone you know is doing a longterm hospital stay, lives in a nursing home, is on hospice, or is in a similar situation and would like some art to brighten your space, there’s a Google form that I’m linking above. You can also just email me at MatthewGoetzka@gmail.com or reach out on Instagram or Facebook under @ThePatientArtist