Stress Relief Through Arts

Joanna Overton has always been a doodler. Even as a child, she learned best by sketching out topics for her mind to absorb new concepts. Art is still her translation to understanding, a curious journey of discovery, and a soothing source of peace. Now it’s also a way for her to connect and unleash beauty amongst her increasing friends in emergency services.

Fascinated by learning about the human body, Overton first planned to be a medical examiner. Her high school vocational training gave her a foundation in nursing. In her senior year, she found a new passion in her EMT course. “Everything just added up,” Overton said. “I just asked myself, ‘What’s next?’”

The answer was joining the City of El Paso EMS, cross-training when they later merged with the El Paso Fire Department (Texas, USA). She transitioned to the communications center in 2017. “I had the insight and curiosity to keep pushing forward, nonstop,” Overton said.

That momentum led her to fill an impressive number of roles as an Emergency Dispatcher, radio operator, EMT, paramedic, firefighter, CPR instructor, and administrator. An added incentive was seeing the impact of her efforts on others’ lives. “When you help somebody, they don’t have to say anything,” Overton said. “The look in their eyes shows their appreciation and relief.”

Though Overton was confident she’d found her lifelong career, she began to experience some feelings of stress and overwhelm, which caused her to question what was missing. With a paramedic training notebook full of related hand-drawn cartoons, Overton reflected on how her learning was enhanced by literally picturing the scene. She questioned whether she could also use art to restore some of the balance she craved by processing her emotions.

As Overton turned to art, her mood improved, and her art improved. In 2018, she discovered the beauty of pouring acrylic paint in a fluid, dynamic design. Through employing different techniques and color combinations, the artist fills the canvas with abstract swirling patterns that reveal the dripping, vibrant expression of mood and movement.

“Once I discovered pouring, I went all the way down the rabbit hole—morning, noon, and night,” Overton said. Beginning during the Covid-19 Pandemic  , she hosted live video streams, inviting others to virtually pour paint with her. “I didn’t realize art could be a way to decompress, to channel my stressors out of the way, and to concentrate.”  

In 2021, Overton was invited to be one of three local artists at the grand opening of the Turney-Youth Art & Education Gallery at the International Museum of Art in El Paso. Though she considered it a great honor to be featured in an art gallery, she still longed for an application to share this alleviating art with others in her field.

“I don’t like to talk about my feelings,” Overton said. “But I can draw you a picture.” As she appreciated how art opened channels to express what had been stowed away within her, Overton questioned, “What are others not talking about?”

Though she greatly appreciated her agency’s peer support system and employee assistance programs, she wondered if implementing an art program could offer an additional avenue to help relieve the stress of everyday emergencies.

In 2023, Overton mustered up the courage to approach the fire chief with her unique proposal to establish a program entitled “Stress Relief Through Arts—A First Responder Stress Relief Program” as a creative outlet and source of healing for her peers. With permission granted, Overton took her new off-duty, privately funded program to the fire stations, eventually expanding to the dispatch center.  

With a special invitation to “come join in and throw some paint with me!” Overton’s fun and casual approach sparked interest. As the program is held monthly, Overton keeps track of the 7–12 people in attendance and reviews their survey responses. She feels her purpose is met if even one participant finds their voice.

“One of my values is to try be engaging,” she said. “I play music, I connect with the people, and I can feel the emotion in the room.” If participants find that their emotions are overwhelming when rising to the surface, they can leave their art piece and go talk with a peer support or counselor on-site, by design.

This program serves as a starting point for participants to be brave enough to feel again. “Afterward, you give into that relief,” Overton said. “You sigh, your shoulders drop, and you have nothing more you need to say.”

Overton hopes her concept of introducing and participating in “the arts” can extend beyond her favorite mediums of paint and canvas. As such, there are so many more avenues to explore; in fact, she has expanded her reach to include participating in mental health fairs with more growth expected.

The Stress Relief Through Arts participants often mention feeling more connected from creating art with their co-workers. Some field responders and Emergency Dispatchers are putting faces to voices they’ve known for a long time. Others feel they’ve discovered a new side of themselves, showing pride in what they didn’t know they could create.

“Inspiring them feels wonderful,” Overton said. “If you never start, you will never see the beautiful results.”