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Akilah Mitchell’s been asked on many occasions “why are you not on the international catwalk modelling make-up or hair products,” but she said emphatically, she prefers to put children and the elderly on the art and reading catwalk.
In a local television interview, Mitchell stated that she was never encouraged to draw or read, per say, but she always loved them while threading away at the traditional academic subjects considered more worthy to human development, and that it’s only when she was 14 while at secondary school, she was actually encouraged by her art teacher who retired very shortly thereafter. ‘You have a lot of talent and potential, and you should not give up on art and reading,’ he told her, and she took heed.
Only in her 20s, Mitchell said, based on her research, she got to realise that there were gaps in human development that emanated from childhood and contributed to many forms of depression and indiscipline, even suicide, that can be easily filled, prevented and addressed in fun, relaxing yet extremely educational ways. This, she said, is what prompted her to look at the situation very closely and try and be an asset. Art by Akilah followed by The Art by Akilah Supply Store were established.
With special emphasis on kids and the elderly, she said she’s benefited through research and results apart from formal studies. The senior citizens’ arts programme gives the renewed artist a new lease on life. Covering the aged and child, visual art creates new thought processes, improves cognitive function and memory, enables greater self expression, relieves pain, enhances motor skills, strengthens team spirit, increases and enriches social interaction.
Caitlin Parvati Suchit, now 5, excitedly displays her artwork titled her name.
Studies show that senior citizens who engage in creative arts experienced lower levels of depression and loneliness, and were more positive in general. Art therapy can reduce the feelings of anxiety, depression and stress in seniors. Art is a positive outlet for frustration thereby enhancing wellbeing. Art is also a healthy power tool for both young and old. Learning new artforms can enhance thinking skills and make it easier to make quick neural connections that may have been lost due to aging or otherwise.
Mitchell engages students in a wide array of genres and programmes both online channelled through Facebook and Instagram, and in-person and at base or from the comfort of the home, and externally, from as young as age four to 70-plus. Apart from her art programmes, she said she’s opened the reading gates. While the elderly reading programme is being worked on, in February of last year, 2021, she started the children’s that catered to three to 13-year-olds under the tutorship of Gabrielle Simbhoo, covering special age-group categories and a host of exciting, intriguing and worldly themes. Preschoolers who love a good story; kids who love to read; struggling readers; read-a-thon; fun courses; are a few of the elements in the club, incorporated with fun activities to spark interest for kids.
“At Art by Akilah, we are here to show kids and anyone else that reading doesn’t have to be a daunting or boring task, and that it can be their passport to the world, hence our Kids’ Book Club TT. Reading is our superpower, and art is a human-development gap buster. Two of our standout students are Caitlin Parvati Suchit, just turned 5, and Miss Janice, 70-plus,” she said.
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