#99 Changing Lives is a REAL Art - Kirk Charlton, Artist

Until he started "using", Kirk Charlton was a pretty good by his own account. But brushes with the law, including some Fed time landed him behind bars for over 20 years. Luckily, he began his career in prison, becoming acquainted with his gift as an artist. Only out on his own for a few months, Kirk has had to adapt to the fire hose of information and stimulation. Occasionally overwhelmed with social media, a colorful world and interaction with others, Kirk is navigating successfully but there are some exasperating days. The Art Inside Out program he developed a the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institute has helped a lot of AICs. But not in big, Ah-Ha type moments, in more gradual, therapeutic steps. Kirk got AICs into the program by bating them with art. Almost all AICs love art, as it an activity that lets them create and share. And for some, it becomes expression and a way to figure out why they are where they are. Kirk feels the big lesson with art is to teach sufficiency, an extremely valuable to AICs. Being sufficient is enough; expecting perfection and then feeling inadequate when it's not achieved leads to despair and depression for many. Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Theme music "Free" written and recorded by Dave Dahl, all rights reserved, motherfuckers This weeks podcast brought to you in part by soap-on-a-rope, when you don't want to drop stuff Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com