This week, Brother Love from the band “Them Vibes” sat down with Brett Gillian and Seth Cole of Creativets. Creativets was founded by executive director and veteran soldier Richard Casper in 2013. The program’s goal is to empower wounded veterans to heal through both the arts and music. Brett Gillian joined the team in 2017 and currently serves and the Program Director. Seth Cole, previously a participant with Creativets, now leads the program’s Veteran Outreach.
In this interview, Brett Gillian and Seth Cole share the importance of veterans possessing a healthy way to tell their stories. Cole opens up about his own experiences before, during, and after Creativets. He describes the ways in which Creativets helped him with his own struggles with PTSD.
“If you can put a spotlight on your demons, they may not go away, but they [kinda] lose their power over you”. The organization specializes in two different programs- visual art and songwriting. The art program lasts 2-3 weeks, and partner’s with The School Institute of the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the University of Southern California. The songwriting program lasts for 4 days and flies veterans out right here to Nashville, Tennessee. Here, free of charge, they work to write and record their own songs to share with family and friends. Both of these programs allow veterans the chance to share their stories. Additionally they develop the tools to continue their artistry as a way of healing.
This unique, yet wildly impactful organization opens the door for help and healing to veterans across the country. Check out more about Creativets the the work they are doing on their website, here.
Learn more about Creativets by listening below:
