I have recently been asked about Art Therapy and what I feel the benefits are to someone who has never done it before.
“Art is like life really” I said.” Often we don’t know how to move forward or even begin. When making decisions about the future, it can feel overwelming, like a blank sheet of paper to an artist. But what I have learned though engaging in art is that it is not just a blank sheet of paper, it is an opportunity to try things out…. make changes, learn and adjust and even sometimes begin again. It is, after all, only a piece of paper and if I choose to do it in private I don’t even have to allow anyone else to know how many mistakes, or do-overs I do, before I feel confident enough to let the final image stay on the page.”
So making art can be a perfect practice ground for practicing the Art of Change.
By making art you are flexing and developing the muscles and neuro pathways in your brain that allow you to feel more comfortable with change and adaption and then this helps you in life to feel more confident when you are faced with uncertianty and change, plus realising that choices do not always have to be binding but can be adapted as you gain more insight or knowledge to make better choices.
So as you doodle in a meeting today or re-arrange the cupboards as you clean them, recognised that you are just practicing embracing change.
Good luck and happy creating.
Laura
Making art or being creative in itself can be therapeutic as many artists will tell you. What they don’t tell you is that you don’t have to be an artist to benefit.
Just by dropping down into doing something creative will help relieve tension and stress and help reduce anxiety. It could be cooking or gardening or writing poetry but by far the easiest form of creativity is art making.
There are a number of different ways that art becomes therapy. If you go to an art therapist for an individual session, you will probably do a bit of talking, some drawing or creating and then spend time looking at your art work to find the meaning or wisdom that it contains. It can be a very powerful way to explore things that you don’t really have the words to talk about or that you are a bit unclear about. Often an art therapist will get you to close your eyes before you start and talk you through a visualization to help you imagine what you want to draw or paint or even just to get in touch with the feelings that are going on in your body. This helps you to become present to yourself and focus.
Doing Art as Therapy is a very effective form of therapy especially in a group setting. I used to run a weekly group for people living with mental illness. They came together to make art and in October each year we put on an exhibition of their work. The emphasis in this group was to create a safe and supportive place where they could come and explore their creativity. The hidden benefits were the friendships and relationships that built. This is significant because people with mental illness are often very socially isolated. I also noticed their self confidence and self esteem grow because of the group experience.
I have also worked extensively with kids who are on the Autism Spectrum. Some of them have an amazing ability to express themselves in the language of art. This does not mean that they are all great artists or even good artists but they have the courage to give it a try. Their art is helping us to understand more about what their world is like. It feels like we find a common ground when we make art together.
I now run groups called Open Studio Groups which encourage art therapists to come and do thier own art making and work with their peers to re-engage with the magical and sometimes challenging process of making art on a deeply personal level. Please contact me if you are interested in finding out more.
