When Was The Last Time You Felt creative?
When is the last time you felt creative? Did you paint a room, sew a project, draw or sketch something in nature, bake your favorite desert, decorate your office or workspace? I bet you lost track of time while in this space. If so, this means you entered a different space inside of your mind and soul; this is called “flow”. There is healing and solutions inside this space. Keep reading to learn more.
Life Challenges and Emotional Struggles
Life can throw us difficult challenges to overcome at any age. These challenges can include adjustments in life from divorce, grief, jobs, careers, families, and sometimes social and political stress. The feelings and emotions associated with these challenges can sometimes take our voice away; it can be difficult to talk about. So, what do you do? What can you do?
Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Some hold on to it by pushing it down on the inside. Some feelings may be like holding onto lightning or a storm, which is not easy. Some may use substances to help with the feelings or emotions. Substances may bring immediate comfort for a very limited time, but afterward, the substance will pull you further into a very dark place. Others may find comfort in other addictive behaviors such as extreme work schedules, shopping, and sometimes religions.
All these can distract you from the needed conversations with yourself, but the feelings and emotions never seem to go away; they get bigger and more compact, often coming out in explosive angry outbursts. Again, what can you do?
The Power of Art Therapy
“Sometimes being creative helps to talk about difficult things.” Art Therapy can help. Art therapists are mental health counselors trained in all the traditional psychotherapy approaches, such as CBT and more. Art Therapists are artists. Art Therapists are creative. Art Therapists are inclusive and respect everyone without judgment.
Art Therapists show up to help in the community—in hospitals, rehabs, schools, nursing homes, and more! Art Therapists bring a safe space to help people cope with these difficult feelings while creating beautiful artwork!
What is a Safe Space in Art Therapy?
As mental health counselors, Art Therapists uphold and defend confidentiality and build trust with their clients; what is said here stays here. Also, what is created stays here! But “I am not an artist,” some might say.
Breaking the Myth: “I’m Not an Artist”
What is Art? How do you define Art or Artists? If you have the answers to those questions, you are further ahead than many scholars who have pondered those questions for thousands of years. The art created in Art Therapy is about the process of creating it and not the judgment of the final piece. You or your artwork will not be on display unless you choose to share your journey with others. You have that power and that right to choose.
Finding Words When Talking is Hard
So back to the quote, “sometimes being creative helps to talk about difficult things.” When you find safety and trust with a counselor, it still may be difficult to find the words to express the feelings and emotions you have inside. Words and phrases have limited meanings. Expressing feelings and emotions through artwork and creativity can provide an endless source of meanings, allowing you to accurately describe and express how the feelings and emotions affect you personally.
Read that again. If we are talking about and defining anger, my anger and your anger might look totally different. Yet we call it anger. If I draw my anger and you draw yours, now we can see how they are different. Now we can find the solutions you need.
The Unique Role of Art Therapists
Can you make art with any mental health counselor? Yes, you can, but can they teach you how to have the needed conversations with yourself using self-reflection? Probably not. Can they help you find symbolic meaning in your artwork? No, they do not have this training; Art Therapists do.
Art Therapists have years of training to learn how to help you express these difficult feelings using art, dialogue, or talk about it, and gain much-needed solutions to the stress that started it all.