Thank you! Here's your resource: Art Therapy: An Introduction
Watch the video and click the button below to download the presentation with your complimentary nature therapy activity.
Prefer to read? You'll find the presentation content below!
Hello everyone! Thank you so much for your interest and your curiosity about Art Therapy as a way to gain deeper insight and understanding of yourself. That openness to personal exploration is something to celebrate and has the potential to be transformative. Thank you for showing up — I appreciate you!
I’m June, and I created WILDKEPT to help people like you to explore and understand themselves better through art, nature and connection. Like many kids, I gravitated to art and creative self-expression early on and that stayed with me through high school where I won a couple of awards and got a scholarship that allowed me to go to art school where I earned a bachelors in fine arts. I come to you with a background in social good – I have worked in the nonprofit sector since 2008 and I deeply value helping people, and making the world a better place. Which is why my career has turned to working with others to support their personal growth. When we make a practice of exploring and developing ourselves, it gives us skills and tools to understand others as well and that together has the power to make profound positive change in the world.
Art therapy can play a part in that. Broadly defined, art therapy is a technique that uses creative expression to help people develop self-awareness, explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, reduce stress, and gain insight that furthers personal development.
Art therapy as a formal practice in mental health professions dates back to the 1940s when Margaret Naumburg (sometimes referred to as the “mother of art therapy” began publishing clinical cases. The term Art Therapy was used in England as far back as the 1930s, and British artist Adrian Hill is credited for formally coining the term 1942 (really about the same time as Naumburg was doing her work). (Source)
So there’s an important distinction to make here: an art therapist is a master’s degree level mental health professional. Without that degree and clinical training, as art therapy practitioners, we uses art therapy techniques to get the non-clinical benefits this method has to offer.
And that’s a practice that’s as old as time, basically. The Arts and creative expression has always played a crucial role in human history, development, culture and consciousness. Cave paintings give us some of the first indications of people using imagery to understand and process the world and their own individualist experience. We see it also in expressions of spirituality, in rituals from ancient cultures surrounding death and birth, the changing of seasons, and more.
One of the first formalized nature therapy techniques is forest bathing, which was popularized in Japan, in 1982. Forest therapy can be described as the intentional practice of surrounding oneself in nature and being mindful of each sense and the present experience. (Source)
But nature therapy is ancient and dates back to the very beginnings of humanity. Hippocrates – Greek physician and sometimes called “the father of medicine” famously said, more than 2000 years ago, “Nature itself is the best physician” and “The physician treats, but nature heals.” And scholarly work suggests Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire in 550 BCE, built gardens with the intention of improving his people’s health. (Source)
And throughout history we’ve seen poets and artists turn to nature for inspiration, peace, and healing.
And I want to pause here a moment to highlight something. Creative expression is intrinsic to the human experience. Yours. Everyone’s. Creative expression is one of the most basic, elemental drives we have. That core part of us, is something we can embrace to gain deeper insight into ourselves as individuals. One of things that can make people hesitate about art therapy, and art in general, is “I’m not artistic” or “I’m not good at art.” I’m here to tell you – let that go. The earliest cave-dwelling people made art. Babies engage in mark making and creative expression. This is a hardwired thing in us. The “I’m not good at art” sentiment often comes from
- someone telling you that or a negative experience around it and/or (often they’re inter-related)- the idea that art needs to have a purpose, that it needs to be marketable, make money, or have some kind of value to someone else
No.
Consider this your invitation to free yourself from those notitions.
There is no RIGHT or WRONG way to create art. The aim is not to make a masterpiece (although you might love what you produce)! The aim is self-expression, and the focus is on the process. An integral part of that is your choice and autonomy. You’re in the driver’s seat. Your self-expression in an art therapy session doesn’t have to conform to anything.
Our focus is on personal growth and insight. We’re using art therapy as a tool, to that end. It’s a process of exploring and expressing one’s self. Because it’s so reliant on you, your choices, your autonomy and your mindset – You get what you put in it.
Here are some mindset characteristics that will help you get the most out of art therapy: Being curious, being receptive, and being open to the experience so you can explore and gain insight into yourself. Being willing to have open communication and willingness to trust. Part of my job is helping you feel free to express yourself without fear of judgement. Whatever you share will be between us — so you can share your thoughts, emotions and experiences — as they come up.
And research shows that art therapy is effective. One study found that 81% of art therapy session participants reported improvement in their overall psychological health. Published research also found that 71% of cancer patients who participated in creative arts therapies experienced a reduction in anxiety. Another study found 79% of art therapy participants experienced increased self-esteem and more positive self-image. And a study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found 68% of trauma survivors experienced a reduction in PTSD symptoms after engaging in art therapy. (Source)
The goal of this kind of art therapy is to facilitate personal growth, self expression, and emotional wellbeing.
It yields benefits like:
- increased self awareness
- enhanced creativity,
- improved problem-solving skills,
- elevated communication skills,
- emotional resilience,
- stress reduction,
- boosted confidence,
- And more.
So how does art therapy with me work? There are four components which I’ll go into detail about, but here’s the overview: Talking about your goals and interests, selecting an art therapy activity, expressing yourself creatively, and then reflecting on the experience.
So first – First, we’ll talk about what your goals and interests are for the session. It’s okay if you don’t know! Some examples include: you generally want to destress, work through feelings of anxiety, or process a difficult situation or relationship. It can also be something like: wanting to tap into joy, connect with your inner child, or take time for self-care. We can also talk about logistics like what art materials you have on hand, if you have a preference on what medium you’d like to work with, and so on.
Then, with those goals or interests in mind we’ll select an art therapy activity. I typically give you a few selections to choose from. Some activities, for example — ones involving patterns or repetition, can help you tap into a calm, meditative part of your brain. Others are more suited for energizing and exciting your creativity. So that’s all guided by your goals and interests. Depending on the exercise, we might also select a prompt — written, visual, or auditory — as a starting point to inspire us.
The next step is the art making. As you create your art, give it your full attention. Ideally, pick a comfortable space where you can work uninterrupted. Bring your focus and attention to the current moment, the current activity. This mindful art making is what will give you the time and space for deep insight.
Once you are done creating, we’ll have time for reflection. This can be interpretive – where you reflect on the symbolism, meaning, and emotions that are conveyed by the artwork. But it’s typically, mainly a reflection on the process and your internal experience: what was it like creating this piece? How did you feel as you worked through the prompt or moved brush against paper? Remember this is not about making a masterpiece, and the reflection and interpretation step is not me or anyone else critiquing your work. It’s a non-judgement, non-comparing, non-fixing space where we talk about the process and the experience and uncover the meaning and insights that have been made available to us.
Afterward, you get ongoing support. I’m available to answer any questions you have, and I’ll follow-up to ask for your feedback on how it went.
I also encourage journaling as a compliment to your artistic expression – writing your experience down will provide space for further analysis and contemplation and insight. Sharing your work, and talking about your experience with others can also be helpful. You can also keep it to yourself! Whatever you choose, integrate those newfound insights you uncovered during your art therapy session into your personal growth journey.
So! If you have the time now or if you’d like to return to this later – here’s an example of a pretty basic, foundational art therapy activity.
This activity promotes mindfulness which is a cognitive skill where you are consciously aware of where you attention is, and bring that attention to your experience, in the present moment. There’s no judgement, no comparison, no fixing – just observation of your experience in the here and now.
It’s an essential skill for being fully engaged and present in our daily lives, being consciously aware of our feelings/experiences/sensations, and helps build the ability to regulate our emotions, reduce reactivity and overwhelm.
This Mindfulness Art Activity it’s intended to bring your attention to the present moment, and allows you to express yourself creatively.
- Find a quiet and comfortable space where you can sit and focus for a few minutes.
- Get your art materials, such as paper and colored pencils, markers, paint and and paint brushes, etc.
- Take a few deep breaths, inhaling through your nose, exhaling through your mouth.
- Use your art materials create whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry about making it look perfect or following a specific design. Let your creativity flow and enjoy the process.
- As you create, focus on the sensations in your body and the movements of your hand. Notice colors, shapes, and lines that you’re creating.
- If your mind starts to wander, gently bring your attention back to your drawing.
- When you’re finished, take a few more deep breaths and observe how you feel.
If you need a prompt: try making patterns, focusing on textures, or slow and deliberate brush strokes.
So what now? You can find more info on art therapy and other great ways to discover yourself through nature, art and connection at wildkept.com. There’s also a form where you can get in touch with me about setting up one-on-one sessions, or you can contact me directly at hello@wildkept.com. I do hope you enjoy the mindfulness art activity and I hope to connect with you again soon!