In the profession of Art Therapy, activities that are seen as “crafts” are often not given as much focus as the traditional fine arts, like painting, drawing, and sculpture. However, I believe there is value in offering crafting in our creative therapy approaches or in looking at the therapeutic value of clients doing crafts. One of the important aspects of art therapy is the guidance of a well-trained art therapist – the therapist guides clients toward the art media and types of art-making … [Read more...]
Revisiting and Transforming Art
In my own art I’ve been playing a lot with the concept of revisiting previous things, transforming pieces of art into something new, and pushing past something that feels like it’s failing. The last post shared general ideas for how to manage the concept of “failure” in art and art therapy, and I mentioned that one of the things I try is revisiting the art later and trying to transform it into something new. So post is a glimpse into how I’ve been playing with this in my own art. My hope is … [Read more...]
When The Art Feels Like A Failure
If you use art in therapy, I’m sure you’ve heard these types of things… “This is no good. I’ve never been an artist.” “I can tell you now that this is going to look horrible.” “I messed it up.” “Can I throw this away?” “It looks like a child drew this. I feel like I’m in kindergarten.” “This is triggering my ______ (anxiety, self-criticism, perfectionism, anger, etc).” Most artists and art therapist know that failures and imperfect art are sometimes part of the creative process. But … [Read more...]
Exploring the Stages of the Creative Process
Everyone has the potential to be creative, whether it’s through art or something else. Creativity is something that goes far beyond simply creating a painting, sculpture, or piece of music. Creativity is a tool and a value that we can bring to many aspects of our life. Sometimes creative therapists can get really focused on looking for specific directives and activities that they can do with clients. And although these directives can be helpful to have, it can be just as important to be able … [Read more...]
Altered Book Pages – Art & Blackout Poetry
Blackout poetry and altered book pages can help you stretch your creativity and tap into your intuition. I recently volunteered with the South Texas Art Therapy Association to run a booth at Maker Faire Austin. At our booth, visitors could create blackout poetry, altered book pages, and Random Act of Creative Kindness Cards. It was so great to watch visitors slow down and take the time to be creative. Many people seemed to approach the activity as a chance for relaxation or fun play. A few … [Read more...]
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