as the sun colors flowers--so does art color life

Human Development Assignment-How to Help Your Art Therapy Clients Find Creative Spontaneity

I think that finding creative spontaneity as an artist is a difficult task. That said, it must be even more difficult for people who are less open minded to the artistic world and are resistant to let art try and help them through problems they are having. The ways we are taught growing up and the way art is perceived creates a wall that people must break down in order to find their creative spontaneity and to be able to use art as a therapeutic tool.

 It all starts with the color by numbers. Sure, those are great when you’re little. There’s no way you’re going to mess up the picture as long as you follow the directions. Every person’s color by number is going to turn out the same and there is no way to put your individual spin on it to make it different. Then you move into elementary school, where art class is all cookie cutter, “follow the directions and make your artwork look exactly like the teacher’s”. The focus is not on individual creativity, but rather coming as close to the teacher’s product as you can, because that is how your art piece is supposed to look. This trend continues all throughout school. Even into middle and high school, I believe that teachers giving examples of art work for projects kind of inhibits your individual creativity and floods your creative brain with ideas of “well, clearly the teacher liked this art piece, so I should make mine similar to that”.

The best advice I’ve ever received was from my high school art teacher, who I look up to more than any other person in the world. This advice not only affected me as an artist, but in life in general. She was doing a lesson on abstract expressionism. This is such a tricky topic to teach, because for many people abstract art is just finger painting and messy and there’s really no concept to it. She told us that in order to progress within abstract art, you must never make your artwork precious. This means, keep your mind free and don’t be scared to make a mistake. You may create some beautiful marking or set of colors on your canvas, but don’t be afraid to take a paint roller and cover it up, because you never know if something even more beautiful may come of it. I will never in my life forget that advice, and when you finally accept that as an artist and as a person, the feeling you get through being creatively spontaneous, and no longer making cookie cutter art, or trying to fit the mold of what art is supposed to be and look like, and instead making art for yourself; that feeling is so absolutely freeing.

I think that as a therapist, I would carry that advice into my practice and try explaining that to people, and then have them try and make art. Abstract art, in my opinion, is the most therapeutic and touching artwork for this kind of setting. I think I would have the client sit down and start creating, and eventually, when I felt the time was right, I would come in with a paint roller and cover up a piece of what they had made, and then have them continue. It’s a bold move, but I think that being able to work through that and come to terms with an obstacle through art will really carry into their life and make them realize that nothing has to be permanent. Change can always occur, and is going to occur, sometimes whether you want it to or not. It’s how you bounce back and respond to that change that is truly going to make all the difference. 

distractions

i must be the worst person in the world at keeping up with their tumblr, hands down.

hiatus

so sad that i can’t even remember the last time i’ve logged on to my tumblr, never mind posted anything. i feel like my life is a constant run, correction-sprint, from one day to the next. busy busy busy busy, always on the go. i finally have a night off where i’m doing nothing except for the things that make me happy. i cleaned my apartment, cooked myself dinner, lit candles throughout the room, and just relaxed on the couch. after cleaning up  dinner, i’m pouring myself a glass of malbec and working on a painting that is going to be my second real sale, and my first really big sale. it’s still unbelievable to me that someone other than my family or friends enjoys my work to spend such a large amount of money on it. i’m honestly just so happy and humbled that people enjoy my work at all, because for me, it’s just something that relaxes me and makes me happy to make. 

anyway, i’m promising myself that i will get back into blogging and writing more and spending more time on here, because when there isn’t someone to talk to, i know i can talk for days on here :) pictures to follow of my new work!