Art Therapy Your Story from the INside OUT...
Welcome! You have just entered a space where we co-create and allow the creative process to reveal its wisdom. I would like to invite you, metaphorically speaking, on a journey into my studio to learn about art therapy.
To create a calm, quiet, and peaceful space to begin the work, please take a few deep breaths and let go of the many thoughts running through your mind. This will help you to be more present. The room is filled with a variety of simple art materials such as paints, pastels, crayons, felts and clay. Also available are sparkles, sequins, jewels, shells, recycled materials, tiles and feathers. One of the greatest aspects of art therapy is that it is a suitable healing modality for everyone. You don't need to have experience with art materials to benefit because there's no right or wrong way to approach the creative process! It starts with an invitation to use materials that appeal to you, or that you are drawn to, and then to spontaneously create. My role as an art therapist is to hold a safe space and encourage you to express and explore feelings and concerns through the art making. When you enter into this way of exploring, the focus is on the process...not on the product.
What exactly is art therapy? Well, it's a way of using art as a tool for healing. It is a way of taking what's inside of you and putting it outside of you. It allows what's within you to come out and be seen in a different way - therefore clearing space inside you for new information. Through the medium of art people can often communicate more clearly than with words. When entering into the creative process the intellect is bypassed and you go straight to another place...a place I like to call inner knowing or heart wisdom. The access of this inner knowledge emerges in the art. The art helps open avenues of communication which allows an individual to identify feelings and emotional blocks. As we engage with the creative process we realize we are able to solve what we thought was unsolvable. Built into this process is an innate ability to enrich ones life by deepening self-knowing, selfesteem, and self-respect. When I hear people say that they can't draw or they aren't creative I explain that as human beings we bring our creative energy to all we do personally and professionally whether we realize it or not! Everyone is creative but we have learned to identify creativity with being an artist and not as something each of us utilizes naturally on a regular basis.
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Art therapy empowers individuals to discover what lies beneath their feelings and gives them a medium to experiment with new ways of being. For instance, let's say I am working with someone who feels they can't do anything right. During their art making when they get stuck and negative messages and beliefs start to surface, I support them to find creative ways to work through these challenges. It's helpful to remind the person to be gentle with themselves and to remember that it's all a process. The result is that a person not only talks about a solution to their challenges but they have the added experience of moving through issues creatively. This allows individuals more room for flexible thinking which then translates into every day life.
Who
can
benefit
art therapy?
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Since art therapy is
a visual language, it is a natural and nonthreatening way for children, teens and adults from a variety of cultural backgrounds to express and explore their inner worlds. By working creatively with children, it frees them to be who they are and not be trapped in the idea of how they have been defined. When children are accepted for who they TRULY are, something happens. They realize they are safe to express themselves and don't have to conform or fit into a box, therefore allowing their true nature to emerge.
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In
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children develop a trust in their inner knowing and are able to practice accessing this wisdom as they engage in creating art. The end result is a new piece of artwork which facilitates a conversation to unfold, revealing more self-understanding.
There is a window of opportunity to see beyond a child's personal challenges and move into the freedom that comes from being less restricted.
The benefit of a non-judgmental space encourages children to approach the process of making art, dialoguing with the images, and understanding what their expressions may be c o m m u n i c a t i n g i n a m e a n i n g f u l w a y. Sometimes the art making process and
art
itself
can
the
communicate
themes that help a child to explore present challenges. Once, when I invited a child to put their overwhelming feelings in the art, they painted a black hole then splatted stars around it with great force. The expression of splattering paint served to release some of the energy weighing the child down. This in turn opened up a discussion around how to help lift the heavy feelings and was followed by the another piece of art consisting of only splatted paint. At times, the images and art making can act to highlight the resources available to the child. Another example of how to help children work through
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their difficulties can be the use of exercises to
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map out feelings in the body. This can serve the purpose of helping a child to slow down, reflect
the question becomes...How do kids develop
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and listen to their inner wisdom. A different way
and learn these skills? For several years, I worked in an alternative school named Silbury
to invite children to express the shape of their
that encouraged children to approach learning
feelings is by using clay. The neutrality of the
in an entirely creative way. I taught an art class
clay allows them to stretch their creative capacity in a dimensional form. Each child may
where we could use the process of art therapy
choose a very different way to represent their
to facilitate conversation and allow the children to open up. The kids took ownership of their
feelings and what they mean to him or her. Most
various art groups and expanded on the ideas
importantly each child is validated for their own
that were discussed in the room. This created a
unique expression in the art.
spontaneous environment that allowed the
Thomas L. Friedman in his #1 selling book "The
children to share and tell their stories while engaging in art. They came to class to "let their
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feelings out" which permitted them to create space within for a deeper learning throughout the day.
It was important for them to be validated, respected and heard
for
whatever
experience they were having and
what
process
they
and
needed
address
to
in
the
moment. Entering into the creative process brings an opportunity to express one’s self in a fresh and entirely new way. If I invite you to use some art materials now, what comes up for you? Is it doubt, anxiety, excitement, uncertainty, or perhaps frustration? As you imagine engaging in the creative process what thoughts about yourself emerge? These are all important indications of what is going on inside us.
How
we
the
navigate
through
creative process mirrors how we navigate through life.
Our
exploration and bringing increased understanding to a person's life. The art therapist acts as a witness and guides an individual to trust their inner wisdom as an ally. The passion and creativity of this process helps a person find ways to release blocks through exploration and play. This way of looking inward reveals a wealth of individual truth that each of us inherently has.
inner creative source can become a great support in continuing to walk the path between our inner and outer world. Through the art making process the
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Art, in all its mediums, is a language that can express the soul. As we conclude our journey, you’re invited to make a small wish and choose an inspirational word to carry with you throughout the day, or until the next time we meet.
Erica Krutzen is a respected art therapist with over 11 years experience in private practice. She is a graduate of UBC and the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute, and a professional member of the BC and Canadian Art Therapy Associations. Erica works with children, adolescents and adults individually and in groups. She specializes in issues of loss, grief, anxiety, depression, and trauma as well as mental, physical and learning challenges. In 2007, Erica had the opportunity to experience the powerful effect of art and compassion while working on the documentary film, "WordLoveWorldLove" in both Vancouver and Sri Lanka. Erica is a consultant and committee member of the Sri Lankan Committee under Rose Charities Canada. She has been a regular speaker at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute as well as other agencies and organizations. You can reach her at: ekrutzen@yahoo.ca