What do you think of when I mention art? Possibly the first thing that pops into your mind is the Mona Lisa, with her mysterious smile, or another famous painting such as The Scream, or American Gothic. Most think of art as just being beautiful paintings that have a future of hanging in a museum or someone’s house. Not all art is beautiful, and not all beautiful things are art. What is considered beautiful is truly in the eyes of the beholder. Art isn’t just a pretty picture--it’s also a way for someone to express themselves, the way someone can express themselves through music, poetry, or dance. And as frightening as the idea of making art may be for some people, you do not have to have an inkling of talent to do it.
As a matter-of-fact, I recommend that you DO create art. Believe it or not, there is a field of work out there called art therapy, which is a form of expressive therapy that allows people to manage their behaviors and feelings, reduce stress, and improve self-esteem and awareness through the creative process. This practice is for absolutely everyone, from the clinically insane to the average person that is simply experiencing mild stress. If you are stressed, art therapy is the perfect way to channel your emotions. I, for one, have found the process of making art very relaxing. If I take my time on a picture, the smooth feel of the pencil running across the paper is enough to make me relax. Art takes my mind away from life. Art therapy does more than “take your mind off of things.” It is designed to focus your mind on why you’re feeling how you‘re feeling, your positive emotions, and your goals and dreams.
Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The creative process can help people to resolve issues as well as develop and manage their behaviors and feelings and self-esteem. Art making is an opportunity to express one’s self imaginatively, authentically, and spontaneously--it is an experience that, over time, can lead to personal fulfillment, emotional reparation, and recovery. It can also make a person feel productive, and can give a person purpose. This approach is often called art psychotherapy. Art therapy, or art psychotherapy, takes advantage of drawing, painting, sculpting, and other art expressions to help in communicating issues, emotions, and conflicts.
In a typical professional art therapy session, you’re required to look inside yourself and put your feelings, perceptions, and imagination on the paper. The therapist uses this image to enhance communication between him or her, and the patient. This art is used to achieve insight, resolve conflicts, solve problems, and formulate new perceptions that in turn lead to positive changes, growth, and healing. As the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words. Just the way that the patient puts line to paper can tell something about him or her to the art therapist. For example, there is a common art therapy application where the patient is asked to draw a tree. Where the tree is placed, how big the tree is drawn, and how many branches the tree has can tell the art therapist a few things about the patient. The therapist may ask questions such as, “How old is the tree?” and “Is the tree alive?” According to the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, a tree with a slender trunk but with large branches can represent a need for satisfaction. A tree drawn in the corner of the page, which is tiny in size, can represent shyness, insecurity, and sadness.
Remember that anyone can use art therapy. Art therapy is typically directed towards people under a lot of stress, people with mental health issues, people with learning disabilities, children or young adults with problems in school, kids, teenagers, or adults with personal problems, people with autism, people with eating disorders, people with cancer, people with depression, and even someone who believes to be problem-free and simply wants to explore their inner-self. As you can see, art therapy is truly for anyone and everyone. I’m sure that most of you, as college students, have dealt with stress before. Also, if you’ve ever had difficulties in a class, that alone would have been enough to effectively take advantage of art therapy. Even if you don’t think you have problems, you can still benefit from art therapy. We are all human, and we all have problems; therefore, we can all benefit from it. If nothing else, it is a new experience for you.
If you are interested in using art therapy, there are many available practices on the internet or in books. However, the effectiveness of the practice is not guaranteed unless you are under the guidance of a professional therapist, but I am not trying to urge you to seek professional help. I just hope that you will at least try it. Here is a simple exercise to help you get started. All you’ll need is a sheet of paper and some paint. Think about your emotions. What do you usually feel on a day-to-day basis? Also think about line, and the many types that can be used to express emotion--thin, thick, zig-zaggy, or squiggly. Paint your emotions using color, line, and simple shapes. Work as long as you like, but always stop and look at what you have created thus far. Does it express your feelings properly? If not, just keep working. Never stop thinking about yourself and looking within yourself while you paint. When you’re done, you can ask others how they interpret the painting. If you’ve done a good job at expressing your emotions, others will understand the emotions you were trying to convey. When you are completely finished, you should feel better, possibly even relieved. However, you won’t know the benefits until you try it.
Art therapy is a wonderful thing, and I myself have practiced it and benefited from it in some way. Usually when I create a piece of art that looks within myself, I become indulged with the drawing and I forget about the rest of the world and all of its troubles. Some people are afraid to try art. I cannot count the number of times someone has told me that they like my art and that they cannot even draw a stick-figure. I like to tell them that they can draw, too, but they never believe me--what‘s worse is that they never even try it. However, some find it difficult to verbally express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and in this case art would be the perfect remedy to begin to learn how to open-up. Art therapy is especially useful for those that are embarrassed to talk about their problems, and for those who lack adequate language or cognitive skills to do so. It’s also good if you don’t know how to identify or describe your feelings. Art therapy opens up another level of communication--it is neither verbal nor based on body language. Instead, it translates our inner self to the form of paint or pencil on paper.
