What is my intention behind creating a blog??
I want this to be a platform to share my perspective and experiences as an expressive arts therapist in the world of talk therapy. To share my own journey into using art as a way to explore and heal from my own inner struggles. In sharing my journey, my hope is that others who are afraid and feel alone will reach out for help, knowing that they are not alone. We all struggle.
Somedays I cannot help but think that our human experience (mind/body/spirit) has been downgraded to "floating heads". I am referring to a sense of disconnection from others, ourselves, and our emotions. Have you ever had a moment where you thought "I should be feeling something right now" but didn't. Or your life was a movie you were watching but not involved in. I have witnessed this within my own life and through others.
This leads me to my most recent art making experience in which a "floating head" appeared. I am not surprised. I have had many upheavals and changes this year. The complexity of it all was a bit much to manage. I wanted to look at ways to conduct my life in a way that I could be more true to myself so I joined a group of expressive arts therapists one afternoon. The facilitator of the group helped guide us into understanding complexity in our lives by creating an intention, and then listening to the inner critic and inner supporter. We each left with three art works and journaling pages.
This image was created after asking the question "what is my inner critic saying" in regards to me wanting to be true to myself. As you may be able to see, this image is a floating head. It was not my intention when I began to draw. I used black paint to scribble as I listened to my inner critic. This was the result.
After creating the art, I journaled. Here is a small section, "Five drips of black tears become the legs, the ground, holding up in the pain. But there are no feet, no hands, no body, only a head - disconnection". I had so clearly created the "floating head". My disconnection from self. The answer began to emerge, "reconnect to self". I had cut myself off, not spoke my truth out of fear, and only listened to the inner critic's voice.
Have you ever used art to explore your own questions? Ask yourself "how do I want my life to look" and create art, begin journaling....the next step will be to let your inner critic talk through art and then journal to gain insight.
In the next blog, I will talk about the inner supporter and her response to my desire to be true to myself. Stay tuned.
Share your experience with using art in your life for insight and healing. I'd love to hear it.