Every picture tells a story maybe a cliche, but it applies when you are lost for words. This is where art therapy can help. It helped me to tell my story about my journey through cancer, when words felt so inadequate. How do you tell your family your heart is breaking wide open when they are scared for you? How do you even allow yourself to feel the heartbreak? I put my feelings into the paint is how.
This painting was one of my first, and the image of the cradle is a symbol which helped me to understand more of my story.
During the last ten years, art therapy has grown to be recognised as a major force in the complementary care of seriously ill patients.
The British Association of Art Therapists defines art therapy as: a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication.
Camilla Connell, art therapist and author of ‘Something Understood’ says, ‘what more could be hoped for, in the face of the mystery of our existence, that something should be understood?’
What are you struggling to understand or express? If you can’t find words here’s what to do:
Grab some paper, preferably A3.
Buy a set of paint brushes – craft stores and children’s learning centres have a good supply.
Buy 4 pots of paint in red, yellow, white and blue.
Sit at your kitchen table and cover this with plastic.
Switch your phones off, play some music you love and start painting!
Remember you are not trying to create a great work of art, you are using the paint to express yourself.
Paint for 30 minutes and then sit back. You will be amazed at what you see.
Painting are stories without words, and each one is unique. If you would like more tips on how to create your own art practice, sign up for my newsletter in the top right corner of my blog.
