Transformation through Art-Making and Creativity
As an Art Therapist, I have the honor of witnessing and holding space for clients on their creative journey in their healing process. While there is plenty of research on the benefits of art-making and creativity in the process of transformation as a way to relieve Anxiety, process Trauma and hold space for grieving, there is nothing like first-hand experience to prove it to be true. In this post, I’d love to share a little bit about my own journey with creativity — how it shaped me, supported me, and continues to teach me every day.
Early years in the art-making process
Since I was around six years old, I have engaged in painting. For me, going to art class after school and camp in the summer was my safe space. It was my space to play, to learn and to create. Being someone who was more soft-spoken, engaging in these painting classes allowed for me to have an outlet without necessarily needing to use words. My love for painting then evolved to crafting and creating visual art through three dimensional materials. As I continued to get older and began to face some anxiety in my teenage years, I continued to find myself coming back to the art-making process. While I often felt like my art “wasn’t good” there was the part of me that felt so great in my process that kept me going. In high school I discovered yoga, an experience that felt similar to the freedom I felt in the art-making process through physical movement. This eventually lead to me baking as another way to engage in play and the creative process. The common theme was a continued development and love for my creative process.
From personal process to professional calling
While I did waver from my consistent art-making process in college, I found myself always being called back to it. In completing my undergraduate degree in psychology, I discovered the field of Art Therapy. Through pre-requisite art classes and eventually in grad school, I was brought back to the formal art-making process. While at Pratt, one of the theories that we were always reminded and brought back to was focus on the PROCESS of our art-making experience. And that is when it clicked for me - that is what I love about art-making, the process. This experience of being able to fully immerse myself in my own creative experience, allowed for me to be present to my emotions, thoughts, sensations and experiences in a way that felt unlike anything else. I was eager to share this in supporting others in their healing process.
Why creativity matters for mental health?
As I began my career as an Art Therapist, I was able to witness and hold space for clients on their creative journey to healing. I observed clients finding new ways to soothe challenging or heavy emotions. Clients were able to gain a sense of clarity, perspective and space from memories and situations that had haunted them for so long. Adults and elderly clients were able to connect with their inner child and sense of play while children were able to learn about boundaries and self regulation. All of which continued to solidify and reassure me of my passion for the field and this work I have the honor of doing in my every day life.
A daily practice
While the benefits and the personal experience is very clear, coming back to a sense of creativity and the art-making process is a daily practice. It is completely normal for negative thoughts to creep in referencing art-making abilities, the meaning of being an artist and all that we have often been told in reference to creating art. But finding support, consistency and discipline can help to quiet these thoughts and come back to the true meaning of the art-making process: to find presence, healing, joy and connection to our inner child.
If you are feeling ready to explore your creativity, I invite you to join my creative summer challenge #CreatingWithCaro on my Instagram where I will be sharing ideas on ways for you to continue to explore and build your creativity. Or if you are looking for more personalized support, I have availability for in person or virtual session - book your consultation call here.
