What is Non-Clinical Therapeutic Art?
In practicing therapeutic art, the goal is process and not product.
The main thing we focus on is having fun in a welcoming environment where we get to just use art as a way to unwind, slow down and try some new things. We don't focus on skills development, but rather use art as a tool to help you reflect on your current state and emotions. It is done in a more self-guided and self-reflective manner, or alongside a coach/facilitator and often in small groups or community settings. Activities will often include prompting questions or guides on what to create using a "think outside the box" lense, where the activities are designed in a way that you can do them without needing to have "art skills."
Therapeutic art can be a wellness practice that you can learn just as you would learn yoga or meditation to promote mindfulness. It's a hobby that you can practice regularly so that you work towards a more balanced mental state and well-being, having incorporated a small therapeutic activity. These activities can contribute to one's overall mental well-being by helping regulate stresses, slowing down, and promoting self-expression and reflection. They can help you clarify your goals and look at your strengths to boost your self-confidence.
Disclaimer
There are a few important things to note when learning about therapeutic art. A therapeutic art coach is not a licensed mental health professional or clinical therapist, so they do not provide traditional art therapy. Therefore, Grace Creative unfortunately cannot accept insurance coverage. However, because it is non-clinical, it is available at a more affordable price.
It's also important to note that sometimes doing a therapeutic activity can cause uncomfortable feelings to surface and if you feel like you'd want to explore those further I will help you find a mental health professional that you can connect with.
Example of a therapeutic art activity
Activities are often done without having any prior creative experience, or access to a lot of art materials. Many times a session is done using non-traditional materials found in your home, or out in nature, or by having you do something with your eyes closed or in your non-dominant hand.
For example, this picture was created as a warm-up activity, and was to depict how I was showing up that day, as a wave in the water. The instructions were to find different items to use as brushes, so using just a bit of blue acrylic paint and a blade from a spider plant taken from my house, and a q-tip as the brushes, it was then done in my non-dominant hand. Once it was dry, a few white circles with pastel were added on to it as well.
These kinds of things are very process focused, knowing that it is being created without traditional materials, and not in your strong hand. So instantly it drops the expectation that it needs to "look good." Instead, you can focus on how it feels to use non-traditional materials. Is it difficult to let go of that control? Does it feel fun or weird? Is it surprising that a leaf from a plant can actually be used as a paintbrush? Using silly things like that and q-tips helps it to feel more childlike and that's usually where the fun is anyway.
This activity was about connecting something from nature to how I felt I was showing up. I was towering above things that day, but I was gentle too - I was quiet and yet strong. I was unique. And I loved it.
