Art has played a central role in my life. In a world where it’s hard to show up and be brave, I need daily reminders of what’s important to me. Whether it’s my kids’ finger-painting, pictures from my phone, or a piece of pottery, you can’t spell WHOLEHEARTED without A-R-T.
Brene Brown
I was burnt out, fried to a crisp. In the summer of 2006, I was working full-time as a case manager for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and dual diagnoses, I was in Grad school pursuing my MSW and I needed to find a 20 hour a week internship on top of everything else. There simply were not enough hours in the day. I had a “spiritual awakening/emotional breakdown” as my home girl Brene likes to call them. I had a lot of vacation days and a very supportive boyfriend (who eventually became my husband) and so I embarked on a 6-week journey of soul-searching. I honestly don’t remember specifically how I spent those days other than a lot of sleep and binge watching The Wire seasons on DVD before Netflix and HBOgo were around. Somewhere along the way, I came to the realization that I had to make some changes in how I took care of myself if I was going to survive doing this tough work. And that is how I found myself interning at Alchemy Open Art Studio running a therapeutic arts group for clients with mental health and addiction issues.
I have never considered myself an artist in the traditional sense; despite the fact my internship supervisor Renee Bures always attests that “everyone is an artist.” Yet my 20-hour a week internship changed the course of my career in a way I never could have predicted: by making art. Renee is both an MSW and a professional trained art therapist and she helped me to discover the power of therapeutic arts both my personal and professional life. During my internship, I attended and co-facilitated several different types of expressive arts group. But more importantly I witnessed and participated in therapeutic art making, which helped me to recover from spiritual awakening/emotional breakdown. I realized the power of art and how beneficial it can be to the therapeutic process. Art taps into a visceral part of the brain and provides individuals with a creative outlet to make connections, meaning, and heal emotion wounds.
In my current practice, I try to incorporate many forms of creative expression into my sessions. From painting to rocking out to various Spotify playlists, I aim to provide individuals with a variety of platforms to express themselves in a safe space. Both the process of making art and the tangible end product allow clients to discover their inner artist and have a concrete reminder of the bravery and insights gained from their experience. I often ask clients when we are processing their artwork where they are going to put the finished product. I echo Brene’s sentiments that we need reminders of what’s important to us. We need to keep those things in our frame of reference and reflect on them frequently. For my own self-care, I continue to make art on my own as a way to tap into those outlets and remind myself of the power of making art.