Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to do something in my life centering around art. My grandpa being an artist and my aunt being an art educator I grew up in an environment where art was present. When I was younger, I would go to my aunt’s high school and make art for my portfolio. I would constantly ask my grandpa about art techniques. I grew up in a very artistic environment which I am grateful for. I have taken advantage of having sources of creativity even more so now that I am older. I would talk about the processes during all of my different studios with my aunt at family dinners. I would ask my grandpa about my three dimensional design because of his specialty in his own wood sculptures. I would ask my aunt about the printmaking process as she is familiar with it. Then I would go back to my grandpa with questions about painting with oil paints. With every studio art course I have taken at Marywood I have been able have a discussion with my family members about it.

When I decided to pursue art therapy, my family could relate to the art aspect as they always have however I was the first person in my family to delve into the world of art therapy. My family, as always, supported me and tried to find out about it as much as they could about art therapy. Whenever “art therapy” is mentioned locally, whether it be on a website, news reports, or the newspaper, my grandpa will never fail in getting that information to me. My grandpa will always send me anything he sees with the practice of art therapy being mentioned.

I have accumulated a large amount of information over the years. I enjoy reading everything he sends me. Its nice to see art therapy being talked about. It only shows that this practice is being recognized more and more. Strides are being made in the world of art therapy and its wonderful to read about.

My grandpa sent me this newspaper article sometime ago that I enjoyed reading…

This article talked about the power of art therapy and how successful it has been in reaching out to the population of adults with mental disabilities.  FREE, the program addressed in this article, would sell the work done by individuals and have the proceeds divided by the artist and the agency. The proceeds have also occasionally been donated to causes such as aiding in the circumstances of Hurricane Sandy. The artist in the picture of the article, Nick Kruger, loves to paint and uses this process as a form of relaxation. This article touches upon the element of art therapy that is beneficial to those that tend to be more expressive through art rather than words. For example, Nick was able to explain what the colors meant and then would paint them rather than talking specifically about himself. Once someone looks at the piece knowing Nick’s interpretation of colors, we are invited into Nick’s world without spoken words.

In the picture I can see the confidence in Nick as he hangs the work he has created. That is why I love art therapy. It gives an outlet to those who think they will never get a chance to have one; and once they have this outlet they never want to go on without it. I love seeing the stories art therapy has given to society. Coming to Marywood, I was so excited to begin my journey in art therapy. With every article my grandpa sends me, it reassures me about my path in art therapy and Marywood is able to provide daily reminders about art to feed my passion daily.

Interested in Art Therapy: Visit Marywood’s Undergraduate Art Therapy page to learn more: http://marywood.edu/art/undergraduate-programs/art-therapy.html