The beginning of the semester can be accompanied by many overwhelming and conflicting emotions—excitement, stress, anxiety, uncertainty, happiness, frustration. It is important to find ways to destress, and let your emotions out in a healthy manner. A great way to do this is through Art Therapy. You might ask, “What is Art Therapy?” This is a complicated answer as many scholars define it in different ways. The American Art Therapy Association states that, “Art therapy uses active art-making, the creative process, and applied psychological theory-within a psychotherapeutic relationship, to enrich the lives of individuals, families, and communities” (American Art Therapy Association, 2023). What’s great about this therapeutic process is that it utilizes different materials, like paints, crayons, clay, pencils, collages, etc., that can be adjusted based on the needs of the client. Not only that, but you aren’t restricted to rules or a “correct” way to create, nor a need to make a finished product. It is all about the process. 

Art therapists will often give their clients activities, or “experientials,” that are chosen based on what needs to be addressed or how the client is feeling. These give the clients a chance to uncover what is bothering them subconsciously, and communicate in a way that doesn’t necessarily require words. One of my favorite activities that I have learned about is “scribble drawing.” For this activity, the client is  tasked to use a pen or pencil to scribble on a piece of paper, without trying to create an image. Once the scribble is finished, they are asked to look at it to try and find symbols and images within it. This activity allows the client the “free association” to their creation, meaning there isn’t an outside influence telling them what is there. The art therapist is then given the opportunity to ask the client questions about what they see, to try and figure out what the client believes the meaning is. 

Shown below is my attempt at a free association scribble drawing where I used pen and colored pencils. 

In the scribble, which I titled Left the Nest, I noticed the shape of a bird and other forms that reminded me of trees or mountains. This led me to create a colorful scene of a lone bird flying over a landscape. At the time, this image reminded me of my brother’s departure from our childhood home and helped me understand that it made me feel sad and lonely to see my best friend move out. The scribble drawing allowed me to associate what I was seeing with what I was feeling deep down. 

References:

American Art Therapy Association. (2023, September 15). https://arttherapy.org/