By Laura Clay,
Humans have been expressing themselves through art for as long as 40,000 years ago. Honestly, it’s probably much longer than that, but that is the oldest known cave painting that we have found so far. And whether art has been created to share stories with other people or for the artist’s own personal expression, art has always had a powerful way of allowing humans to say more than they can say with words.
As much as we love to view and appreciate art, most great artists do not set out to create art for others to appreciate. Most artists create art from what is in their hearts and souls. Some of it speaks to people and they purchase it to hang in their own homes. But essentially, visual artists create out of their own personal need to express themselves.
Art Therapy
In fact, it is because creating art is such a great outlet for humans to work through their thoughts and emotions, that we offer art therapy. Art therapy can benefit clients who might be hesitant to be creative artistically because they fear their art will not look good, that they will not be good artists. But the point of art is not to make something that looks visually appealing to the masses, it is to let your own self reach a higher level of awareness by unleashing your creativity.
Through art therapy, you can let down your inhibitions about being a “good” artist and just create from your inner being. It’s to bring you to a state of higher awareness that fosters hope and personal growth. We don’t care if someone else likes it – you might choose to never show it to another person, and that’s ok. It’s yours. It’s personal.
Art Journaling
Something that can be found useful in art therapy and for personal wellness, is art journaling. Art journaling is pretty much what the name suggests: a journal made up of your own art. You can include words, too, either a few words here and there or full pages of written thoughts. I mean, it’s your journal, you can include whatever you want. But art journaling allows you to be creative and expressive not just in line after line of text like in a traditional diary, but with pictures and designs of your own making. Expressing yourself freely, as you are encouraged to do with art journaling, is a very powerful part of art therapy.
An example of an altered journal
Thanks to Pinterest and bloggers who feature art journaling as more of a craft project, there are endless ideas on the internet about how to begin art journaling. But honestly, sometimes those images are so perfect and so focused on the creative side of art journaling that they can seem daunting. Many of the images that you find online are from influencers whose focus is art. They are not necessarily therapists like we are here at Forward Emotion.
Comparing your own art to those Picture-Perfect Pinterest images will not help you free your own mind. In fact, you might find yourself inhibited and afraid that your own art might not measure up. That is the exact opposite of what we want you to do. So feel free to browse some of the Pinterest images and blogger posts as a way of getting started – but do not let yourself be intimidated or think that you have to create Pinterest worthy art.
Altered Journaling
Because your art journal is entirely for you, you can do some pretty cool things and there are no limits to what sort of journal you use. In fact, it is really fun to create an art journal from old books, which is called Altered Journaling. It’s a pretty cool way to create a unique journal to use, and it’s a fun and creative form of upcycling.
Some people use kids’ books or coffee table books for their altered journals. You can use any book you like, whether it is a softcover trade title, a very old hard covered edition, or even something like an old textbook. Inexpensive books can be found at library sales, thrift stores, and garage sales, or you can check the bargain bins at your local bookstores.
You can choose a title and subject with meaning to you, but you can also choose any subject because you will likely be covering all of the pages with paint, fabric, paper and other materials, or replacing all of the pages with new page inserts. In fact, you get to start being creative through the act of making the journal itself before you even delve into the art you are going to make in the book.
Don’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover Workshop
I could not be more excited to tell you that we are going to make Altered Journals together at our upcoming event, Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover, on Sunday, June 30, 2019. For our workshop, you do not need to bring a book, as we will have all of the supplies you need. However, if you do have a book that would make a perfect Altered Journal, you are certainly welcome to bring it with you. We just hope to see you there so that we can get you started with your own art journal, whether you want to get started for fun or as part of your own wellness journey.
Registration is required and you can do so at this link: https://www.pathwaysofvitality.com/store/dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover
If you would like to learn more about our Art Therapy services, you can read more here: https://www.forwardemotion.com/art-therapy.
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