For the Love of Art (therapy)!

I recently had the immense joy of sharing art therapy with the UTSA Student Psychology Association (SPA) this month. The SPA President, a double major in art & psychology, had quite a vision to celebrate and raise awareness about art therapy on the UTSA campus. A cross-disciplinary art show for art and non-art majors exhibiting works of art that facilitated a meaningful and therapeutic experience. I was asked to join in as guest speaker and juror for the show. It was both a challenge and an inspiration. Each student submitted images and artist statements about their work- sharing themselves and their experiences in the process.

It's humbling to be privy to the inner world of an artist; to learn the details of their mindset, emotions, perspectives, and process. Art is, I believe, an expression of its creator, and provides a tangible expression of the more transcendent parts of self. The body of work exhibited demonstrated sincerity, personality, and touched on the collective human experiences of grief, overcoming challenges, and appreciation of form and beauty. This is one of the fundamental reasons art therapy can be so beneficial- it provides an approachable means to embody difficulty and an opportunity for transformational awareness, growth, and meaning.

So the question then becomes- what do you share about art therapy? My goal was to celebrate the students and their work and provide encouragement in how they can continue to create throughout (hopefully) the rest of their lives.

I offered a brief description of art therapy through a visual diagram I created to demonstrate the dynamics of art therapy through its three main components, the client, the art and the art therapist.

In this diagram, the overlap of the three components is where the primary "work" of art therapy occurs. Between Art Therapist and Client, Client and the Art , and the Art Therapist and the Art. The very center area where all three overlap is the core of art therapy's effectiveness. (I will plan on going through further details for each component in future blogs. )

We also had the opportunity to create some collaborative art! Attendees were invited to create a picture of their heart or a part of their heart they would like to share through art. In my own approach to art therapy, I believe that we exist with a basic need to belong. By highlighting our interconnectedness with community through a collaborative art, we can experience belonging through art.