The Power of the Arts

Expressive Arts involves using art to help access the feelings and thoughts that we have about our lives. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about those things whether a child is young or talking about things is just too hard. The main key with expressive arts is to just do what comes naturally. This is not about creating a beautiful piece of art necessarily. It is not about how good you are at being a good artist. It is merely a means of expressing and processing things in life. Art uses different parts of the brain than the language centers and therefore can sometimes help us to go deeper in processing experiences and emotions.

I find art to be helpful in joining expression and mindfulness. My intention is that such activities should help individuals to be mindful about their bodies, their feelings, their intuition while processing it through the arts. I encourage counselors and adults to model using basic art skills for those who might turn to judgment about their artistic abilities. Respond to your artist with questions and comments about the art process, the story behind it, the colors they chose, their experiences with the ideas. Try to avoid asking “what is that?” or commenting on how good or bad their drawing is. The focus should be on the process and allowing them space to share only what they want to share.

Art can be a powerful way for all people (3-100 years old) to express themselves and stay in a mindful state without being overwhelmed by their emotions as may happen when they talk about something that happened. I hope you will try it for yourself or with someone you are trying to help.

If you're interested in getting some art activities with handouts and Activity Cards for yourself or your clients, go to my store on Teachers Pay Teachers.

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Counseling with Leigh Anne - a Teachers Pay Teacher store offering materials for mindfulness practice, expressive arts, and therapeutic approaches like ACT/CBT.