My Go-To Art Therapy Exercise

I am writing today with the acknowledgement that you may be carrying some heaviness due to the recent shooting in Nashville. It seems like not long along ago, I was writing a similar newsletter about a different shooting. This regular occurrence in our country is not okay.

So today, I want to offer something that can help you process the things you are feeling in the midst of it all. I want to remind you that art (whether you consider yourself an artist or not) can be healing and therapeutic and supportive. It can allow your inner tangles to loosen a bit (this is how I describe it to my 6 year old daughter). Art may not fix things, but it can be a vehicle to process them. So when heavy times come, this is a simple exercise that can help.

Find a space that is quiet and free from clutter. Turn on music if you’d like. Settle in. Then take a journal or a piece of paper and write a word or several that are coming to mind. Using markers, crayons, colored pencils, paints, whatever you have on hand and easy, start making marks. Without thinking too much, move your pen around your word(s) and slowly add little details. Whether you choose to use colorful items or a simple pencil, just allow you mind to wander. Here is what this looks like for me:

The root of this exercise is to create a supportive flow where your mind can rest, yet your body can stay in tune with movement and creation. It allows you transfer what you are feeling to a piece of artwork in a compassionate kind of way. You may cry while doing this, you may feel anger or hurt. You may also feel hope or clarity. Whatever comes up for you, let that be okay.

Of course, I will always suggest, connecting with someone who can support you in person as well. A therapist, friend or family member. Lean on the good people around you. We need one another.

If you’d like to donate to the families of the Covenant School Shooting in Nashville, click here: https://www.cfmt.org/story/support-survivors-of-the-covenant-school-shooting/