Firstly, let’s get something straight: you don’t have to be an ‘artist’ to benefit from art therapy.
Your artistic repertoire could consist of drawing stick figures or ugly blobs that resemble pieces of turd and it wouldn’t make a difference. What matters are the emotional and psychological impacts of what you draw, paint or create!
If you regularly struggle with a lack of focus, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, stress, frustration, depression, anger or any emotions that you have difficulty processing, you absolutely need to consider giving art therapy a serious try.
Like me, your art therapy practice could be as simple as having a cup full of pencils and a drawing pad next to where you work. Here is what mine looks like:
As you can see, there’s nothing fancy about what I’ve drawn. In fact, from your perspective, this page might look like a bunch of mental vomit that has landed on a perfectly nice piece of paper. In any case, its the benefits that count! And I can tell you that art therapy has had some tremendously positive effects on my ability to focus, process grief, express anger, and relax.
In this article, you’ll find a bunch of art therapy activities inspired by Russian art therapist and psychologist Victoria Nazarevich.
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is the safe, creative, and therapeutic process of expressing your inner thoughts, feelings, memories, and experiences through any form of art.
Art therapy usually involves techniques such as drawing, painting, sculpting, collaging, and other types of crafts that help create more inner self-awareness, understanding, and harmony.
Those who undergo formal art therapy with trained art therapists are often taught to reflect on their art and examine any emotional or psychological truths that may be inherent in what they create.
Art Therapy is For Children, Adults, the Elderly – Everyone!
No matter who you are, where you come from, how old you are or what you do, you can benefit from art therapy. There’s no doubt about it. So if you’re wondering “umm, is this really for me?” the answer is a resounding YES!
Children, for example, often benefit from art therapy because it helps them to process their emotions and learn the art of self-soothing. Adults benefit from the positive mental health impacts and the elderly benefit from the self-expression and social aspects of doing art therapy with others.
11 Art Therapy Benefits
Seeking out an art therapist will help you learn to ‘decode’ the various metaphors, symbols, and non-verbal clues buried in your artwork that reveal hidden wounds, fears, and desires. BUT … not everyone has the means to seek out professional therapy.
Thankfully, there are many books out there such as 250 Brief, Creative, and Practical Art Therapy Techniques which can help you become your own amateur art therapist. You can even join free online groups (such as those found on various social media platforms like Facebook) dedicated to art therapy, post your artwork, and receive insight from legitimate art therapists if that appeals to you.
Whether done by yourself (or with an art therapist), here are some wonderful benefits you can expect to enjoy:
- Improved self-esteem and self-worth
- Increased ability to self-soothe
- Stress and anxiety relief
- Improved emotional intelligence and processing
- Increased ability to cope with chronic physical illnesses
- Improved mental health
- Enhanced problem-solving skills
- Ability to face past traumas and emotional triggers
- Improved communication skills
- Increased focus
- Emotional and mental catharsis (healthy outlet of self-expression)
And all this simply by putting a pen to paper!
15 Art Therapy Ideas and Activities For Beginners
Now, let’s get to the core of this article, shall we? You will find some amazingly simple and effective art therapy ideas and activities below:
1. Sadness
Paint a rainbow:
2. Worried
Make origami:
3. Listless
Draw landscapes:
4. Angry
Draw lines:
5. Focus
Draw grids and a target:
6. Need to make the right choice
Draw waves and circles:
7. Bored
Paint with different colors:
8. Enraged
Tear a piece of paper:
9. Nostalgic
Draw a maze:
10. Difficulty understanding wishes
Make a collage:
11. Confused
Draw a mandala:
12. Stuck
Draw spirals:
13. Difficulty understanding feelings
Draw yourself:
14. Desperation
Draw roads:
15. Need to arrange thoughts
Draw cells or squares:
***
There are so many benefits of art therapy that it’s worth taking the time to dabble and experiment. The point isn’t to create a beautiful piece of art, the point of art therapy is to express your inner feelings, thoughts, and unconscious struggles.
I hope these art therapy ideas and activities have inspired you. If you’d like to incorporate artistic self-expression into your inner work practice, see our soulwork coloring book.
How do you plan to incorporate these art therapy ideas into your life? Please share below along with any other therapeutic activities you already do to banish anxiety and channel your emotions!
Our desire to express is primordial.
It is a timeless, universal human desire.
It has nothing to do with our
concept of ‘self’.
We were born creative but, unfortunately, many of us were led astray by our context.
YES, I very much agree, Phil!
The very nature of our life force energy is to create, shape, transform. When that’s stifled, and when we adopted this narrative about ourselves that we’re “not artists,” that can be horribly detrimental, not just on an emotional/mental level, but on a spiritual level as well.
Thank you for posting this.
Your article is well-intended and I hope can be beneficial.
As an artist for many years, I strongly agree with your concept which, unfortunately, does not get enough coverage.
Yes, it would be wonderful if there were more art therapists in the world – and if the healing that it produces becomes more mainstream. :)
Hey Sol and Luna,
your site has helped me incredibly in my journey of self awareness and self love and i cant thank you enough. But please get non mainstream information on the vegan diet. it is extremely unhealthy and malnourishing for the human body and mind. You guys yourself talk about escapism and i think veganism is a way to escape for a lot of people from the fact, that in our reality, life only comes from death. even the plants you eat feast on dead organic matter from the ground. I would love for all the people that seek guidance not get misguided by false dietary advice.
I would love to hear your comment or provide sources of relieable information on the topic.
Much love.
Hi Marcel. I’m glad our work has helped.
This is an article about art therapy, so I’m not sure why you’re talking about veganism here. I’m not sure where the mention of false dietary advice is coming from.
i thought writing under your latest article was the best way to get you read my comment, im sorry if this has caused any confusion. where should i have written my comment to ignite a conversation?
Do you guys have any books?
Yep, quite a few, you can find them in our shop: https://lonerwolf.com/shop/
It makes me think of sigil magick. I had never given art therapy very much thought before, but your article lead me to see it as a way of directing the energies of the subconscious in a way that could lead to a great breakthrough.
Influencing the subconscious is definitely one benefit of art therapy. Think of Jung who drew mandalas every morning to organize his unconscious and create inner harmony. ;)
These are great ideas! I love that you included different art styles for different emotional states, similar to how you can use different yoga poses to alleviate different emotional states. I’m looking forward to adding these to my toolbox!
I’ve been doing a lot of inner work and trauma processing this year, and in the last few days I realized that a lot of the art styles, colour combinations, and so forth of things (tarot cards, and now this art therapy) that I didn’t like, or refused to use, wasn’t so much because I didn’t like them, but because I had heard at some point they were tacky or something. Now that I’m finally discovering my “self” after massively improving my alexithymia (emotional/inner blindness), I can enjoy so much more in life because I enjoy it, not because I am living by other people’s idea of what is good or beautiful–and not knowing it, to boot.
Pearl, this is a beautiful and sacred process. Even something as simple as color, shape, and patterns have a profoundly healing effect on the heart, mind, and soul. It’s all about the intention and meaning we bring to it. Thank you for sharing what’s been happening on your journey
Great article! I’m a counsellor and have a new client who would really benefit from some of these ideas. I think I’ll try some myself!
Thank you so much.
Thanks Lesley, I’m glad to hear they’ve inspired you, and I hope they help your clients!
Another exercise to use, which I have found extremely beneficial, sometimes it’s writing and sometimes it’s artwork……but for the individual to talk maybe to their inner child for example by writing or draw/paint to them with their dominant hand. Then to have the individual write or draw/paint with their non dominant hand speaking from the child (or whatever part of yourself that is lost really).
I was personally blown away when I did that with myself. I was absolutely stunned at what came out. Such brazen raw honesty that cut to the quick, that I could not avoid and was spot on! Something to try!