Art Therapy(was Whew)
Meg
>My therapist said that she wants to get a big piece of paper,
>and trace my outline on it, and then have me take it home and
>fill it in sort of collage-style.
Mo, this is a great idea.
'Art-therapy', isnt that what they call this approach?
I think this exercise could be beneficial for so many of us,
having to illustrate ourselves, literally and metaphorically.
And perhaps even more important than the finished product is
what occurs along the way. The time spent considering what
represents you, what past occurances have shaped you, what
represents your beliefs, your desires, your humor, your daily
life...engaging yourself in these tasks would be very
therapeutic.
While in art school I responded to an assignment by staging a
metaphorical funeral for the part of me that wanted to be six
feet under. I felt a part of me had died and so attempted to
provide it a safe passage, to let it go. I built (yes, hammer
and nails) a ladder, 50 or 60 feet long by hammering together
segments of old, defunct ladders - the kind only a ghost could
climb. I assembled the structure in the middle of a Vancouver
graveyard and then hoisted it upright, heaven bound.
I took a series of photographs in black and white and I have to
say they are pretty erie. The graveyard is called 'Mountain
View' because its located on a hill and looks out over the city,
the water and the mountains. I photographed just as the sun was
going down on a misty Vancouver day. It was a very profound
experience for me, being so concientious of my intrusion into
this resting place.
I called the project 'A Very, Very, Very Tall Ladder'.
Meg
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Gungirl
I agree that art is very therapeutic. I was once beaten up by a boyfriend
and for weeks, then months... I kept having nightmares and "visions" of his
hand coming at me, ready to clamp down on my throat. Just a hand. Reaching
out, rushing at me. Visions of it, over and over and over. I sat down one
day and drew what I was re-living. It was a very powerful drawing, the
emotions poured onto the paper. Then I burned it.
Never had another nightmare or was troubled by that vision again. Drawing
was very therapeutic.
Jung, the psychologist, had some interesting theories on art as therapy. I
think he was pretty right on, in my experience.
Jodie
Meg
>I was once beaten up by a boyfriend...
oh boy. Im sorry Jodie, I remember being beat up as a kid ... I
cant imagine dealing with that as an adult. So glad you have
coping mechanisms.
>Jung, the psychologist, had some interesting theories on art as
therapy. I think he was pretty right on, in my experience.
Yep. Jung was an inspiration for many artists - espescially
those from the abstract expressionist era. Jackson Pollock,
Mark Rothko etc... the idea of a universal conciousness,
archetypes ... pretty intriguing ideas.