Blog post no. 2
Blog post no.2
9/8/23
Blog post #2
Hello friends!
Welcome to blog post number 2! I’m super excited for this one because this is the first real one that I will be diving into the real reason I wanted to start my art blog.
Have you ever been in a creative mood but felt discouraged because you don’t know where to start or what to draw? Do you feel like you lack the “skill”?
You’re not alone in feeling these feelings, even I get stuck and feel lost as to where to start. I want to create but I don’t necessarily have a brilliant, thought-provoking concept yet.
I have GREAT news for everyone who may feel this way. Art therapy!
***Now, I would like to disclose that I am not a LICENSED art therapist, BUT I do believe art can be therapy for anyone who chooses that route of self-care. Nothing on this blog is intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided on this blog is intended to encourage creativity, not replace direct patient-health professional relationships. ***
I will be introducing my weekly series of art therapy exercises throughout my blog moving forward. For this specific post, I will be focusing on really explaining art therapy, what it is, how it can benefit us, and how you can practice these exercises on your own in your everyday life.
Most importantly, I will be also explaining and introducing questions on how to reflect on these exercises and process the emotions attached to them.
I will also be sharing my journey and sharing what I take away from these exercises as well. So think of it as if we are going to group therapy but understand everyone’s therapy looks different and keep that in mind while creating and practicing these exercises.
With that being said let’s start with this is a JUDGEMENT-FREE ZONE. A safe place for everyone to create freely. No judgment from others, and most importantly no judgment from ourselves.
Art is so wide and endless and a wonderful world that is infinite. Even better, it is something that everyone can express themselves using. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be shared with anyone other than your own eyes if you choose. It’s about expressing yourself for YOU.
So now that we have gotten that out the way let’s get started!
I’ve mentioned a lot about art therapy, now what is it and how can we benefit from it:
- Using art mediums for healing and distressing.
- Promotes self-exploration, esteem, understanding, and awareness.
- Improves mental, emotional, and physical healing.
- Connecting with your inner mind.
- Improves overall mood and well-being.
- Puts difficult words or thoughts and feelings into an art form.
- You are your therapist.
- It’s a portable form of therapy.
Now that we have a better understanding of art therapy and what we can take away from it let’s dive into our first exercise!
Materials needed: (You will NOT need all of these materials you can choose one or a few)
-Bring your feelings (not optional)
-colored pencils
-crayons
-markers
-regular no. 2 pencils
-pens
-Choice of paint (acrylic, watercolor, gauche, etc.)
-Brushes if you are painting (or you can use your fingers)
-Choice of paper (scrap paper, newspaper, sketch pad paper, just one that is available and will hold your mediums well)
Great! Now that we have our materials together, let me help you get started by asking yourself some good questions to spark your creativity!
Questions to ask yourself:
-What color is your feeling?
-Where do you feel this color in your body?
-How big or small is your feeling?
-If you could touch your feelings, how would it feel? (e.g., bumpy, flat, wobbly, prickly, swirly, hard, soft, etc.)
If you want you can start by timing yourself for 5 minutes and see where you are at after that, if you choose that you would like to continue creating after that 5-minute mark please do so! I just feel starting with a timer activates our brain to understand a time limit means less thinking and focusing more on just feeling.
Today’s quote I think is a great one to mention so you create with it in mind while practicing this exercise :
“Listen to your art” -Unknown
After you decide you are satisfied with getting your feelings out, I challenge you to reflect on what you created.
You can ask yourself the following questions:
-What parts of your artwork do you feel are most successful?
-Did your art turn out how you intended? Or did it turn out differently?
-If you were to recreate this artwork again, what would you do differently?
-What did you enjoy most about this process?
-What did you learn from creating this artwork?
Here’s what I created and my reflection on it!
Thank you so much for participating in this week’s art therapy exercise and you can expect a weekly art therapy exercise for you to practice! I will also continue to share my art from that week’s exercise just to hold myself accountable and to connect with you all through art becoming aware of our mental health, and becoming better together.
If you feel comfortable and want to share your art piece from this week’s exercise and any in the future, PLEASE feel free to send them to my email < tyistight.creatives@gmail.com >, I would love to see what you all have created or what you have taken away from practicing these exercises.
This week's honorable mention for Artist of the Week is …
Danielle M. Lazala and her brand DML paintings!
The reason I decided to to choose Danielle as artist of the week is because she is an artist whom I have been following on Instagram for a long time and I have got to see her growth with her business and her art. She is someone who has inspired me to pursue my art and build what you know today as Tyistight Creatives LLC, she’s given me advice and answered any questions I asked her and just given me incredibly encouraging words.
Back in 2021, I bought what I believe is the very first t-shirt design she sold! With that purchase, I was entered into a drawing to win some goodies from her art shop and I won! From that point, I have been a true fan and supporter of her art and her business. I admire how Danielle uses her art and platforms to spread happiness and positivity. Her specific art style, I think especially relates to today’s art therapy exercise of just expressing our emotions in art, the relations to emotion and color, and the use of shapes and lines.
