“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
– Pablo Picasso
This is such a hopeful quote which resonates in our modern world. For so many of us, the thing that gives us hope, that gives our life meaning and excitement, that makes it all just a little more bearable, is ART. Painting or art in general, is a means of understanding yourself and the world better. Allowing yourself to express the things in your mind, can help you view the world in new ways, to learn things about yourself, and to make new strides that you otherwise may not have been able to.
Often, children can feel stuck and blocked because they cannot verbalize what’s wrong or why they are feeling a certain way; they are more likely to be comfortable expressing themselves with some crayons and markers than expressing vocally.
Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Art therapy can achieve different things for different people. It can be used for counseling by therapists, healing, treatment, rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and in the broad sense of the term, it can be used to massage one’s inner-self in a way that may provide the individual with a deeper understanding of him or herself.
The creative process involved in expressing one’s self artistically can help people to resolve issues as well as develop and manage their behaviours and feelings, reduce stress, and improve self-esteem and awareness.
Art therapy taps into such needs and imparts gifts that may be dormant while unlocking a key to deep healing and meaningful living.
Benefits of art therapy:
1. Art helps to express feelings and thoughts that are too difficult to put into words. That’s why it works for all ages and social classes.
2. Art therapy helps to sort through feelings to overcome tricky situations; it also gives a sense of accomplishment, enjoyment and personal expression. Its other benefits include:
· Reduces anxiety and stress
· Improves self esteem and confidence
· Helps to cope with grief and loss
· Develops better interpersonal skills
· Helps one overcome anger and depression
3. Anyone who likes to practice art therapy needn’t be artistic, as art therapy is about self discovery. It usually focuses on the art process as it is produced rather than the final form. How you feel while making your art and what you learn about yourself is the most important thing. When we paint, draw or make something, we get lost in a maze of colours which relaxes the mind and can lead to surprising insights about things that have been bothering us.
As we all can see the wonderful benefits that art has to give, let us change our perspective of just looking at it as a subject and look at it as a healer of many of our problems.
PRADEEP JART TEACHER
VIDYA SOUDHA PUBLIC SCHOOL
