Art Therapy

Tip Says: Art therapy allows for underlying emotions and subconscious to be brought to the surface in a creative way. If you have access to art therapy with an art therapist in a group setting, I highly recommend it. The knowledge that comes from a professional helps you to interpret your creations in ways you might be unaware of and working with others and hearing their stories and thought processes can bring up valuable information that might not have occurred to you otherwise. However, it is not always accessible and that shouldn't stop you from exploring art therapy projects for yourself! The simple act of creation is therapeutic in and of itself.

Keep in mind while creating not to judge yourself harshly or compare your artistic expression to others. Try not to get caught up in perfection, don't overthink it, just go with your first instincts and explore!

BLACKOUT POETRY

What you need: an old book

a black (or dark colored) marker, pen or paint

How to: Find an old book on your shelf, or from a thrift store or used book store. Flip to a random page, or choose a specific page. Look for words or phrases that stand out to you. Start blacking out the other words surrounding to form your own poetry on the page. Try making some pages about specific feelings like hope, fear, wonder, sadness etc.

You can play around with other colors, or drawing out images if you like. The extent of your creation is fully up to you! You can come back to your book as many times as you like and complete as many pages as you like. Observe your poetry, what feelings do they bring up? Do they bring up specific memories? Share with a trusted friend or mentor if you like and discuss.

found word POETRY

What you need: magazines

scissors

glue stick

How to: Find some old magazines, you can find them at used bookstores or ask a friend if you don't have any. Flip through and cut out words or phrases that stand out to you. Find a page with an image or color that stands out to you, or you can use a blank page. Start piecing together words to form your poem and lay them out on your page. Once you're happy with it, glue your words or images in place.

Keep in mind, your poems don't need to rhyme! You can also just put words that have stood out to you (without necessarily forming a poem) and add other images that remind you of the words you're using and make more of a collage instead.

self care box

What you need: small/medium box (you can recycle an old box or make one)

scissors

magazine/ picture book (if you want to cut out images or words)

paint or markers

glue stick

How to: Think about what self care means to you. What are some of the things, behaviors, people, or activities that help you feel good about yourself? Think about the emotions, feelings, words, images, and colors that these ideas for self-care evoke within you. These self-care boxes will be used to store small trinkets, souvenirs, and quotes that align with your ideas of self-care. Decorate or line the box with positive affirmations. These can be self-generated, generated by group members, or found online. These can also be simply folded and put into the box to be read when needed. Use the box for items that provide comfort, like worry stones, pictures of friends or family, clips of quotes or poetry, pressed flowers, or treasured jewelry or mementos. You might even leave some movie or massage gift cards in the box that can be used when you feel drained and in need of self-care.

Affirmation and inspiration are the keys to the self-care box. It can be comforting to have something small, tangible, and beautiful in times of trouble. This is a simple activity that can have impactful results in times of need. The box can be used as a resource, and its ongoing creation can be therapeutic.