Day 13: White

Today was a very hard day. I felt very disappointed by someone that I love and trust.  I feel sad, angry, depleted and other feelings that don't have a name. I felt the opposite of yesterday's multicolored.  Today I am colorless.  I know that this too will pass, but for today, I need to respect my depleted, colorlessness.  I was really looking forward to "White" day, and I feel that I sort of wasted it, but today needed to be white on black paper.

With little energy, the image is very simple.  And that is all I have to say about that.

Day 2: Blue Green

I wanted to use the crayon in a different way, so I decided to melt it. I was getting frustrated because the candle wax was mixing with the crayon wax and I had some difficulty getting the paper wrapper off. Once I decided to embrace the elements that I was trying to avoid (the wrapper and the candle wax), the whole picture started to come together. Once I had melted about 3/4 of the crayon, I blew out the candle and reverted to using the crayon in it's traditional way.

I do not like this drawing. I feels forced and contrived. I feels confused and disjunct.

Usually "Blue Green" would be a calming color for me, but not today. It is early morning, and I feel as if I am in a rush. Also, my 15 year old daughter is ill today and is staying home from school. She has been sick for the past two weeks, and she was getting better, but there seems to have been a relapse. I am frustrated and confused as to how to care for her. That is why this drawing reflects those feelings.

If I learn from this drawing, it may be to allow the outside elements to contribute to the whole picture. Maybe my vision is too myopic right now. I have to include things that I thought were trash and needed to be discarded.

Your thoughts are welcome and encouraged!

Are you feeling depressed, anxious, and angry or have some other feeling that is consuming your happiness for life?

An Interview with Art Therapist Pamela Hayes LMFT

If you answered, "yes" then art therapy could be just what you need to work through those feelings and resolve burdening issues. To help understand the benefits of Art Therapy and what a typical art therapy session would be like, I have interviewed Art Therapist Pamela Hayes, LMFT, ATR-BC.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
"I am a registered and board certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC). That means that I attended a 2-year graduate program accredited by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). I graduated from Notre Dame de Numar, in Belmont, California in 1992. Following graduation I completed my post-graduate work while supervised by an Art Therapist, and then I sat for the board exam. I am also licensed as a Marriage Family Therapist (MFT) in California, licensed as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), and I am a provider for continuing education units (CEU) throughout the United States."

"I have been an Art Therapist for 18 years, and currently I have a private practice where I see children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. My clients have issues ranging from depression and anxiety to addictions and abuse."

How is art therapy different from just counseling?
"Traditional counseling uses verbal conversation and non-verbal body language as its main means of communication. Art Therapy provides a third and forth method of communication: the art-making process and the art product that is created."

"By making and interpreting their own art, individuals can reach beyond censored and unconscious feelings to a deeper understanding of personal motivations in everyday life. Art therapy is a unique and effective approach for offering our clients another means of communication. When words cannot express the secret turmoil, the art produced by the individual is a raw and honest look into our inner most fears, obsessions, motivations and personalities. Every creative endeavor produces a type of self-portrait that can be interpreted and used to aid in further insight and personal growth."

See the entire article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6095358/therapeutic_benefits_of_art_therapy.html?cat=5