DIY Art Therapy For January

Each January, we must all come to terms with the fact that we are ultimately reliant on the sun for warmth and comfort. It can feel far too natural to allow the cold, dark nights of the winter to become cold, dark nights of the soul. Through the power of DIY art therapy, you can access your warmth even in the coldest winters. We have wisdom and prompts for any stage of your journey. 

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus 

Art Therapy To Work Through Your Trauma

DIY Art therapy can put us in touch with our subconscious minds. Nothing can get your brain working in overdrive like working on a new piece of art. To make art, and to involve yourself in art therapy means opening up your potentially dormant creative impulses. The benefit of this is that art therapy can help us touch memories, feelings, and experiences that are forgotten, unacknowledged, or repressed. Here are a few prompts to get you started: 

• Draw somebody who needs to be protected. Start your drawing with an innocent and sweet individual in the center. Your goal in this exercise is to draw all the things that could keep them safe. Who is looking out for them? Do they have a bodyguard, or a guard dog, or do they have to take care of themselves? What do they have to defend themselves with? Have they built a wall, a mote or a locked door? What is there to keep them emotionally safe? Is there music playing? Do they have a friend to keep them company? Fill up the entire page to the best of your ability with the things that would keep this sweet individual physically and emotionally safe. 
• Use clay as an emotional outlet. Yes my friends, it’s time to break out the modeling clay. Any sort of moldable clay will work for this, as long as you’re comfortable shaping it in your hands. The next time you’re exploring your feelings and find yourself in need of a non-distracting activity for your hands, modeling clay could be just the thing for you. You would be surprised how the things we shape with our hands reflect the things going on in our minds. 
• Draw a person in the rain. This was actually the first piece of art therapy I ever did when I was really struggling with my mental health, so I’ve always felt like it was a classic. First, draw an ordinary person. They could be well-equipped for the rain, (with an umbrella, raincoat, etc.) or they could be completely soaking wet. Then, draw the rain around them. The raindrops, the storm clouds, or perhaps even lightning. When you feel that your drawing is complete, analyze it through the lens of coping. How is this person in the rain coping with their situation? Are they happily taking it in stride, or are they unhappy because of the storm that rages around them? If you did the drawing again, what could you give to this individual that would help them stay happy in the storm? 

Working through your trauma can be a tall order. Especially if you’re trying to do it on your own. Art therapy can help you sort through the complications of your past.

Using Art Therapy To Unlock Your Creativity

One of the great revelations of DIY art therapy for me was that I could continue making art even outside the context of a therapist’s office or mental hospital. If your experiences with art therapy have been transformative, constructive, or even just fun, then I readily encourage you to continue pursuing art however it brings you peace. 

Integrative Counsel proudly offers virtual Art Therapy with Quinn. Quinn uses virtual art therapy to treat individuals with OCD and Anxiety, as well as those undergoing a major life transition or adjustment and are  experiencing grief. Click here to schedule your virtual art therapy session!

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.