An ode to Art Therapy

Last week, while speaking with high school students about Art Therapy and the work that I do, one of them asked me “do you actually enjoy what you do or is it simply a profession?” This question struck me as I felt the answer to be an obvious one yet took a step back to gain some perspective and come back to my why and the true enjoyment in my profession.

For as long as I can remember I have always loved and cherished the art-making process, finding it to be a calming space for me, a space for me to simply be present to the moment as I explore the flow of whatever medium I was using (usually paint). There is something to be said about a process and an experience that feels like true magic - where you are able to immerse yourself and the world outside simply goes quiet - that is the art-making experience for me. Whether it is watching the colors transform as you mix the paints, feeling the texture of the medium as it glides across the surface beneath it or noticing the power you hold in being able to create something, there is magic in every step of the process.

When I learned that Art Therapy was a profession it felt like my two worlds colliding - my love for the art-making process and passion for understanding the human brain and behaviors. In graduate school this was only solidified by the foundation of my program to be more experiential based, allowing me to put myself in the shoes of clients and understand the experience from their perspective. This only evolved further as I began to work as a clinician where my love for the field grew deeper as I began to discover my true passion helping those with anxiety, trauma, low self-esteem and managing their grief experience. All of which has ultimately lead me to this place that I am at now, owning and running my own private practice where I am able to support clients individually and hold workshops to help others discover the healing powers of art-making.

So to come back to the question from before and what I told the student, yes, I absolutely and whole heartedly love the work that I do. I am able to wake up every morning excited to hold space for others as they explore challenges while also leaning into the creativity and flow of the art-making experience. I am able to go to bed at night knowing that I am providing support to those who need it so that they can continue to evolve and find the tools within. While the profession (like any other) may come with challenges at times, there is nothing about the work that I do that I would change.