Make Weird Art

Art is Ceremony

Art is Ritual

Art is about coming to terms with the mystery of life

There is no wrong way to do art

Make weird art. You'll feel better afterwards. Make art to transform your pain or struggles into something beautiful. Make art to understand your self, your thoughts, the mystery in you. Make art just because it's fun. Embrace your inner kid, your inner self with an abundance of creativity and imagination - that's how you actually problem solve - with imagination.

Embrace your inner wild woman, your troublemaker, your Empress/ Emperor/ Sovereighn. Embrace your inner mother, inner father. Embrace your inner demons and do some shadow work with Art. Whatever it is, art is an incredible way to BE with all the different elements of yoruself. You Cannot Do Art Wrong

"You gotta resurrect the deep pain within you and give it a place to live that's not within your body.  Let it live in art.  Let it live in writing.  Let it live in music.  Let it be devoured by building brighter connections.  Your body is not a coffin for pain to be buried in.  Put it somewhere else." - Ehime Ora/ Nigerian writer, artist, and priestess of the Ifa & Orisa tradition

"What is living free? Taking a pause before defining every moment. Magic lies in the not naming. Of things. And that is one of the greatest gifts I take away from the path of tantra - the path of nonduality. We are a catalogue of very primal forces, which seek to express themselves in, as, and through us, and when we can slow down, and feel all the curves of the spiral of this thing called Life, THEN we really doing something". - Esi Wildcat/ Wildholyhuman

Notes on Expressive Arts Therapy:

Expressive Arts therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses creative processes to help individuals and groups express themselves and explore their emotions. Expressive Arts Therapy uses art, music, dance, drama, and writing to gain insight into their emotional and psychological states. It is grounded in the belief that the arts are therapeutic and have great potential for fostering well-being. Expressive Arts therapy uses a “low skill, high sensitivity” (coined by Paolo Knill) approach as no artistic skill is necessary and the focus is on the creative process, the art-making rather than the outcome. 

The expressive arts may be considered “the original psychotherapy” predating modern definitions, especially in Western Context. Before language became the primary way of addressing distresses of the mind and body, humans used expressive art forms such as visual art, painting, music, storytelling, dance, ceremony, and ritual as holistic methods for healing. The arts are used to address challenges across generations and cultures, and are particularly effective in responding to grief, trauma, and cultivating community/ identity. The major influences in the field are Natalie Rogers who advocated for imagination, intuition, and the creative connection between different mediums to enhance personal connection and self exploration through arts-based practices. 

“It is not about creating a pretty picture. It is not a dance ready for the stage. It is not a poem written and rewritten to perfection” - Natalie Rogers

The arts are therapeutic in and of themselves and with the intention of facilitating growth or healing, the process of art making is incredibly powerful. Shaun McNiff, a visual artist and art therapy education, is recognized for promoting “all the arts” meaning that a practitioner must draw from a number of available creative processes to meet the individual where they are, to engage “the whole person in the therapeutic process.” 

A key distinction with expressive arts therapy and other approaches like art or music therapy, is the multi-disciplinary nature and empowering approach. In expressive arts therapy, 

the therapist supports the individual in making their own meaning, rather than relying on an “expert” model, like in art therapy or music therapy, where the practitioner interprets meaning for the client.

Readings: Poetry Is Not A Luxury by Audre Lorde

1st photo by Radical Aliveness & Somatic Practioner Esi Wildcat @wildholyhuman

2nd photo by Radical Aliveness Practitioner Madison Nees @Ritual_body