The Artist in All of Us (Workshop Announcement!)

This is for anyone who ever has ever said to themselves anything resembling the following:

- I’m not actually an artist

- I have no time to start a new hobby

- This art I make is trash

- Art-making is expensive

- I’ve always been curious about art, but I have never known where to begin

First, let me just affirm that even prominent artists struggle with the thought “the art I make is trash.” I would even wager it is a universal experience to wrestle with one’s inner critic anytime we try something new. You’re not alone in that by any means.

Sure, there are people who take to art supplies like naturals, and others who hesitate to even pick up a sharpened color pencil because the pointy tips feel too much like a commitment to perfection, which can be intimidating to a beginner. Some can’t begin to activate their creative process until everything is set in its place (a free afternoon, good lighting, accessible supplies in order of color, their favorite brushes, a good playlist, a quiet surrounding, etc) and others who have a more chaotic and spontaneous system who are seemingly able to create a masterpiece in minutes using a ball point pen and a piece of packaging cardboard.  

I have seen and heard it all when it comes to a person’s relationship with art, and what I have both observed and personally experienced is that there is a lot that can stop a curious person from trying.

I am here now to address some of the more common barriers to you and your ability to create something visual.

First, remember that it is straight up our birthright as humans to learn how to creatively express ourselves. Sure, it is easier to express our needs with grunts, cries, or words once we learn them, but to sublimate those forms of expression into creative process requires a few steps that some people have been unfortunately denied as children.

In other words, our relationship with art largely depends on whether we had supportive caregivers to watch us, to praise and encourage our ongoing creativity, to teach us how to hold a crayon or use a brush or maintain an organized art space.

Many people even feel that artmaking is gatekept for those who come from an elite class, or those just born with talent. Then comes the argument about what constitutes talent and what constitutes skill, and that can push us further away into the notion that someone who has never tried making art probably shouldn’t, because there is no way they have either at this point.

To all that I say hogwash. Artmaking is for anyone at any time. Artmaking actually functions as a wonderfully effective way to soothe ourselves through troubling times ~gestures vaguely at everything, to process trauma and stressors ~gestures wildly at everything, and to not feel so alone with our enormous feelings. I can’t overstate enough the value and importance of both reflection and self-reflection through artmaking. Looking inward and outward. Also, artmaking or creative expression includes music, writing, dancing, and story-telling, so... dealer's choice. And if you find yourself a Registered or Board Certified Art Therapist or an Expressive Arts Therapist to work with, the depths of exploration and healing can go even further. ~

On Saturday October 24, I will be leading a workshop where we learn how to dismantle the common obstacles between you and your desire to make something, how to be comfortable with art supplies, and how to use the practice as a method of self-care during these wild times. At the end, I will review the definition and value of working with an art therapist, and leave my card.