Questions About Contemplative and Clinical Practice:
1. How is art yoga?
Yoga is a set of disciplined, transformative contemplative practices that help to join together the finite experience of embodiment with an expansive view of the infinite consciousness that we are. Art, as an awareness practice, is a way to inquire into this numinous equation through the formation and transformation of physical materials, which allow hidden aspects of ourselves to be seen and contemplated. Art is a way to work from the physicality of form towards the formless and from the formless back towards physical experience.
2. Do I have to be a talented artist to participate in art therapy?
No, talent is not an issue. The best art is the most honest art. Art is not necessarily about creating/rendering likeness - rather it is about representing what you wish to say. This can happen in numerous ways - collage, clay, video, photography, and yes - even with stick figures.
3. What is an Imaginal approach to working with images?
Visual images are visitors to be welcomed and communed with. Our work together inspires this relationship to grow and unfold. Image is not the object you perceive. Rather image, according to James Hillman, is the narrative that lives within the object you are perceiving. Listening to the image and following its story is the work.
4. Can art therapy help me to unblock my creativity?
Yes. Art therapy can help to unleash your creative potential and awaken your artistic abilities. Art can quickly expose out self-critical thoughts. When this happens a contemplative moment emerges where observation can be replaced with judgment.
5. What happens in an art therapy session or workshop?
We use art materials and processes, creative writing techniques, and verbal dialogue methods to unfold and mutually examine your personal images. The goal is to manifest, listen to, and follow the images that emerge for you.
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