Art and Healing

 I have been studying art and healing for quite a while.  It is utterly fascinating to me.  Before knowing the science behind it I instinctively was drawn to practising art for therapeutic purposes.  Last month I finished an Art and Healing course through Coursera.  I love going down the rabbit hole of research on my own so there wasn't a lot that I learned through this course.  There were a few nuggets that were not related to visual art.  Dance, writing and music were discussed and I was glad to gain more knowledge in those areas.  

This week I took part in an Art & Healing workshop via Zoom.  I was curious to know how it would be run.  Well, poorly is how it was run.  I was annoyed and disappointed.  I did enjoy doing a page of circles in my art journal though.  It isn't remarkable artwise but that is not the point.  My art journal is a sacred space for me to create without concern for it to look good.  Clearly, having something turn out beautifully is a joy but not the intent.  

I have been looking to find an online journal challenge.  So far, I have not found anything that is exactly right.  Maybe, I need to start my own challenge!