Why Do Art?

This week’s activity was focused on discussing what purpose art-making plays in our lives and more specifically, what role art plays within the context of our group.

We started by sharing a wide variety of artist’s work   … images ripped from discarded Art in America magazines. We drew attention to how each artist had different and distinctive styles and how we had personal, subjective reactions to each example.

They were then given half-faces gleaned from fashion magazines and mounted on white card-stock. They were asked to complete the faces in their own style. Like most people, many of the women were not confident in their ability to draw a face “correctly”. By encouraging them to design the faces with a personal touch they could move past their inner critics. As always, we emphasized that there was no wrong way of doing the exercise and they could approach it in a playful manner.

While they were working at their drawings I took the opportunity to clarify a common misconception that all art therapists are trained to analyze drawings as having specific symbolic meanings. I explained that in my art therapy training at Western University we were warned not to project our own preconceived biases into another person’s art. Black doesn’t always suggest depression and red isn’t always anger. There are, however, recurring symbols in any individual’s art-making that can help explain some emotional responses… and an art therapist can help them to decode their personal metaphors.

Some of their responses to the question “what is the purpose of art?” were:  Relaxing. Not always pretty or attractive but satisfying to express. Letting out the Inner Child. Creativity gives pleasure. Relieves boredom. 

As an art therapist, I could have spoken of some theoretic basics; creating art focuses the thought process and can provide a way to control scattered or dysfunctional thinking patterns, group dynamics provide opportunities to practice relationship skills, or how problem- solving skills can be demonstrated and practiced in a safe environment…. But what would be the purpose of doing so since a lot of the group’s enduring success lies in the magic of participatory connections. There’s a synergy, a catalyst for change, that happens as they each add their contribution to the whole. They experience the power of having a greater voice working together.