Join the Creative Movement: Art Therapy for Connection, Healing, and Growth
“Joy Ride”-Tiny Collage (3.5×2.5) by Kate Kneifel
The Power of Creative Expression in Healing and Growth
As a counseling practice, our core objectives are connection, healing, and growth. These three pillars manifest in many ways, but one often-overlooked path—especially for adults—is the awareness and expression of personal creativity.
Reconnecting with Your Creative Self
When clients begin therapy, we focus on turning inward to increase self-awareness. Through this process, many rediscover parts of themselves that have been forgotten or exiled. These exiled parts may have been set aside for various reasons—perhaps they carried emotions that felt overwhelming, or they were deemed too loud, too silly, too free, or even too risky. At some point, these aspects may have been seen as a threat to emotional or physical safety, leading them to be suppressed to avoid distress or discomfort.
A specific exiled part that often emerges in therapy is the one related to creative expression.
Recognizing Your Creative Part
You might recognize this part in yourself. It’s the part that once performed choreographed dance routines for family and friends. The part that eagerly drew, doodled, and colored every chance it got. The part that wrote poetry or short stories about dragons and butterflies. Or perhaps the part that sketched intricate treasure maps, leading to imaginary riches in the backyard.
When I explain these exiled parts to clients, their eyes light up with recognition. They instinctively sense and remember this part. Many report feeling it stir when shopping for art supplies for their children, sitting in a dark theater before a live performance, or scrolling through social media, admiring the creativity of others. Yet, for many, these moments come with a pang of regret or longing—thinking, That looks amazing, but I could never do that. I’d just mess it up.
Why Creativity Gets Exiled
This creative part is often exiled during high school or college. Sometimes, it gets pushed aside when starting a family or building a career. And yet, the pull of creative expression persists.
I often tell clients, “The good news is that this part of you will never go away. It is an essential part of who you are, whether you choose to express it or not. The bad news? If you continue to suppress it, it may manifest as sadness, grief, or a sense of disconnection.”
The Healing Power of Creative Expression
Creative parts want to be expressed and integrated into our lives. It benefits us to pay attention and find ways to embrace art and creativity. Not only do people feel better when they do so, but research also strongly supports the healing power of creative expression.
Art and creativity heal. They tap into intuition, access right-brain wisdom, and soothe the nervous system. Study after study confirms that engaging in creative activities has profound mental health benefits. If you’re interested in exploring the science behind this, I highly recommend reading Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross.
Join Our Creative Community
Are you ready to reconnect with your creativity? Let’s do more art. Let’s express ourselves freely. And let’s do it together at the Yellow Key Collaborative.
I’m excited to announce a series of Collaborative Art Installations for 2025! Each installation will come with printable instructions and easy-to-obtain materials, available both in our waiting room and on our blog.
For each initiative, I’ll also host a free “Make and Take” workshop at the Collab Lab, offering a space for creativity, connection, and shared expression.
My hope is that those who feel ready to dip a toe back into creativity will inspire and uplift those who feel uncertain. Together, we can reignite the joy of artistic expression.
These Community Collaborative Initiatives are open to all. Submissions will be collected to create a Community Collaborative Exhibit at YKC, showcasing our shared creative spirit.
Starting in February 2025, we’ll launch our first creative collaboration: The Tiny Collage Collaborative.
I hope you’ll consider participating!