Art therapy is such a powerful tool in the healing and self-growth process. I know I said this already in previous blog posts, but it’s something I love using with clients…and I enjoy using it in my own growth process. Art helps process things when words seem hard to come by. It can even help us with the experiential side (the emotional side) of whatever it is we are processing.
The type of art used for this art therapy activity is pointillism. Basically, you use dots to form a bigger whole. Using small dots to form a bigger whole can be really reflective of a lot of things in our lives…
-there are many aspects of us, parts that make us who we are, our job is to try to integrate them. It’s when we allow different parts of ourselves to take over and act out of balance that a problem arises. Integrating our parts is a lifelong process.
-we ourselves are a small part of society. Even though we are just one person in a sea of people, we are significant and can make an impact. AND, if we are experiencing something it means other people have also experienced it. If you reflect on that (an element of self-compassion known as “common humanity”) you might feel a sense of relief knowing that you are not crazy or alone in what you’re experiencing
Using dots also helps us develop the ability to SLOW DOWN. It increases our level of mindfulness. Society tells us we are what we do, so we constantly hustle and strive to do more. We might increase productivity yet feel depleted afterwards. Why? Because we are doing things in a robotic way, not connected to the reason we are doing things. We are doing without intention. This activity forces us to slow down.
Here are the steps for the pointillism art activity:
-Get a thick piece of paper, any size
-Have some kind of color: paint, colored pencil, markers, crayons, oil pastels
-Decide what color speaks to you most. You don’t have to form any specific picture. Patterns are calming because of the repetition. If you have a vision, go with it! If not, just start and see what happens!
-Use small dots to begin forming either a pattern or a larger picture.
-If it helps, play relaxing music in the background. If you prefer silence, then allow the quiet to calm you in the midst of chaos that might be looming in your life.
After the activity, be sure to bottle up whatever goodness came up during the practice and take it with you for the rest of the day! If you'd like another art therapy activity idea, check out THIS ONE! Happy rooting.