Expressive art is one of the best methods for self discovery. Have you ever felt sure of your goals one second and foggy on your life’s direction the next? That is in fact, a completely normal experience. In a world where comparison is almost unavoidable and choice is freely granted its easy to loose your footing. Self expression through art making can help open the door to introspection.
Before you dive into the 5 Art Activities for Self Discovery, remember this:
- The process is just as valuable as the product
- While you are creating, make sure you are in an uninterrupted space… this is YOU time
- Try not to focus too heavily on the aesthetics of what your are creating, if you enjoy the process chances are you will have a beautiful product
- If you don’t have all of the materials, its OK to improvise!
- Give yourself permission to let go and have fun!
Draw a Map of Your Feelings
First, what is expressive art? Expressive art is visually depicting your emotions through images, symbols and yes… maps! List all the feeling states that you encounter throughout the day. This includes from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. Feeling states are adjectives such as agitated, excited, groggy, worrisome, annoyed, stressed, apathetic, happy, elated or gratuitous. Place your feeling words randomly on paper and use a material of your choice to draw an arrow from one feeling state to the other. What does the mood cycle of your day look like? You may even draw your environment next to each feeling state on your map. Who is around you and how does that make you feel?
A map of your feelings can serve as a mirror, reflecting your inner workings on a diagram. Have fun, explore and get to know yourself from a different perspective!
Draw a Place Where You Feel Safe
Someone once asked me to name a place where I felt the most safe and I had a really hard time finding an answer. I was surprised by my inability to identify a good place. Don’t get me wrong, I live in a safe area where crime is seldom but as a small female, my guard is always up. Perhaps I’ve watched too many crime stories on Netflix, who knows!
Needless to say, this exercise was really helpful to me and can be for you too! Identifying your safe place can be an effective form of expressive art. You may discover the people and places that are most important to you in your life.
Create a Self Portrait Out of Symbols and Shapes
Not an artist? Creating your self portrait through symbols and shapes can be a non-intimidating first step to expressive art. Create a collage of images that represent your personality or draw symbols on paper. If you choose to create a collage, use watered down Elmer’s Glue or Mod Podge to adhere the images to paper/canvas.
As an ongoing project, use an old book or small sketchbook to glue images to on a weekly basis. Expressive art can serve as another form of journaling or weekly self-care ritual.
Create a Bridge Drawing
Next, the bridge drawing is one of the best tools for expressive art and self- discovery. At the start of the bridge, draw yourself where you are now in your life. At the end of bridge, draw where you want to be. This can be something as specific as a job title you are seeking or city you’d like to live in. The bridge destination may also be peace of mind, financial security or a better friend. Ask yourself, what actions do I need to take to get there? Add those actions to the middle of your bridge.
What’s more, materials such as chalk pastels, watercolor and ink are great to use for this directive! However, this could be a great prompt for a photography project or mixed media painting as well.
Create a Box of Personal Values
Finally, the last activity for greater self discovery requires you to identify your personal values. This may also be a great activity for dating! What qualities are most important to you in a significant other or in yourself? Values include attributes such as honesty, trustworthiness, kindness and patience.
Find a vessel of your choice or decorate a shoe box and place your non-negotiable values in the box. Limit the number of values that enter the box to help you identify traits most important to you.
Expressive Art
As a former practicing Art Therapist, I must advise that you avoid any self diagnosing and seek a qualified Art Therapist or Counselor for clinical processing of these directives, if desired. Art activities can serve as a great way to communicate with your counselor when the words are hard to find.
With that in mind, expressive art is a great way to learn more about yourself, no matter your art skill level!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more expressive art activities!