Art for Mental Health & Wellness

An expert in art therapy offers this "wonderful" guide "for anyone, artistic or not, who is interested in using art to know more about himself or herself" (Library Journal). Making art - giving form to the images that arise in our mind's eye, our dreams, and our everyday lives - is a form of spiritual practice through which knowledge of ourselves can ripen into wisdom.

This book offers encouragement for everyone to explore art-making in this spirit of self-discovery - plus practical instructions on material, methods, and activities, such as ways to:
- Discover a personal myth or story
- Recognize patterns and themes in one's life
- Identify and release painful memories
- Combine journaling and image making
- Practice the ancient skill of active imagination
- Connect with others through sharing one's art works

Interwoven with this guidance is the intimate story of the author's own journey as a student, art therapist, teacher, wife, mother, and artist - and, most of all, as a woman who discovered a profound and healing connection with her soul through making art.

Discover the healing power of making art -- learn how you can process feelings of stress, change, uncertainty, grief, and fear as you create. In Art for Self-Care, artist, designer, and online instructor Jessica Swift outlines a path to healing through artmaking for both artists and non-artists alike. Going Inward offers guidance on how to get quiet, embrace the swirl of emotions and nonlinear thoughts without editing or judging, and identify and tune in to one's authentic inner voice, along with prompts for expressing those messages. Inside Out shares advice on mediums and techniques to try, finding inspiration, and incorporating personal symbols, and emphasizes the value of simply showing up, allowing for mistakes, and focusing on the process rather than on the finished piece. Integrating and Honoring reveals how to accept healing and honor one's truth and make a commitment to engage in an intuitive art practice. Strengthen your relationship with your inner voice and begin to change your life, one piece of art at a time.

"With its gentle affirmations, inspirational quotes, fill-in-the-blank lists and tasks -- write yourself a thank-you letter, describe yourself at 80, for example -- The Artist's Way proposes an egalitarian view of creativity: Everyone's got it."--The New York Times "Morning Pages have become a household name, a shorthand for unlocking your creative potential"--Vogue Over four million copies sold! Since its first publication, The Artist's Way phenomena has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron's novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery. The program begins with Cameron's most vital tools for creative recovery - The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. From there, she shares hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter. She also offers guidance on starting a "Creative Cluster" of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors. A revolutionary program for personal renewal, The Artist's Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life.

Getting messy is the best part of creating! Get Messy Art gives you the freedom, inspiration, and ideas to experiment and play with art techniques and projects to create perfectly imperfect art. We're always told that play and experimentation is the foundation of growing as an artist. But where do you start? Where to find new techniques to try? How do you bring them all together? Get Messy Art has all the guidance, instruction, and inspiration you need. Based on the popular online class and community website Get Messy Art, this book brings together tons of creative art techniques and projects, including painting with watercolor and acrylic, mark-making, drawing with markers and pen and ink, sketching faces, and much more. The fun doesn't stop there. You'll also learn how to make your own art journals and trendy junk journals--easy handmade books to work in that are personalized and one of a kind. In Get Messy Art you'll discover: A welcoming environment that encourages play and experimentation, to help you become the artist you always wanted to be. How to use no-rules, no-stress art techniques as a creative outlet to express feelings. Actionable inspiration that will keep you going, even when motivation is scarce. Fresh techniques that will show you innovative ways to use low-cost supplies such as paint and mediums, stencils, pens, and paper. Easy background techniques that will get you started and banish fear of the blank page. The satisfaction of making your own unique journals using simple methods. Ultimately, art is all about creating for the sake of creating. It's powerful, it's cathartic, it's messy--and it's all yours. It's time to get messy!

Share Your Joy embraces shareable and mixed-media art through projects, prompts, and stories that invite you to explore your creativity and have fun with art supplies.

"The most accessible and complete art therapy book ever published. It is a great achievement." --Shaun McNiff, author of Art Is Medicine and Trust the Process "Malchiodi's fascinating book shows how modern art therapy is being employed as a potent health-care intervention." --Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Prayer Is Good Medicine and Healing Words Newly updated and revised, this authoritative guide shows you how to use art therapy to guide yourself and others on a special path of personal growth, insight, and transformation. Cathy A. Malchiodi, a leading expert in the field, gives you step-by-step instructions for stimulating creativity and interpreting the resulting art pieces. This encouraging and effective method can help you and others recover from pain and become whole again. The Art Therapy Sourcebook will help you: Find relief from overwhelming emotions Recover from traumatic losses Reduce their stress levels Discover insights about yourself Experience personal growth

Are you inspired by the little things, the bits others might overlook? A crack in the sidewalk? The trunk of a fallen tree? Shards of broken pottery? Do you want your artwork to speak to the abstract nature of color, and shape and texture, composition and mood? With Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop, you'll learn to use your appreciation for the simple things in life--the ordinary, the aged, the humble--as your inspiration for making expressive, intuitive art. You will come to embrace imperfection and recognize that, yes, in fact, there is such a thing as a happy accident! The wabi-sabi philosophy of art is probably a little different from what you're used to--it's a style that finds inspiration and beauty in the imperfect, impermanent and humble nature of everyday objects. And there is a special freedom in wabi-sabi's abstract aesthetic, a forgiving approach that celebrates so-called mistakes and fosters an experimental spirit, encouraging you to build up and tear back with abandon. Inside Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop You'll Find: Dozens of inspiration photos and tips for taking your own. 27 traditional haikus. 35 techniques using such diverse media as oil and acrylic paints, alcohol inkers, foils and leaf, pastels, plaster, collage and handmade papers, teabags, paper towels, coffee, crayons, encaustic paints, fibers and more. Lots of Wabi-Sabi Wisdom--tips and troubleshooting. 70 big, beautiful finished pieces of art illustrating featured techniques. Links to online bonus content--step-by-step demonstrations illustrating six additional techniques. Add Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop to your artistic library and expand your artistic horizons today!

Suitable for beginners - you don't need to be a crafting expert to make the projects in this book! Includes easy to follow instructions and free templates. Craft Your Own Happy is a collection of mindful craft projects to make you smile! Perfect for those moments when you need a bit of self-care and relaxation time. Do you ever feel like you spend too much of your day staring at screens, feeling anxious or stressed out? If the answer is yes - then you need this book! The cute colorful projects have all been designed with the feel-good-factor in mind. Crafting can help to take you away from the worries and pressures of your daily life, and give you back those moments of slowness and focus which can help to reduce anxiety. Unlike other craft books, this is a book that you can dip into and find projects based upon how you are feeling. So you can craft to suit your mood! There are 25 beginner friendly projects to choose from including cross stitching, embroidery, paper craft and more...

Discover it for yourself. Inside Art Saves, experience the stories of 20 artists who found that artistic expression and the artistic process is worth living for. Whether you are a calligraphy/graffiti artist like Lisa Engelbrecht, a metal artist like Michael DeMeng, or digital collage artist like Susan Tuttle, art has a way of giving you beauty, meaning, spiritual richness, community... even salvation. The stories in this book come from every medium, because the power of the creative process can be found everywhere. Hear from: Drew Emborsky, a crochet artist, provides comfort through his creations by donating his work to hospitals and shelters. Rebecca Sower puts craft materials -- and hope -- into the hands of Haitian women through Haiti By Hand. Marie French who, through art, creates personal miracles of healing. Blu, who discovered the real, therapeutic effect of art-making, shows you many simple, effective ways you can give back. INSIDE ART SAVES, YOU'LL ALSO FIND: Mixed media techniques and projects. Throughout the book you'll find practical ideas to put you on the art-making path. Karen Michel shares instructions on creating prayer flags, Lynn Whipple shows you how to construct a permission plaque, Susannah Conway gives advice on revealing the soul of a place though inspired photography. Inspired Lessons. Each artist lists the lessons they have learned about living life artfully. "When the Going Gets Tough..." Sidebars suggest ways you can remain strong, even when things get challenging. Hear how different artists deal with difficulty head-on. "In the artist's own words..." Advice and wisdom shared directly from each artist to you. The act of art-making is an act of life. So thread a needle, lift a paintbrush, put pencil to paper, focus the camera -- find salvation.

Mindfulness is a powerful practice to help kids find calm in the midst of everyday stress -- but how to make it accessible and fun? In Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids, kids engage in and practice mindfulness through fun and easy exercises, quizzes, crafts, and activities, with the goal of learning a deeper sense of calm, peace, joy, and connection to the world around them, all while improving emotional intelligence, boosting self-esteem, and reducing anxiety. Perfect for kids to do alone or with the help of an adult, the activities in Crafting Calm will have kids playing, tinkering, creating, and doodling their way to peaceful, balanced minds.