Quick Art Therapy Exercises for Beginners

 

Art therapy is a new practice that increases health and wellness; this natural medicine helps people identify their emotions, build confidence, and increase awareness. Art is a productive way to deal with trauma and emotions. Sometimes people may not feel confident about their artistic abilities, and this may lead them to avoid the benefits that art therapy can provide, but this article will give you three quick exercises that an help you break the ice with art therapy.

For the first exercise you will need a piece of paper and some crayons; this exercise is a good way to gain self awareness and perspective. Before you start this piece think about how you feel because this will be an energy drawing. Choose a color that is appropriate to how you feel, and scribble on the paper. Make any type of lines you want; they can be jagged, round, or broken. Feel your emotions and scribble; you can add more colors is you like. When you are done examine the picture and see how your feelings were portrayed in this piece. This exercise is a guide that can help you understand how you are feeling, and this understanding will allow you to move on or change your mood.

Another quick and fun art therapy project is the emotion wheel; this project will help you understand your emotions, and it will also help you recognize emotions in others. To stat this project you will need a piece of paper; you can cut it into a circle if you like, or you can draw a circle onto it with a plate or bowl. Now make several small circles around your original circle. These circles will be faces; so draw expressions on all of these faces. Remember to not make one face alike, and use details to express emotions. If you want you can write the name of the emotion under the face. This fun project can help you later identify feelings.

A self-confidence building exercise starts with your name. Simply draw your name in the middle of a piece of paper, and think about all of your positive traits. Now use images to symbolize these traits. If you are good at basketball, draw a bouncing ball; if you are a gardener, draw some flowers. Really let your imagination take over with this project. Remember to use your favorite colors when creating this name piece, and keep it hung close by to remind yourself of how wonderful you really are.

Art therapy has the ability to help many people; I hope these exercises can open you up to the idea of art therapy because it has wonderful benefits.